This rich and savory Italian Pork Roast combines tender pork shoulder roast with earthy mushrooms in a luscious tomato-based sauce. This hearty dish is cooked low and slow in the oven for a memorable and satisfying meal.
If you’re looking for a beef roast with a similar flavor profile, try my Slow Cooker Italian Pot Roast.
Next time you’re craving pot roast, you’ve got to give this Italian-inspired pork roast a try. While my Dutch Oven Pot Roast is loaded with classic flavor, this Italian Pork Roast goes a completely different route. It’s seasoned with Italian spices and cooked with mushrooms and onions in a rich tomato-based sauce spiked with red wine.
The result is nothing short of phenominal.
Table of contents
Ingredient Notes
- Boneless pork shoulder roast: This relatively inexpensive cut can also be sold as a picnic shoulder roast. Boneless roasts may be tied with a string which should be removed before you start this recipe. This well marbled pork roast benefits from low and slow cooking.
- Seasoning paste: Olive oil combined with dried Italian seasoning, rosemary, minced fresh garlic, fennel seeds, kosher salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes. If you’re not familiar with fennel seeds, you’re in for a treat. They’re what give Italian sausage its Italian flavor and they add that same unique flavor to this sauce. Press them between your fingers or crush them lightly with the bottom of a clean jar to help them release their fragrant oils.
- Tomato products: A can of fire roasted diced tomatoes and tomato paste.
- Vegetables: Cremini mushrooms, quartered or halved if small, and chopped yellow onion.
- Wine: The best wine to use for this recipe is a dry red wine like cabernet sauvignon, merlot, or an Italian red like Chianti or sangiovese. You can substitute low sodium beef broth, but you’ll be missing the depth of flavor that wine brings to the sauce.
How to Make Italian Pork Roast
- Spice rub: Combine the olive oil, Italian seasoning, rosemary, garlic, fennel seeds, salt, black pepper, and the crushed red pepper. Set the pork roast in a Dutch oven and rub the mixture over the entire roast.
- Cook: Cover the pot and roast at 325 degrees F for 3 hours.
- Add remaining ingredients: Remove the pot from the oven and add the diced tomatoes, mushrooms, and onion around the pork roast. Whisk together the wine and tomato paste and pour it over the pork.
- Finish cooking: Return the pot to the oven and roast, uncovered for 45 minutes to 1 hour more or until tender enough to shred.
You can remove the roast from the pot and use two forks to coarsely shred the meat and add just as much sauce as you’d like. Or, just shred the pork directly into the sauce.
Serving Suggestions
Potatoes: Italian Pork Roast is delicious served over a mound of creamy Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes or Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes. We also love this meal with the Parsley Potatoes pictured in this post.
Vegetables: Simply cooked green beans, asparagus, or broccoli all work well. Want more flavor? My Pesto Green Beans or Sheet Pan Roasted Vegetables will add a burst of color and nutrition to this meal.
Salad: Toss a Simple Italian Salad or Lemon Parmesan Salad to add some crunch to the menu. Or make your favorite green salad and top it with Honey Balsamic Dressing or Homemeade Italian Dressing.
Bread: It’s always a good idea to add bread to the menu to soak up that gorgeous sauce. Make it easy with my Cheater Garlic Bread. Or, bake a batch of Cheddar Dinner Rolls and serve them warm from the oven.
Italian Pork Ragu: It is a match made in heaven when you combine the saucy Italian pork with pasta! Stir cooked penne into the shredded pork and sauce to turn this meal into something completely different or to repurpose leftovers.
Storage and Reheating Tips
- Refrigerate: Transfer the shredded pork and sauce to an airtight container and refrigerate within 2 hours of cooking. Leftovers will stay fresh and tasty for up to 4 days.
- Freeze: For longer storage, transfer the pork and sauce to freezer-safe containers and freeze for 2 to 3 months. To save space, use zippered plastic storage bags, press out as much air as possible, and freeze them flat.
- Reheating: Place the pork and sauce in a saucepan or skillet and reheat gently over low heat. Or reheat it in the microwave for 20 to 30 second increments, stirring in between, just until warmed through.
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Italian Pork Roast
Ingredients
- 3.5 to 4 pound boneless pork shoulder roast
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon dried Italian seasoning
- 1 tablespoon dried crushed rosemary
- 2 teaspoons minced fresh garlic
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds, lightly crushed (see notes below)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 14.5 ounce can fire roasted diced tomatoes, undrained
- 8 ounces cremini mushrooms, quartered or halved if small
- 1 ½ cups chopped yellow onion, from 1 small yellow onion
- ¾ cup dry red wine, can substitute low sodium beef broth
- 6 ounce can tomato paste
- Fresh Italian parsley, optional for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Remove the string tie, if necessary. If the pork roast has a thick fat cap, use a sharp knife to trim it down as much as you can without cutting away any of the meat. Then, place it fat cap side up, in a 6-quart Dutch oven.
- In a small bowl, stir together the olive oil, Italian seasoning, rosemary, garlic, fennel seeds, salt, black pepper, and the crushed red pepper. Rub the mixture all over the roast.
- Roast, covered for 3 hours. Remove the pot from the oven and add the diced tomatoes, mushrooms, and onion around the pork roast. Whisk together the wine and tomato paste and pour it over the pork (it’s thick so it will just coat the roast). Return the pot to the oven and roast, uncovered for 45 minutes to 1 hour more or until tender enough to shred.
- Remove the roast from the pot and use two forks to coarsely shred the meat. Return the shredded meat to the pot. Alternately, just shred the pork directly into the sauce. Stir to coat and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated using generic ingredients, and is an estimate not a guarantee. For more accurate results, please refer to the labels on your ingredients at home.
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