When I have a pound of ground pork to cook, my go-to recipe is almost always my Ginger Scallion Pork Meatballs. They’re so simple to throw together and taste like the inside of a wonton. Win win.
But when I thawed a pound of pork last week, I wanted something different. Since I happened to have a gorgeous jar of basil on my counter (thanks, Toréa!), and a jalapeño in the fridge, this Chile Basil Pork practically made itself.
Chile Basil Pork is the perfect one-skillet weeknight dish!
Of course if you have Thai basil, that’s the best kind to use for stir fries, but regular old basil works just fine, too, and is what I happened to have on hand.
This dish comes together super fast. Whenever that’s the case there is a very important step you should take: MISE EN PLACE! That’s fancy chef speak for prep yo shit.
It’s a great habit to get into in general, but especially important with stir-fries and anything that cooks fast. You want all of your ingredients ready to go into the pan, so you don’t over cook what’s already in there.
And it makes cooking generally more enjoyable, and you might even feel like you have your own cooking show.
Chile Basil Pork
The perfect one skillet weeknight supper!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 3 -4 servings
- Category: Main Course
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound green beans, (stemmed, trimmed, and cut in half if they’re particularly long)
- 2 teaspoons avocado oil, (divided)
- 5 scallions, (white and light green parts, sliced 1/8-inch thick (about 1/2 cup))
- 2–3 cloves garlic, (sliced)
- 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
- 8–10 slices jalapeño
- 1 pound ground pork
- 1/4 cup coconut aminos
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1/2 cup loosely packed basil leaves
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet over high heat until very hot. Add 1 teaspoon of avocado oil. Once shimmering, drop in the green beans and shake the pan so they’re in as much of a single layer as possible. Cook without stirring for 2-3 minutes, until they are nice and blistered. Stir and cook for another 2 minutes or so, until they’re bright green and tender, and nicely charred. Remove to a plate. Leave the skillet on the heat.
- Heat the remaining 1 teaspoon of avocado oil in the skillet and add the scallions, garlic, ginger, and jalapeño. Cook for about 2 minutes until very fragrant.
- Add the pork to the pan, breaking it up with a spatula. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until the pork is no longer pink. If there is a lot of liquid / fat that has rendered, pour if off as best you can. (this will depend on the fattiness of your pork)
- Add the coconut aminos, fish sauce, and green beans. Cook for 2 minutes, or until the pork is cooked through and the sauce has a reduced a bit.
- Stir in the basil and cook until just wilted. Serve hot, over rice or cauliflower rice, if desired.
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Kathleen says
This is fabulous! I made it exactly as writr n and it’s perfect. My gluten-loving husband has requested this in weekly rotation. I’m making it again tonight. Thank you!
zenbelly says
That’s awesome, Kathleen! I’m so glad you and your husband loved it 🙂
Elizabeth says
This is marvelous! But it’s Simone, so we knew that 🙂 I used sriracha sauce instead of jalapenos so I could control the heat more. A great way to get a veg and a protein in one dish.
zenbelly says
Aw shucks 🙂 So glad you loved it, and great idea with the Sriracha! Thanks, Elizabeth!
Donna says
Can you clarify “8-10 slices jalapeño”? Is that one jalapeño sliced into 8-10 segments? Thank you!
zenbelly says
8-10 slices OF a jalapeño. So mostly likely less than a whole jalapeño, unless it’s tiny.