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    Home » Recipes » Vietnamese Ground Pork in Tomato Sauce (Thịt Băm Sốt Cà Chua)

    Vietnamese Ground Pork in Tomato Sauce (Thịt Băm Sốt Cà Chua)

    Published: Sep 18, 2019 Modified: Jun 24, 2020 by Suzanne Nuyen This post may contain affiliate links · This blog generates income via ads

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    Vietnamese Ground Pork in Tomato Sauce (Thịt Băm Sốt Cà Chua)
    Vietnamese Ground Pork in Tomato Sauce (Thịt Băm Sốt Cà Chua) served with rice and lettuce, noodles
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    I recently asked the baes who follow me on Instagram what recipes they wanted to see more of (I just hit 1k there! Follow me at @bun.bobae if you'd like to interact with me more.) Overwhelmingly, people were asking for easy weeknight recipes you can make in 45 minutes or less. And I'm here to deliver! This Vietnamese Ground Pork in Tomato Sauce, or thịt băm sốt cà chua, is in regular rotation at my place. It uses only a few ingredients that I usually always have on hand, so when I don't know what to make, I make thịt băm sốt cà chua!

    Vietnamese Ground Pork in Tomato Sauce (Thịt Băm Sốt Cà Chua) with rice and lettuce

    Vietnamese ground pork in tomato sauce can be served a variety of ways. It's extremely comforting over a bowl of hot white rice. Are you cutting back on carbs? This sauce tastes delicious over some finely shredded lettuce as well! I've even eaten it over vermicelli noodles and pasta.

    Vietnamese Ground Pork in Tomato Sauce (Thịt Băm Sốt Cà Chua): Step-by-step instructions

    ingredients for Vietnamese Ground Pork in Tomato Sauce (Thịt Băm Sốt Cà Chua)

    This recipe uses ingredients you likely already have with you. I always keep a little bit of ground pork in the freezer because it's one of my most used proteins. You can easily sub ground chicken if you don't eat red meat. If you're vegetarian or plant-based, you can sub crumbled up tofu or a plant-based ground meat alternative. Just alter the cooking time accordingly!

    seasoned ground pork for Vietnamese Ground Pork in Tomato Sauce (Thịt Băm Sốt Cà Chua)

    Start by seasoning the ground meat/your protein of choice. As always, I season with my holy grail mix of ingredients: fish sauce, garlic, shallot salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly and set aside before you dice the tomato and onion.

    tomatoes and onions

    Start by sweating the onions. Then, add the diced tomatoes and cook down until the tomatoes are soft and have lost their shape. If you like spicy food, you can add some chile flakes here as well. The chile flakes will also help develop a deep red color in the dish.

    Vietnamese Ground Pork in Tomato Sauce (Thịt Băm Sốt Cà Chua)

    Add the ground beef in and break it up into the sauce. If it seems a little thick, add a splash of water, chicken or vegetable stock (whatever you have around). My dad likes his thịt băm sốt cà chua thinner and more liquidy. I like mine a little thicker. If you want to punch up the tomato flavor and get a prettier color, you can add a squeeze of tomato paste.

    Vietnamese Ground Pork in Tomato Sauce (Thịt Băm Sốt Cà Chua)

    After everything has bubbled away and the flavors have melded nicely, turn off the heat and add a handful of scallions to the sauce.

    Vietnamese Ground Pork in Tomato Sauce (Thịt Băm Sốt Cà Chua) with noodles

    The beauty of this Vietnamese ground pork in tomato sauce is that it's so versatile. If I don't have ground pork, then I'll use ground beef. I don't usually add tomato paste, but I had some around and decided I wanted it the tomato flavor to be stronger. If you like onions, make the sauce mostly onions. If you like fresh tomato flavor more than tomato paste flavor, buy more tomatoes to add.

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    4.84 from 12 votes

    Vietnamese Ground Pork in Tomato Sauce (Thịt Băm Sốt Cà Chua)

    Vietnamese Ground Pork in Tomato Sauce (Thịt Băm Sốt Cà Chua) is a versatile weeknight dish. You can sub your favorite proteins and eat the hearty sauce over a variety of things: rice, salad or noodles.
    Course Main Course
    Cuisine Asian, Vietnamese
    Keyword Main Course, Pork, Sauces, Tomato
    Prep Time 15 minutes
    Cook Time 25 minutes
    Total Time 40 minutes
    Servings 6
    Calories 175kcal
    Author Suzanne Nuyen

    Ingredients

    • 1 tablespoon oil
    • ½ lb ground pork (you can sub any other ground meat, crumbled tofu or a plant based substitute)
    • 1 tablespoon fish sauce
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • 1 teaspoon pepper
    • 1 tablespoon shallot, minced
    • 2 cloves garlic, minced
    • 1 small onion diced (about ½ cup)
    • 1 large tomato diced (about 2 cups)
    • ½ teaspoon chile flakes (optional)
    • 1 tablespoon tomato paste (optional)
    • ¼ cup water, vegetable or chicken stock (optional)
    • 3 stalks scallion, finely chopped

    Instructions

    • Season the ground pork with salt, pepper, shallot, garlic and fish sauce. Set aside and dice the vegetables
    • In a small saucepan on medium-high heat, sweat the onions in 1 tablespoon of oil and cook until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.
    • Add diced tomato and the optional flakes. Simmer and let tomatoes break down for about 10 minutes.
    • Add the pork mixture and stir to break down pork into small pieces. Add a splash of stock and some tomato paste for a deeper flavor. (optional) Simmer for another 10 minutes until pork is fully cooked and the flavors have developed.
    • Turn off the heat and wilt chopped scallions into the sauce
    • Serve with rice, over salad, with noodles etc.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 6g | Calories: 175kcal | Carbohydrates: 8.4g | Protein: 11.6g | Fat: 10.7g | Saturated Fat: 3.1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 35.5mg | Sodium: 430.7mg | Potassium: 374mg | Fiber: 2.4g | Sugar: 4g
    Nutrition Facts
    Vietnamese Ground Pork in Tomato Sauce (Thịt Băm Sốt Cà Chua)
    Amount Per Serving (6 g)
    Calories 175 Calories from Fat 96
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 10.7g16%
    Saturated Fat 3.1g19%
    Polyunsaturated Fat 1.4g
    Monounsaturated Fat 5g
    Cholesterol 35.5mg12%
    Sodium 430.7mg19%
    Potassium 374mg11%
    Carbohydrates 8.4g3%
    Fiber 2.4g10%
    Sugar 4g4%
    Protein 11.6g23%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Anne

      August 30, 2021 at 7:43 pm

      5 stars
      Perfect! I had everything on hand and it quickly came together for a Friday night at home. I added a bit of angel hair pasta and a lovely white wine! Thanks for this recipe!

      Reply
      • Suzanne Nuyen

        December 30, 2021 at 1:53 am

        That sounds delicious Anne! I'm glad you enjoyed it.

        Reply
    2. Laurie Rasor

      July 24, 2021 at 1:24 am

      5 stars
      Have A Good Day

      Reply
    3. NN

      October 07, 2019 at 8:35 pm

      5 stars
      Super delicious and simple! It’s a nice change from the typical thit kho. I used ground chicken instead of ground pork and subbed tomato paste with tomato bouillon instead. 🙂 I’ll be making this again!

      Reply
      • Suzanne Nuyen

        October 08, 2019 at 6:34 am

        So glad that you liked it! Ground chicken is a great substitution for making it leaner and healthier!

        Reply
    4. Veena Azmanov

      September 20, 2019 at 8:53 am

      5 stars
      Awesome dish for an amazing Dinner. I love it.

      Reply
    5. kim

      September 20, 2019 at 7:18 am

      5 stars
      This recipe was perfect! It was super easy and had so much flavor! I'll be making again and again!

      Reply
      • Suzanne Nuyen

        September 20, 2019 at 10:20 am

        I’m so glad you liked it!

        Reply
    6. Adrianne

      September 20, 2019 at 5:49 am

      5 stars
      I could eat Vietnamese food every day and I am loving this recipe. So fresh, healthy and colourful. It really ticks a lot of boxes, cheers for great looking food!!

      Reply
    7. Adriana

      September 20, 2019 at 1:56 am

      5 stars
      Yummy Vietnamese cuisine is one of my favorites not to mention pork. That meat is so flavorful and goes with a lot of different flavor profiles.

      Reply
      • Suzanne Nuyen

        September 20, 2019 at 10:20 am

        Pork is used most often in Vietnamese food!

        Reply
    8. Natalie

      September 20, 2019 at 1:44 am

      5 stars
      Looks so delicious and comforting! Can't wait to try this recipe!

      Reply

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    Hi! I'm Suzanne, your Bun Bo Bae. I'm a journalist, professional amateur baker, noodle enthusiast and food photographer living in Washington, DC. My immigrant parents taught me everything I know about Vietnamese home cooking, and now I want to share it with you!

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