These 15 Quick Pork Recipes Are Weeknight Dinner Heroes (2024)

Pork is one of the most versatile proteins in the butcher case. Not only is it incredibly flavorful, but it also offers a wide variety of cuts, from tenderloin to ground pork to rib chops—all friendly for those of us who need to get dinner on the table in under an hour. Honestly, isn't that all of us?

Ground pork is one of the fastest ways to put together a quick meal. It's best known for being a part of meatloaf, but if you form it into meatballs, like a one-skillet supper ahead, not only will you have a delicious dinner on the table in less than an hour, but you will be spared having to wash more dishes since it's served in the same skillet it's cooked in. Or try cooking and crumbling up ground pork in a classic Sichuan dish like Dan Dan noodles; our recipe is not only great for dinner, but you'll find that it also works for lunch and even a midnight snack.

Pork chops are super fast to cook, and if you go boneless and pound them into thin cutlets, you can have a meal on the table in mere minutes. If it's a beauty plate you're hoping to make, nothing beats a bone-in pork chop. The result is so pretty that it hardly needs anything else on the plate—that being said, we do recommend that you eat your vegetables, too.

Then there's pork tenderloin, which does not betray its name. It's an elegant cut that never requires a steak knife. Serve it whole, as in our Spicy Pork with Parsnips and Sweet Potatoes , cut it up for a cheater's stew (you don't need to simmer your dish for hours for a delicious, tender meal), or use it for a fresh skillet dinner with an irresistible orange marmalade sauce, as shown here in the form of our Orange Pork with Watercress Rice.

Whether you feel like serving a stew, a quick skillet-fry, or a salad, pork has you covered for a fast, satisfying dinner.