This Pork Giniling recipe is made by simmering ground pork and vegetables in a delicious tomato sauce made more flavorful with butter and cheese! It is a popular Filipino comfort food that is hearty, economical, and so easy to make!
Why make it?
It is perfect for everyday meals, especially on those busy weekdays and nights. It is a straight-forward one-pan dish so cooking it is a breeze! The ingredients are simple and very affordable. You can make it even simpler by using just ground pork, tomato sauce, potatoes, and carrots with the usual aromatics and condiments and it will still be super yummy!
This dish is also ideal for casual gatherings with family and friends, especially when you are expecting quite a few guests. You can make a large serving and add a few more ingredients to make it more special without going over your budget!
What is Giniling?
Giniling is the Tagalog term for "ground meat". It is a stew traditionally made of ground pork and veggies such as carrots, potatoes, bell pepper, and green peas. These are simmered in tomato sauce until the flavors seep out and blend together to make a flavorsome dish. Though you can serve it without hard-boiled eggs, I love adding them to the dish because the flavors and texture work so well together! It also makes the dish much more filling.
It is common to pair it with steaming hot rice for lunch or dinner. Any left-overs are used as "palaman" or sandwich spread paired with hot Pandesal for breakfast the following day. Some also use it as a stuffing for Empanadas. I remember my mama would even use left-overs to make Tortang Talong, a Filipino eggplant omelet.
You might encounter some recipes referring to this dish as Filipino Picadillo. However, there are a few differences between the two. Picadillo is commonly made using ground beef and fresh tomatoes and has a soupy consistency. While this recipe uses ground pork stewed in a rich tomato sauce.
Foxy Tips for Pork Giniling Recipe
- Make sure to cut the potatoes, carrots, and bell pepper in uniform sizes to ensure even cooking.
- You can also use hard-boiled quail eggs instead of chicken eggs.
- Add some raisins or pineapple tidbits if you want it to have a sweeter taste.
If you like this quick and easy one-pan Pork Giniling recipe, here are some more weekday meals to try:
Printable Recipe
Pork Giniling Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 medium onion diced
- 3-5 tablespoon tomato sauce
- 1 -2 tablespoon tomato paste
- 500 grams ground pork
- 1 ½ tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon calamansi juice or lime juice
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup butter
- 1 medium carrot
- 1 medium potato
- 1 medium red bell pepper
- ½ - 1 cup grated cheese
- 1 cup green peas
- 6 pieces hard-boiled eggs
Instructions
- Saute garlic and onion in a pan over medium heat until limp and aromatic. Add the tomato sauce and tomato paste. Cook until the oil starts to separate from the sauce.
- Add the ground pork and cook until meat is lightly brown. Add water and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Add soy sauce, calamansi juice, salt, and pepper. Cook for 10 minutes. Add butter and cover pan with lid. Let it simmer for 5 minutes.
- Add carrots, potatoes, and bell pepper. Cover the pan with lid and simmer for 5 more minutes or until vegetables are cooked.
- Add grated cheese and mix until completely melted. Add green peas and cook for another minute then put in hard-boiled eggs and mix.
- Transfer to a deep serving dish and serve with rice.
Ann says
Love this recipe! My family loved it as well! Tried your other recipes and they are great as well! Brings back memories of when I was growing up and we had Filipino food vs what I make now which is more American food. Now I can make traditional Filipino food that I grew up with for my family! Thank you!
Bebs says
That is so great to hear, Ann. Happy that your family loved it but most of all, that you are finding your way back and enjoying cooking Filipino cuisine, I am sure your kids will remember them someday.
Char says
My kids loved it! Your site is my go to recipe for any Pilipino food; it is always so good!
Bebs says
Delighted to read your sweet comment, Char! Thanks for the stars.
Nelyn says
Yummy!! And budget friendly. I add a handful of raisins and turned out 👌
Bebs says
That is great, Nelyn. The raisins sound like a good idea to give it a bit of sweetness.
Angel says
It's nice but I think it will be better to have more tomato sauce because it turned out very dry.3-5 tbsp is definitely not enough.
Bebs says
You can add water.
Sal Carcioppolo says
I need to cook meals that are soft and easy to chew for my disabled sister. This was delicious! I cooked it a bit out of order so that the carrots and potatoes would soften up more, cooked the pork separately with the onion and garlic, then simmered the whole thing together for about 30 minutes. The flavors were awesome, and it was so easy. This is definitely going into my rotation.
Bebs says
I am so happy to hear that you love our recipe, I got it from my mama. Your sister is lucky to have you looking after her and I really hope she likes it.
Anya says
Amazing!!!
My whole family just lives it, it is one of their favorite dish.
The only modification I did was adding more potatoes.
Thank you
Bebs says
haha, I also actually do the same, I like it with loads of potatoes.
Nen says
Omgeee 😋 so classy yet affordable as most of the ingredients are available in our kitchen. I will never look for any recipe other than this one. Foxyfolksy you nailed it again as always 😍😍😍 God bless you and your family, million thanks for sharing your expertise
Bebs says
Aaaww...that is so nice of you to say, Nen! Happy that you like it.😊
Marivic says
Super yummy!
Keali says
Hi! What kind of cheese should I use? Thanks!
Bebs says
In the Philippines, we normally use the processed cheddar cheese for cooking.
JaneteB says
I've tried several recipes of this dish and this is the one I liked. Thank you for the recipe.
Bebs says
Glad that you like our version, Janet.
Girlie says
I love all your recipes... Filipino regular fare and yet you can make it something more specially different and tasty. Love your food blog!! Thank you so much for the recipes and kitchen tips!
Bebs says
Thank you so much for your kind words, Girlie!
Aiphee says
I tried this recipe and we like it!! Thanks !
Bebs says
I am glad to hear it, Aiphee.
Helen Reyes says
My sister and I are craving for giniling for a long time and the recipes we’ve tried are always a failure. Today is her birthday and she just gave birth, knowing that she’s coming home today with the newborn, I tried this recipe and this is very very good! Thank you!!!
Bebs says
Congratulations to your sister, Helen! I am happy that you both liked this recipe.