It’s time to make a delicious Paleo ground pork recipe that you can have on the table in about 25 minutes. In addition to being an awesome Paleo recipe, this ground pork recipe is also gluten free, grain free, top 9 & top 14 free, GERD friendly, and more. Be sure to read over the compatibility notes before making this recipe if you follow. special diet.
Tools to Make This Paleo Ground Pork Recipe
- Knife (my current fave knives)
- Cutting Board
- Large Skillet
- Wooden Spoon for Cooking
Allergy Status
Free From: Wheat/Gluten, Dairy, Egg, Soy, Tree Nut (including Coconut), Peanut, Fish, Shellfish, Sesame, Top 9 Allergens, Top 14 Allergens, Alliums, Apple, Avocado, Banana, Beans & Lentils, Berries, Buckwheat, Cane/Refined Sugar, Carrot, Celery, Cinnamon, Citrus, Corn, Cruciferous, Garlic, Latex Cross Reactive Foods (H/M), Legume, Lupin, Mustard, Oat, Onion, Pea & Pea Protein, Potato (Nightshade Variety), Poultry, Rice, Seeds, Squash & Gourd, Stone Fruits, Strawberry, Sweet Potato & Yam, Tapioca/Cassava/Yuca/Manioc, Tomato, Yeast
Friendly To: GERD, Paleo
Compatible With: EOE, Fructose Intolerance, FPIES, GAPs, Low Histamine, SCD
EOE & FPIES: Swap the beef for ground bison. Alternatively, you can use all pork instead.
Fructose Intolerance: Omit the maple syrup. It will change your flavour profile a bit, but this will still be tasty.
GAPs & SCD: Use a safe-for-you liquid sweetener of choice.
Low Histamine: Swap the mushrooms for an alternative veg that has a little bite to it. Carrots are a good choice. If you can’t have the Spicely Italian seasoning, use the Badia, or the homemade recipe that’s below.
Friendly Corn Free Reminder: use safe-for-you ingredients. You may need to use a single meat option such as ground bison. You may also need to make the same swap as low histamine if you’re not able to source safe mushrooms.
Italian Seasoning Info
This recipe uses Italian Seasoning, which you may or may not have a safe version of. I use this Italian seasoning, and the ingredients are below.
Spicely Organic Italian Seasoning Ingredients: basil*, oregano*, marjoram*, garlic*, onion*, rosemary*, thyme*, and chili*. * = Organic Ingredient
Badia sells an organic allium and pepper free Italian Seasoning made from basil, oregano, rosemary, and marjoram.
Herbs de Province is a good alternative to Italian seasoning, but know that you will have a different flavour profile (product example).
Recipe for Homemade Italian Seasoning
- 1 TBSP Organic Dried Marjoram
- 1.5 tsp Organic Dried Basil
- 1 tsp Organic Oregano
- 1/2 tsp Organic Ground Thyme
- 1/4 tsp Organic Ground Rosemary
Paleo Ground Pork Recipe Ingredients
Part 1 Ingredients
- 170g Organic Yellow Gypsy Peppers (6 ounces), cut into small strips
- 1/2 tsp Sea Salt
- 2 TBSP Organic Maple Syrup
- 90g Yellow Chanterelle Mushrooms (3 ounces), roughly chopped
- Oil of Choice for Cooking
Low Histamine: Use 90g of quartered zucchini (courgette) or 90g of thin sliced carrots in place of the mushroom.
Part 2 Ingredients
- 450g Ground Pork (16 ounces/1lb)
- 450g Grass Fed Ground Beef (16 ounces/1lb)
- 2 tsp Sea Salt
- 3 TBSP Organic Dried Parsley
- 4 tsp Organic Italian Seasoning of Choice
- 1 tsp Organic Dried Thyme
- Optional: 5 drops Liquid Smoke (this is the brand that I use)
Important Ingredient Notes
Peppers: If you can’t source gypsy peppers, swap for a sweet pepper or bell pepper of your choosing.
Maple Syrup: This is a liquid sweetener and can be swapped for other liquid sweeteners including honey and date syrup.
Oil of Choice: You can use any cooking oil you enjoy. I regularly use organic extra virgin olive oil and avocado oil. I wouldn’t use something like sesame oil or coconut oil given their flavour, but to each his own.
Ground Pork: You can swap the pork for any ground meat that’s safe for you including ground beef, ground bison, ground turkey, and so on. Mind the fat content. If you use a lean meat, add a little extra cooking oil.
Ground Beef: If you can’t have beef, swap it for ground bison, ground turkey or ground lamb. Alternatively, you can use 100% ground pork.
Liquid Smoke: This will add an amazing depth of flavour to your recipe. This is the one that I use.
More Delicious Recipes to Try (Gluten Free, Allergy Friendly)
- Breakfast Sausage
- Pineapple Pork Meatballs (my kids say this is one of the best ground pork recipes I’ve ever created and ask for it every year on their birthdays)
- Easy Italian Meatballs & Potatoes (a delicious sheet pan meal for busy weeknights)
- Peach & Ground Pork Recipe
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Paleo Ground Pork Recipe Directions
First, prep your peppers and mushroom. Next, heat a large/deep non-stick pan on high heat (8/10 for me). Add a little cooking oil, then your peppers, mushrooms, maple syrup, and 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt (Part 1 Ingredients). Be sure you only use a little cooking oil as the mushrooms will release liquid, and you have a liquid sweetener. You don’t want to poach the veg. Cook for 5 – 8 minutes to develop colour (see photos for reference).
Next, add all of the other ingredients. I did not create a custom blend of meat, rather, added both ground meats at the same time. Be sure you mix everything together VERY well. Break the meat into small pieces as it cooks. Cook time is 8 – 10 minutes on high heat, but that can vary based on the size of your meat pieces. You want to avoid overcooking the meat.
If you have low upper-body strength, or low energy in general, I strongly encourage you to mix the meat and seasonings together in your food processor first. This will create a better blend and require a lot less elbow grease.
The total cooking time is just about 20 minutes.
How to Store Leftovers
After you’ve made your delicious ground pork, if you have leftovers, you have a couple of options. You can store your leftover pork in the fridge in an airtight container, and eat within 5 days. If you’re like me and you love batch cooking and freezing, you can do that as well.
When freezing, store leftover pork in individual containers, or something large enough for the whole family to have a future flavorful meal together. When I store this type of recipe, I ensure that the container is full, to prevent freezer burn from developing.
Low Histamine Storage
If you follow a low histamine diet, meat must be frozen. This style of ground meat does best when you freeze it with a super airtight seal. The best way to achieve this is with a FoodSaver system, or similar device. If you store this in a regular airtight container with a lid, you can still have some freezer burn develop, especially if it’s frozen for many months.
Change it Up
There are so many ways you can alter this delicious Paleo ground pork recipe so you feel like you’re eating something fresh and exciting each time you make it. Here are just a few ideas.
Swap the Italian seasoning for a curry powder. Add in 4 Tablespoons of coconut sugar in place of the maple syrup. Towards the end of cooking, add 1/2 can of full fat coconut milk.
If you’re a fan of Asian cuisine, swap the peppers for bok choy. Instead of using Italian seasoning, use soy sauce or coconut aminos. Fish sauce and oyster sauce could also be great options to try.
Increase the nutritional content and add chopped baby spinach or baby kale. Top with a little lemon juice as well to brighten the whole dish.
Serving Ideas
When following a Paleo diet, grain free diet, or other special diet, sometimes it’s easy to feel like it’s hard to make a complete meal. In this case, there are several grain free items you can pair your ground meat with. Here are just a few ideas to get you started:
- Sautéed Zucchini Noodles
- Seasoned and Pan Fried Cauliflower Rice
- Oven Roasted or Mashed Sweet Potatoes
- Japanese Yam Fries
- Cassava Pasta (like this one)
- With homemade or store bought tortillas, and topped with a slaw or creamy sauce.
Answering Your Paleo Ground Pork Recipe Questions
Could I make this recipe with ground chicken?
Yes, you can make this recipe with ground chicken, however, you’ll be altering the fat content significantly. That means that first, you need to keep a close eye on the cook time as it’s easy to dry out lean ground chicken. Second, you’l want to add more cooking fat to make sure there’s flavour and that the meat doesn’t burn before it’s cooked all the way through.
Third, manage your expectations. The combination of beef and pork in this paleo recipe is super duper flavourful. When you swap those for a meat that’s more bland, well, the results will reflect that a bit. You can add a bit more seasoning to make sure you have punchy flavour, and that will help quite a bit as well.
Is this considered a low carb recipe?
Yes, this would be considered a low carb recipe. If you’re looking for some good low carb serving ideas, consider zucchini noodles sautéed and seasoned, seasoned cauliflower rice, or low carb tortillas.
Would coconut oil be a good cooking oil?
It’s going to come down to personal preference on this one. I can’t tell you just how present the flavour will be since this isn’t an oil I work with often (one of my kids is allergic). If the taste won’t be super present in the final dish, coconut oil would be an excellent choice.
Is this considered a healthy recipe?
Personally, I’d consider this a healthy recipe, but to each his own. The term healthy isn’t a regulated one, and can mean something different to each person that you ask. Some may see the beef and think about all of the info floating around about how bad red meats are for you (don’t get me started… like how they tried to say it was fine to eat ultra processed foods and that whole food fats are a bad idea as well).
I digress. The point is, this paleo ground pork recipe is made with real food. It’s going to be miles ahead of anything you purchase in grocery stores, unless you’re shopping at super special (and expensive) stores. There’s a tonne of vitamins, minerals, and amino acids in the meat. Plus the protein content, and the added vegetables for fiber and additional vitamin and nutritional content. And! We haven’t even talked about the amazing properties of mushrooms.
So yeah, I may be a little biased and a bit of a food nerd, but I’d call this recipe a healthy one.
Could I add garlic to this recipe?
There’s already garlic in most Italian seasoning blends, however, yes, you can add more garlic. You can use garlic powder, or for a more intense flavour, check out garlic granules. Additionally, you can experiment with fresh garlic or jarred garlic.
Personally, I’d lean towards having you tap into fresh garlic flavor which will be more present. If you’d like to give that a go, you’ll need garlic cloves and a garlic press (this is the one that I love). Sure, you could chop garlic but honestly, once I got a press I never looked back. Literally one of the best small kitchen purchases I’ve ever made.
If you don’t have time for that, you can purchase chopped/minced garlic in a jar at a lot of grocery stores these days. The flavour will be punchier than garlic powder, but not as present as fresh garlic.
If you opt for garlic powder (it is the easiest option for sure), start with 1/2 teaspoon. Taste when the whole dish has finished cooking, then add more if needed.
Can I use this meat to make meatballs instead?
You could totally convert this recipe and have Italian meatball vibes. The cooking process will change quite a bit. Here’s what I would personally do. Cook the Part 1 Ingredients until they’re just about fully cooked to your preferred doneness. Remove them from the heat and let it cool for about 10 minutes.
Grab a large mixing bowl and add all of the Part 2 Ingredients to the bowl. Use a large serving fork to mix well, then add the Part 1 Ingredients into the bowl. Mix again, and now you’ve got a very interesting looking meat mixture.
Use a medium cookie dough scoop (this is the one that I LOVE) to portion into meatballs. Reuse your Part 1 cooking pan and heat it on medium high heat. Add cooking oil/fat of choice, then add meatballs. Whilst that cooks, preheat your oven to 400f/205c.
Sear the meatballs nicely on all sides, then transfer them to a large baking tray lined with parchment paper. The goal is to sear, not cook all the way through. Once all of the meatballs are on the tray, pop it in the preheated oven. Start with a 10 minute cook time. The amount of time needed in the oven will vary based on how large your meatballs are. Your meatballs are done when the internal temperature is 165f/74c.
You can take this concept and scale up to make a big batch of meatballs. Since this is a freezer friendly recipe, you could easily make a couple hundred meatballs in a weekend and have a nice stash to pull from.
From here, use the meatballs as you see fit. The first thought that came to mind for me was an Italian meatball sub sandwich. Have fun with this!
