Pork & Butternut Squash Ragout

Pork and butternut squash ragù is the epitome of fall! The pork is pre roasted and a little sweet onion and fresh thyme sprigs are added with cubes of butternut squash. This is the perfect meat sauce to serve over some creamy polenta, buttered noodles, roasted sweet potatoes, jasmine rice or mash. Can some up today to have on your shelf at the ready.

Ingredients and Variations

Ingredients: Pork shoulder (butt), stewed tomatoes, butternut squash, sweet onions, red bell pepper, fresh thyme, garlic powder, onion powder, dried parsley, kosher salt, fresh cracked black pepper, cayenne pepper and chicken broth.

Variations: Pork can be changed out for chicken breast or thighs, turkey, beef or venison. You can sub in acorn squash and use the herbs you like! Any broth can be used as well as onions.

Canning

Before you begin, be sure to do the safety checks on your canner per manufacturer instructions. Always inspect your jars for chips and cracks and wash all equipment needed for the canning project, in hot soapy water.

Be sure to check the recipe for recommended headspace and be accurate. This is important for shelf stability and safety. Consult the USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning and Preserving for more information. https://nchfp.uga.edu/publications/publications_usda.html

Process quarts and pints for exact time specified in recipe. Remember, if you choose to can in half pints, those will always process for the same time as pints.

Pork & Butternut Squash Ragout

Recipe by Jeni Gough

5.0 from 2 votes

Course: MainDifficulty: Medium

Prep time

1

hour 

Roasting time

30

minutes

Yields

7

quarts or

Yields

14

pints

Processing time

90

minutes for quarts

Processing time

75

minutes for pints

Sweet and saucy pork, done perfectly!

Ingredients

• 7 lbs pork shoulder, cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes

• 2 sweet onions, sliced in half moons

• 3 cups butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes

• 1 red bell pepper, diced

• 28 oz stewed tomatoes

• 12 cups chicken broth

• 1 tbsp garlic powder

• 1 tbsp onion powder

• 1 1/2 tsp fresh cracked black pepper, divided

• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

• 1 tbsp kosher salt plus 2 tsp for pork

• 1 tbsp dried parsley

• 28 sprigs fresh thyme

Directions

• Inspect jars for cracks and chips. Wash jars, lids and rings in hot, soapy water. Prepare pressure canner per canner instructions, filling with water. Bring canner to a low simmer
• Heat oven to 425°. Lay pork cubes on sheet pans in single a layer. Sprinkle with 2 teaspoons of salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper.
• Roast pork at 425° for 30 minutes, stirring half way through.

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• Let’s make the broth: In a large pot, add broth, 1 tablespoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, parsley, cayenne and vegetables . Bring to a boil, cover, lower heat and simmer 10 minutes.
• Divide pork among jars evenly. Using a slotted spoon, divide vegetables evenly among jars. Add 2 thyme sprigs to each pint or 4 sprigs to each quart. Ladle hot broth into jars leaving 1-inch headspace. Remove air bubbles and add more broth if needed to bring headspace back up to 1-inch. Wipe rims and place on lids and rings fingertip tight. Add jars directly to simmering canner.
• Process quarts for 90 minutes and pints for 75 minutes.

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