Des

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Pulled Pork Rigatoni

Pulled Pork Rigatoni is the best way to use leftover pulled pork. Pasta tossed with crushed tomatoes, pulled pork, onions, mushrooms and garlic. 

Pulled Pork Week continues today with this Pulled Pork Rigatoni. I should apologize because I’ve been holding on to this recipe for some time now. I’m not sure why I haven’t shared it before because it is awesome. How could it not be?

First of all, there is rigatoni with those lovely holes that are perfect for hiding some sauce. Speaking of sauce the sauce is the BEST part. I’m telling you it is rustic comfort food to the max with crushed tomatoes, onions, garlic, mushrooms, and the star, pulled pork.

Take a minute and wipe the drool. I’ll wait.

Pulled Pork Rigatoni is the best way to use leftover pulled pork. Pasta tossed with crushed tomatoes, pulled pork, onions, mushrooms and garlic.

Ready? K good. Let’s move on shall we?

What do you do with leftover pulled pork?

Whenever I make a batch of slow cooker pulled pork there is leftovers. I love it because there is SO many things you can do with it. For the longest time my leftovers would turn into tacos, sandwiches, taquitos, tostadas and tater tot casserole.

Never pasta.

It’s weird really. Because I am always trying to think of a way to turn a non-pasta dish into a pasta dish.

Because carbs are awesome.

There I said it. And I’m not the least bit ashamed.

I heart pasta. A lot. I always have and I always will. Spending some time in Italy didn’t help matters.

For this recipe, I use whole grain pasta. It’s a little chewier and heartier than regular pasta. I think it makes pasta dishes more rustic. And it works especially well in dishes like this.

Pulled Pork Ragu.

That is basically what this sauce is and it is fantastic. I could probably eat the sauce all on it’s own. The sauce is chunky with pulled pork, onions, garlic and mushrooms. It is rustic, simple and honestly one of the best things that you can do with your leftovers.

Pulled Pork Rigatoni is a rustic pasta dish. Rigatoni tossed with pulled pork ragu #leftoverpulledpork #pulledpork #pasta #dinner

Looking for more pasta recipes? Check out some of my favorites!

Spaghetti and Meatballs

Pasta Pomodoro

Pasta Amatriciana 

Shrimp and Scallop Pasta

 Aglio e Olio

Classic Aglio e Olio pasta is one of my favorites and a favorite of all garlic lovers!

Pulled Pork Rigatoni is the best way to use leftover pulled pork. Pasta tossed with crushed tomatoes, pulled pork, onions, mushrooms and garlic.

Pulled Pork Rigatoni

Pulled Pork Rigatoni is the best way to use leftover pulled pork. Pasta tossed with crushed tomatoes, pulled pork, onions, mushrooms and garlic.
4.7 from 19 votes
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Course Main Dishes
Cuisine American
Servings 4 Servings

Ingredients
  

Ingredients:

  • 1 pound dried whole grain rigatoni
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 2 cups sliced mushrooms
  • 1/2 yellow onion sliced
  • 1/2 cup red wine
  • 2 cups crushed tomatoes
  • 1/4 teaspoon cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • chopped parsley
  • shredded parmesan cheese
  • 2 cups pulled pork

Instructions
 

  • Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook pasta according to package directions. Drain.
  • While pasta is cooking, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook garlic, mushrooms and onions just until onions and mushrooms have softened and started to brown, about 5 minutes. Pour red wine over the top to deglaze the pan. Be sure to scrape up any of the brown bits that have stuck to the bottom of the pan.
  • Pour in crushed tomatoes. Mix in cumin, salt and pepper. Add in pulled pork. Mix well. Continue cooking for 5 - 10 more minutes or until sauce is warmed through. Stir in cooked rigatoni. Mix well. Transfer to a serving platter. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and parmesan cheese. Serve.

Notes

Enjoy!
Tried this recipe?Mention @lifesambrosia or tag #lifesambrosia!
Keywords: comfort food, dinner, entree, Food, pasta, pulled pork, Recipe, rigatoni, tomato sauce

Leave a Comment

Recipe Rating




  • Reply
    Andrew
    July 14, 2024 at 8:29 am

    4 stars
    Sounds delicious I’ll be making this today using some Texan style barbecue pulled pork that took me 24 hours to get the ultimate flavor

  • Reply
    Gordon Tansey
    April 15, 2024 at 2:24 am

    5 stars
    Lovely and because you never know how much spice is in the pulled pork, gives you plenty of scope to tweak. We added carrot and celery with the onion – and after tasting some chilli flakes, but the base was brilliant and loved by all the family.

  • Reply
    Joyce Billetts
    March 7, 2024 at 7:27 am

    What kind of red wine -cabernet or Merlot or doesn’t it matter?

    • Reply
      Deseree
      March 7, 2024 at 1:47 pm

      Either would work for this recipe!

  • Reply
    Christine
    June 5, 2023 at 8:22 am

    I work in a BBQ restaurant and have a ton of frozen, left-over ribs.
    I was looking for a comment like Mary’s.
    This dish does sound delicious and I’m a sauce-y kind of person!

  • Reply
    Mary
    August 3, 2022 at 3:03 pm

    5 stars
    I had leftover pork ribs so I ended up adding kalamata olives, some hot sauce and some Boursin garlic and herb cheese and that did the trick so it didn’t taste like bbq ribs. It was delicious!!!

  • Reply
    Steve
    July 29, 2022 at 8:31 am

    5 stars
    Making this tomorrow for 30…just one question…are you using the garlic cloves whole? I know this is going to be incredible! Thanks!

    • Reply
      Deseree
      July 29, 2022 at 9:46 am

      Great question, Steve and I will have to update the instructions! Sorry they weren’t clear! Rough chop the garlic :) Hope you enjoy!!

  • Reply
    Dee
    June 13, 2022 at 9:19 am

    5 stars
    Surprised – simply and tasty. I added a little hot sauce for heat.

    • Reply
      Deseree
      June 13, 2022 at 4:41 pm

      Glad you enjoyed it, Dee! Loving the addition of hot sauce.

  • Reply
    donna
    May 17, 2022 at 1:23 pm

    5 stars
    This is an awesome way to use leftover pulled pork. Delicous

    • Reply
      Deseree
      May 17, 2022 at 2:41 pm

      Thank you, Donna! Glad you enjoyed it!

  • Reply
    Darlene mahaven
    October 3, 2021 at 11:15 am

    5 stars
    There are only two of us I would love to make this but it’s way to much. Can this be broken down for two?

  • Reply
    Shirley
    August 14, 2021 at 3:32 am

    3 stars
    I made pulled pork for the first time and was looking for some recipes for the leftover; I found this one.
    Looks interesting but needs a few tweaks.

    I added capers, hot chilli peppers, more onions and garlic along with my home made pasta sauce which is rich and thick, to give it some oomph.

    Great place to start so thanks for that!

  • Reply
    Tricia Sweeting
    April 12, 2021 at 9:44 am

    5 stars
    My family loved this. We added a few sun dried tomatoes too. Delicious! Thank you for this great recipe xxx

    • Reply
      Deseree
      April 15, 2021 at 8:36 am

      You’re welcome! So happy to hear you loved it!

  • Reply
    Brandy
    November 19, 2020 at 4:04 pm

    5 stars
    I had some leftover pulled pork for carnitas’ that I had frozen. I didn’t even need to add the seasonings since the pork was already seasoned. I used chicken broth instead of wine, but it turned out so good. I’ll be ear marking this recipe for future use.

    • Reply
      Deseree
      November 20, 2020 at 6:35 pm

      Yay! I am so happy you enjoyed it!

  • Reply
    Kathy
    November 7, 2020 at 1:01 pm

    5 stars
    I made this, added a bit more chopped tomatoes, thin sliced celery, 1/3 cup extra Cabernet wine, 1/2 chicken stock. I had some awesome leftover pork gravy so I added 3/4 of a cup—- totally awesome flavor. Had to use dried parsley, added 2 extra cloves of chopped garlic. Hubby was pleased with it!

    • Reply
      Deseree
      November 11, 2020 at 8:58 pm

      So happy to hear that!!

  • Reply
    Taryn
    July 10, 2020 at 7:09 pm

    5 stars
    Made this for dinner tonight with gluten free noodles and it was so good. Only had diced tomatoes so I blended them a bit and it worked out great. My husband loved it too!

    • Reply
      Deseree
      July 12, 2020 at 1:08 pm

      So happy to hear you enjoyed it!!

  • Reply
    Rochelle Bogush
    June 15, 2020 at 7:57 am

    5 stars
    Can you substitute the tomatoes? My husband hates tomatoes, but I still try to sneak vegetables into his meals as best I can. ;)

  • Reply
    lauri hamilton
    March 31, 2020 at 5:01 am

    4 stars
    I am searching for a way to use pulled pork for a soup kitchen in our town. Will need to feed 60…..trying to be creative with what we have but still serve something that tastes good. Any ideas on how to adapt this to feed a bunch would be welcomed.

  • Reply
    Molly
    January 13, 2020 at 11:46 am

    5 stars
    Can leave out the red wine?

    • Reply
      Deseree
      January 13, 2020 at 12:13 pm

      You can! I would substitute beef or vegetable broth though so you get the liquid and a bit more flavor.

  • Reply
    Liz Morgan
    October 9, 2019 at 4:31 pm

    5 stars
    Loved these leftover pulled pork ideas! Made this one and we all loved it! (How did my mom cook before the internet!?)
    Thank you

  • Reply
    BlueRaven
    July 17, 2019 at 5:29 pm

    4 stars
    It tastes amazing. I had a little leftover pulled pork left, and had to turn it into enough for my father and husbands lunches for a week, and it worked amazing! I used Farfalle instead, and I used Adobo Seasoning, mixed with some Cumin and dried Jalapeño that I had. I also didnt have red wine, so I used chicken broth with a few teaspoons of red wine vinagar. It was the perfect blend of seasonings. I really want to try this with beef, chicken, and change around what type of broths I use.

  • Reply
    Lesan Lucas
    July 17, 2019 at 5:08 pm

    5 stars
    This was very good!! I was a bit skeptical about the cumin, (I love cumin, but wasn’t really in the mood for it) but it was subtle and added that great aroma to the meal. Thanks for such a terrific recipe for leftover pulled pork!

  • Reply
    Kris
    April 7, 2019 at 11:51 am

    Do you think leftover Italian beef would work in this recipe instead of the pork??

    • Reply
      Deseree
      April 7, 2019 at 12:07 pm

      I actually think that would be really good!

  • Reply
    Thea M. Pex
    December 20, 2018 at 6:53 pm

    5 stars
    I made this tonight for dinner, I had a lot of leftover pulled pork, did not have enough mushrooms. Next time! Family loved it!

    • Reply
      Deseree
      December 21, 2018 at 12:26 pm

      Wonderful to hear, Thea! Thank you!

  • Reply
    Cindy Passons
    February 12, 2018 at 12:26 pm

    What would be a good substitution for mushrooms/fungi?

    • Reply
      Deseree
      February 12, 2018 at 1:29 pm

      Cindy- You can simply omit them if you like!

  • Reply
    CIndy Poehls
    December 28, 2017 at 7:29 pm

    it’s great receipe

    • Reply
      Deseree
      February 8, 2018 at 9:20 pm

      Thank you!

  • Reply
    Barbara | Creative Culinary
    July 23, 2014 at 8:58 pm

    Looks fantastic!

  • Reply
    cquek
    July 20, 2013 at 6:22 am

    Drooling!

  • Reply
    goboroot
    July 19, 2013 at 4:16 pm

    I was debating whether to make simple marinara pasta or lasagna, but since I saw your pulled pork, my heat is set for your recipe for this weekend!!! Sounds delicious:)

  • Reply
    Nami | Just One Cookbook
    July 18, 2013 at 5:59 am

    Ohhhh rigatoni must be so good with pulled pork! I love cooking pasta on weekdays, and having leftover pulled pork comes in very handy!

  • Reply
    StephenC
    July 18, 2013 at 5:01 am

    Come the fall I’ll try this out. It’s not summer food in Washington, DC’s heat and humidity. Looks/sounds marvelous.

  • Reply
    Jessie {Life As A Strawberry}
    July 17, 2013 at 11:56 pm

    I’m drooling. This sounds AMAZING.

  • Reply
    sheila
    July 17, 2013 at 7:48 pm

    I love love love this idea, I would never have thought of putting pulled pork with pasta. I am so trying this recipe!

  • Reply
    Cathy Pollak ~ Noble Pig
    July 17, 2013 at 10:09 am

    I have never put my pulled pork in pasta, that’s a great idea. I know the family would love that!

  • Des

    Hey! I'm Des!

    Welcome to Life’s Ambrosia where Dinner is served and memories are made. Here you will find over 1000 tried and true recipes for every possible occasion. In the last 10 years, this blog has helped millions of families put dinner on the table and create food memories. Let me help you too.

    Read more »

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