After making a huge pork roast the other night, we had plenty of leftover pork, and I wanted to come up with something simple to use it in. My youngest son had been hollering for Chinese food, so I decided to make a sweet and sour pork with some of the leftover pork roast. Since the pork had already been cooked, throwing everything else together was quick and easy.

While I love sweet and sour anything, I don’t love the store-bought sweet and sour sauces you can buy. They are just too sweet for me, so I made a quick and easy sauce from scratch. My youngest said I now have to make this anytime he makes egg rolls. Guess that’s one for the win column for me 🙂

If you’re using raw pork, sauté it in a little sesame oil first. Once it’s browned, remove the pork from the skillet, and then sauté your vegetables and continue with the recipe. You can use whatever veggies you like—asparagus would be good, as would fresh mushrooms and carrots. I was hungry for peppers, so that’s what I went with.

Sweet and Sour Pork

Leftover pork roast (or about 1 pound of pork loin cut into 1-inch pieces)

Sesame oil for sautéing

One green bell pepper, cut into bite-sized pieces

One red bell pepper, cut into bite-sized pieces

Half an onion, cut into bite-sized pieces

One package broccoli florets

8 ounces pineapple tidbits

Sweet and Sour Sauce (recipe below)

Rice or noodles for serving

In a large skillet, heat sesame oil. If using fresh pork loin, sauté the pieces until browned and cooked through. Remove with a slotted spoon, and set aside.

In the same skillet, sauté the peppers and the onions until crisp-tender. Add in the broccoli, cooked pork, and pineapple, stirring to combine. Add enough sweet and sour sauce to completely coat everything in the skillet, and cook for a few minutes until everything is nice and hot.

Serve over rice or hot cooked noodles.

Sweet and Sour Sauce

1 cup pineapple juice

1/3 cup water

3 tablespoons white vinegar

1 tablespoon coconut aminos or soy sauce

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup honey

3 tablespoons cornstarch

3 tablespoons ketchup

Add all ingredients to a medium-sized saucepan, and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the sauce reaches your desired consistency. It took me about 5 minutes to thicken it.

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