20 Savory Pork Soups and Stews (2024)

Pork is one of the best meats to simmer in a seasoned broth, whether a recipe calls for tender chunks of shoulder, rich bacon, smoky ham hocks, or bouncy, flavor-packed meatballs. From Hugh Amano's creamy Tonkotsu Ramen and Paula Wolfert's show-stopping Toulouse-Style Cassoulet to Priya Krishna's spicy Posole Rojo, this collection of recipes is informed by a diverse array of food cultures, featuring dishes with remarkably different textures and flavors.

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Smoked Ham Hock and Lentil Soup

"I love making this lentil soup when the weather begins to cool," says2017 Food & Wine Best New Chef Nina Compton, chef-owner of New Orleans hot spot Compère Lapin. "The ham hock aroma hangs around the kitchen beautifully; the smell alone makes you warmer. Adding a little ginger and lemongrass brightens the soup and reminds me of being back home in St. Lucia. Using local okra reminds me of my Louisiana home and adds a different texture."

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Corsican Bean Soup with Greens and Pork

Full of hearty winter vegetables, thiscomforting soupis filling without being heavy. Dried beans are the key to the satisfying richness of the broth; if you want to use canned beans to save time, stir them in at the end of cooking.

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Khao Soi

An aromatic mixture made of shallot, garlic, and radish is the base of this riff on the Northern Thai classic from chef Donny Sirisavath. He amps up the flavor with soybean paste, cherry tomatoes, and ground pork to create a deeply savory pork sauce. Red pepper flakes, black pepper, and palm sugar act as a balancing act to the spices and aromatics in the sauce. The addition of grated galangal in combination with the lemongrass offers a really nice fragrant note to the overall dish.

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Butternut Squash and Pork Soup with Fish Sauce and Tender Herbs

In Vietnam, kabocha squash is simmered with pork to make a soup called canh bi do thit heo. This riff on that classic dish swaps in mild butternut, which holds its shape well and absorbs the rich flavors of the broth and pork while cooking quickly. Filled with tender ground pork marinated in fish sauce and sugar, this aromatic, brothy soup comes together in under an hour for a light and satisfying meal.

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Posole Rojo

Posole is the choose-your-own-adventure of Mexican cuisine. Start with a stew speckled with chewy bits of hominy and seasoned with lime and braised pork. Depending on the region, that soup could begreenfrom jalapeños and tomatillos (if you're in Guerrero) or red from guajillo or ancho chiles (in areas such as Mexico City and Jalisco). Then, choose from a selection of toppings: finely chopped onions, sliced avocado, lime, radishes, lettuce, queso fresco. Go big, or keep it simple. That's the true beauty of posole: No two bowls look or taste exactly alike.

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Porco à Alentejana (Portuguese Braised Pork and Clams)

This simple braise is a mainstay along the coast of Portugal. With clams from the sea and pork from the nearby mountains, it speaks to the landscape and diet of Portugal. Its garlicky broth pairs well with crusty bread and dry Portuguese wine.

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White Bean and Ham Soup

When Grace Parisi was growing up, her mother made white bean and escarole soup every Friday. To transform the soup into a main course, Parisi substitutes ham and spiced croutons for the greens. To create a creamy, luxurious texture, the ham is removed from the pot, the beans, vegetables, and broth are puréed, and the ham is added back in.

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Tonkotsu Ramen

Cookbook author Hugh Amano notes that, as developed in ramen-yas, ramen is the perfect restaurant dish: prep heavy and simple to finish in a hurry. This recipe is a labor of love. You’ll need a couple of days to prepare all the components. But trust us when we say the results are well worth it.If you prefer a comparatively quick ramen recipe that's ready the same day, try Grace Parisi's recipe for Shoyu Ramen, which features a clearer broth.

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Brunswick Stew

Brunswick stew is a beloved comfort dish with roots in traditional Southern cuisine. Original iterations of this dish are said to have included small local game animals like squirrels or rabbits.But the modern version of this stew typically uses chicken or pork. Our version calls for braising pork shoulder in a tomato and chicken stock-based broth and adding corn, potatoes, and lima beans. Onions, garlic, dry mustard, paprika, brown sugar, and Worcestershire give the stew a deep savoriness and piquancy.

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Pork and Kale Soup with Sizzling Puffed Rice

”I love food that makes noise,“ says Edward Lee. When F&W challenged the Top Chef Season 9 contestant to make a fast dish with pork, kale, and white wine, he created a deeply flavorful soup, then added crumbled rice cakes that crackle as they hit the broth. The dish is based on one he likes from a hole-in-the-wall Vietnamese spot in Manhattan’s Chinatown. ”They make a big deal out of adding the rice, so you can celebrate the sizzling sound,“ Lee says.

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Yucatán Pork Stew with Ancho Chiles and Lime Juice

Tia Harrison, co-founder of Avedano’s Meats in San Francisco, used to break down a pig each week and found making stew to be the most versatile way to use cuts like pork shoulder, shanks, and belly. Here she cooks the stew with pleasantly bitter ancho chiles.

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Khao Dtom Moo Saap (Rice Congee with Pork Meatballs)

Chef James Syhabout flavors his meatballs simply with fish sauce and soy sauce. They’re served in his soothing congee with assorted condiments, including cilantro, garlic oil, and chile vinegar.

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Pork Chile Verde

This recipe from Guy Fieri is chock full of meltingly tender pork shoulder braised in a tomatillo and chile-infused broth. Fieri uses pasilla, poblano, Anaheim, and jalepeño peppers as the chile base for this comforting stew. It’s a warming, cozy dish for a winter gathering and perfect for any game day gathering.

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Pork Cheek and Black-Eyed Pea Chili

Michael Symon defines himself as a “porketarian,” saying he can’t get enough of the meat. For his luscious chili, he uses incredibly flavorful and succulent pork cheeks — an unusual cut worth seeking out. If pork cheeks aren’t available, pork shoulder (cut into 2-inch pieces) can be substituted.

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Pork-and-Green-Chile Stew

A mix of mild and spicy green chiles gives body and heat to this quick braise made with boneless pork shoulder.

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Toulouse-Style Cassoulet

Although there are innumerable versions of cassoulet, most are based on a stew of white beans and various forms of pork. The dish gets its name from the pot it's traditionally baked in, which is flared outward toward the rim to ensure the greatest amount of luscious crust. This version by acclaimed cookbook author Paula Wolfert includes duck confit and the French garlic sausages that are a specialty of Toulouse.

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Pork and Tomatillo Stew

This spicy Mexican-style stew is loaded with vegetables. Winemaker Andrew Murray makes it for his employees around harvest time. “It’s our comfort food at the winery,” he says. “And it’s a nice excuse to stop for a few minutes and eat together, even when we’re busy.”

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Pork-and-Cider Stew

This hearty stew from chef Fernanda Milanezi is super-simple to make for a crowd. It’s finished with heavy cream, which amplifies the wonderful apple flavor.

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Italian Wedding Soup

Grace Parisi’s kids love a particular brand of canned soup filled with chicken meatballs and soggy pasta, but she prefers realminestra maritata(Italian wedding soup). She makes tiny pork meatballs and simmers them withorzo, chickpeas, spinach, and parmesan. She occasionally substitutes green beans for the spinach, depending on who is at the table.

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French (Canadian) Onion Soup

Hugue Dufour makes a pork broth for his French onion soup using bacon for smokiness and a pig's foot for richness. Omit the pig's foot for a lighter broth.

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