Slow Cooker Italian Pork and Peppers

Alright, I know...ANOTHER slow cooker recipe. Honestly, though, can you ever actually have too many? Not in my book you can't, and since I'm the one writing this blog...well, slow cooker meals it is!

My husband doesn't love pork, but he REALLY liked this dish. It's one of the best dishes I've had in awhile, actually, and that's saying a lot since I cook almost every night. I love it because it's SUPER easy to put together, the slow cooker does practically all of the work, and the flavors are SO yummy when you actually sit down to eat it. The pork is so tender it almost melts in your mouth! Mmm.

I got the initial recipe for this from Cooking Light as is noted below; their suggestion was to pair the pork with polenta. You can do that, or you can do like I did and pair it with mashed potatoes.

Slow Cooker Italian Pork and Peppers

Adapted from Cooking Light, January 2015

 

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 (1 1/2-pound) boneless pork shoulder (Boston butt)

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, divided

3/4 teaspoon black pepper, divided

2 cups vertically sliced onion

1 cup sliced yellow bell pepper

10 garlic cloves, minced

2 (14.5-ounce) cans diced tomatoes, drained

1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

 

 Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil and swirl to coat. Sprinkle pork with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Add pork to pan and cook 10 minutes, turning to brown all sides. Transfer pork to your slow cooker.

 

Add onion, bell pepper, and garlic, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, tomatoes, rosemary, and thyme to the slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW for 7 1/2 hours.

 

Add vinegar and Worcestershire sauce. Cook, uncovered, for 30 minutes and turn off heat. Shred pork. Serve over polenta or mashed potatoes.

 

Until next time...

 

Cheers!