Looking for a simple, tasty, and budget-friendly dish? Grandma’s recipe for Pork Rinds in Tomato Sauce is just what you need. This traditional peasant dish is a testament to using every part of the pig, resulting in a flavorful and satisfying meal that won’t break the bank.
Simple, tasty, flavorful, and above all, extremely economical. In fact, here in Italy, some butchers even give away pork rinds for free. If you have to buy them, they cost next to nothing.
Neapolitan-style pork rinds in tomato sauce is a very simple dish to prepare, inexpensive, and absolutely delicious — a classic from the peasant tradition. It was customary in late summer to start raising a pig, which would then be butchered in winter. Back then, nothing from the pig went to waste — everything was cured, preserved, or cooked in a simple yet flavorful way, like this dish. As cheap as it was tasty.
How To Make Pork Rinds in Tomato Sauce
This recipe comes from my grandmother. The secret is slow cooking over very low heat for at least 3 hours, and the pork rinds become so tender and flavorful that they practically melt in your mouth.
Neapolitan-Style Pork Rinds Ingredients
- 4 pork rinds
- 400 g (14 oz) peeled tomatoes
- 700 ml (2¾ cups plus 3 tbsp) tomato puree
- 1 carrot, chopped
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 1 celery stalk, chopped
- 30 ml (2 tbsp) red wine
- 70 g (about 2/3 cup) grated Parmesan cheese
- 10 g (1 tbsp plus 1 tsp) pine nuts
- A handful of chopped parsley
- 3 garlic cloves, chopped
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- Black pepper to taste
- Salt to taste
Neapolitan-Style Pork Rinds Step-by-step Instructions
Prepare the pork rinds
Clean the pork rinds by removing any hair with a knife or by briefly burning them over a flame. Trim excess fat and shape them into rectangles if needed (1). You can also have this step done by your trusted butcher.
Stuff the pork rinds
On the inner side of each pork rind, sprinkle grated Parmesan, pine nuts, parsley, garlic, salt and black pepper (2). Roll up the rind tightly, starting from one of the two long sides, to create rolls (3),
and secure with toothpicks or kitchen twine (4).
Cook slowly
In a saucepan, add olive oil and sauté chopped onion, celery, and carrot over medium heat, until soft. Add the pork rinds and brown them over low heat, turning them frequently (5). Pour in the red wine and let it evaporate. Add crushed peeled tomatoes and tomato puree, cover, and simmer on low heat for at least 3 hours (6). Stir occasionally to ensure the rinds are coated and tender.
Season with salt and pepper half an hour before the end of cooking. Continue cooking until the pork rinds are soft, and the sauce is rich and flavorful. Slice in pieces (7) and enjoy your Pork Rind in Tomato Sauce while still hot!
PRO TIP — Coat the pasta with the tomato sauce used for cooking the pork rinds — you’ll taste how delicious it is!
Neapolitan Pork Roll Storage Instructions
Any leftovers of this dish can be stored in the refrigerator for a few days in a closed glass container. I don’t recommend you freeze it.
Serving and Pairing
Serve Pork Rind in Tomato Sauce as a main dish with potatoes or a green salad on the side. This dish pairs well with medium-bodied red wines, such as Chianti, Brunello di Montalcino, Barolo, Primitivo, and Nero d’Avola.
With grandma’s secret of slow cooking over a low flame, these pork rinds will melt in your mouth, bringing the taste of traditional Neapolitan cuisine to your table!
Neapolitan-Style Pork Rinds in Tomato Sauce, Grandma’s Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 pork rinds
- 70 g grated Parmesan cheese
- 10 g pine nuts
- A handful of chopped parsley
- 3 garlic cloves chopped
- Black pepper to taste
- Salt to taste
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- 1 carrot chopped
- 1 small onion chopped
- 1 celery stalk chopped
- 30 ml red wine
- 400 g peeled tomatoes
- 700 ml tomato puree
Instructions
- Clean the pork rinds by removing any hair with a knife or by briefly burning them over a flame. Trim excess fat and shape them into rectangles if needed. You can also have this step done by your trusted butcher.
- On the inner side of each pork rind, sprinkle grated Parmesan, pine nuts, parsley, garlic, salt and black pepper.
- Roll up the rind tightly, starting from one of the two long sides, to create rolls and secure with toothpicks or kitchen twine.
- In a saucepan, add olive oil and sauté chopped onion, celery, and carrot over medium heat, until soft.
- Add the pork rinds and brown them over low heat, turning them frequently.
- Pour in the red wine and let it evaporate.
- Add crushed peeled tomatoes and tomato puree, cover, and simmer on low heat for at least 3 hours. Stir occasionally to ensure the rinds are coated and tender.
- Season with salt and pepper half an hour before the end of cooking. Continue cooking until the pork rinds are soft, and the sauce is rich and flavorful.
- Slice in pieces and enjoy your Pork Rind in Tomato Sauce while still hot.
