Instant Pot Pork Puttanesca

Name: Instant Pot Pork Puttanesca
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 6 serving(s)
Ingredients: 3 1/2 lb. skinless, boneless pork shoulder, excess fat trimmed and discarded, pork cut into 2" pieces; Kosher salt; Freshly ground black pepper; 1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil; 6 cloves garlic, peeled; 2 oil-packed anchovy fillets; 1/4 c. tomato paste; 1 (28-oz.) can whole peeled tomatoes; 1/3 c. pitted Castelvetrano and/or kalamata olives, halved; 1/4 c. packed fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped, plus more for serving; 2 tbsp. red wine vinegar; 1 tbsp. capers, drained; 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes; 1/2 tsp. granulated sugar; Cooked polenta and shaved Parmesan, for serving

By Laura RegePublished: Oct 10, 2022

2.5

2 Ratings

instant pot pork puttanesca with olives, capers, and shaved cheese over polenta

PHOTO: ERIK BERNSTEIN; FOOD STYLING: BROOKE CAISON

Yields:

6 serving(s)

Prep Time:

10 mins

Total Time:

55 mins

Cal/Serv:

1223

Jump to recipe

It’s pretty obvious that we love our Instant Pot for just about anything, but one area it really excels in is braised meat sauces like ragùs. Tougher cuts of meat (like the pork shoulder here) that would take 2 1/2 hours on the stovetop or in the oven only take 30 minutes (!!!) in the Instant Pot and still come out super-tender.

For this dish, we were inspired by classic Italian puttanesca, a tomato-based dish with anchovies, capers, and olives that's traditionally served over pasta. Pork makes it extra hearty, so we served it over creamy polenta, but feel free to sub in pasta, rice, or whatever else you can dream up.

Did you make this recipe? Let us know how it went in the comments!

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Ingredients

3 1/2 lb.
skinless, boneless pork shoulder, excess fat trimmed and discarded, pork cut into 2" pieces
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 Tbsp.
extra-virgin olive oil
6
cloves garlic, peeled
2
oil-packed anchovy fillets
1/4 cup
tomato paste
1
(28-oz.) can whole peeled tomatoes
1/3 cup
pitted Castelvetrano and/or kalamata olives, halved
1/4 cup
packed fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped, plus more for serving
2 Tbsp.
red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp.
capers, drained
1/2 tsp.
crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp.
granulated sugar
Cooked polenta and shaved Parmesan, for serving

Directions

1. Step 1Season pork with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper.
2. Step 2In an Instant Pot, heat oil on Sauté 2 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until light golden, about 2 minutes. Stir in anchovies and tomato paste and cook, stirring, until tomato paste slightly darkens and anchovies are broken up into small bits, about 2 minutes more.
3. Step 3Add tomatoes and any juices, breaking up tomatoes with a wooden spoon. Add olives, basil, vinegar, capers, red pepper flakes, and sugar and stir to combine. Nestle in pork.
4. Step 4Close and lock lid. Cook on high pressure 30 minutes, or until pork is very tender.
5. Step 5Manually release pressure. Using tongs, transfer pork to a large bowl. Using 2 forks, shred pork. Return pork to pot with sauce and set to Sauté. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens, 8 to 10 minutes more.
6. Step 6Serve pork over polenta. Top with Parmesan and basil.