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Home » Recipes

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 · 16 Comments

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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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4.78 from 18 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 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes minutes
Total Time 40 minutes 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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Comments

  1. SierraMadreSue says

    November 14, 2023 at 11:18 pm

    5 stars
    Wow, wow, wow! I just made this tonight and it was outstanding! I heard you talk about it on NPR and knew I would love it. I used ketchup because I didn't have any tomato paste and had read that it made a good substitute. I definitely used the chili flakes and was surprised how much spice they added in that small amount! I served it over quick cooking udon noodles and topped the dish with chopped cilantro. I didn't have any dry roasted peanuts or I would have used them too.... next time! My son wasn't home to enjoy it tonight, but he'll be glad I doubled the recipe!
    I am now exploring the rest of your recipes and can't wait to try more.

    Reply
    • Suzanne Nuyen says

      September 17, 2024 at 6:08 pm

      So glad you enjoyed this Sue!

      Reply
  2. Jenni says

    September 06, 2023 at 11:05 am

    My daughter is allergic to fish. What can I use instead of fish sauce? Will soy sauce work as a substitute?
    Thanks

    Reply
    • Suzanne Nuyen says

      September 15, 2023 at 7:30 pm

      Yes, you can use soy sauce instead! The flavor will be a tiny bit different, but still really delicious.

      Reply
  3. Anne says

    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 says

      December 30, 2021 at 1:53 am

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

      Reply
  4. Laurie Rasor says

    July 24, 2021 at 1:24 am

    5 stars
    Have A Good Day

    Reply
  5. NN says

    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 says

      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
  6. Veena Azmanov says

    September 20, 2019 at 8:53 am

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

    Reply
  7. kim says

    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 says

      September 20, 2019 at 10:20 am

      I’m so glad you liked it!

      Reply
  8. Adrianne says

    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
  9. Adriana says

    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 says

      September 20, 2019 at 10:20 am

      Pork is used most often in Vietnamese food!

      Reply
  10. Natalie says

    September 20, 2019 at 1:44 am

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

    Reply
4.78 from 18 votes (9 ratings without comment)

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

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