Slow Cooker Paprika Pork with Mushrooms and Sour Cream

Easy slow cooker paprika pork with mushrooms & sour cream – a flavour-packed dinner that’s budget-friendly. Perfect for busy weeknights.

There’s nothing better than coming home on a cool winter’s evening to a cooked dinner, ready to eat, the warm, spicy smell of paprika and caraway filling the kitchen.

This stew is packed with flavour and has fast become one of our favourites – so good we often lick the bowl clean!

You can absolutely throw everything straight in the slow cooker, but if you have time, browning the onion and pork adds an extra depth of flavour.

To save time, I like to prep all the ingredients on a Sunday so that I can throw them in the slow cooker quickly and easily on Monday morning.

Ingredients

There are a few ingredients in this recipe, but many of them are pantry staples, like onion, garlic, tinned tomatoes, etc.

I use pork scotch fillet, which is well marbled with fat – so great for the slow cooker, and isn’t too expensive. If you can’t find that, you can use pork shoulder or neck. Just avoid the really lean cuts of pork, as they will go tough with the slow cooking.

* The caraway seeds really make this dish. They add a subtle licorice-y taste, but in a good way, lol. However, our local Coles and Woolworths have stopped stocking caraway seeds. If you can find them, it’s worth adding them to the dish. However, you can make this dish without them.

ChatGPT tells me you can substitute with fennel seeds, but fewer, as the fennel is stronger in flavour. I have not tried this substitution, so I can’t vouch for it. If you do try fennel seeds, let me know how it turns out.

How to Make Paprika Pork

For maximum flavour, brown the pork before throwing it into the slow cooker. To save time, skip the browning.

Step 1: Toss the pork with plain flour, salt, and pepper. I do this in a container. Heat a pan over medium-high heat.

Step 2: In some cooking oil, brown the onion for a few minutes before adding the capsicum and garlic. Toss for a minute or two in the oil before adding to the slow cooker.

Step 3: Brown the pork in the hot pan with a bit of extra oil, then add it to the slow cooker.

Step 4: Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, caraway seeds, paprika, vinegar and stock cube to the frying pan, stirring to combine and scraping up any browned bits of pork off the pan. Transfer the tomato mixture to the slow cooker.

Step 5: Swish the beef stock or water around the tomato tin and add enough stock/water to the slow cooker to almost cover the pork mixture. Give it all a good stir.

Step 6: Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours. About an hour before it finishes, add the sliced mushrooms to the slow cooker.

If the stew is too thin, add a slurry of cornflour and cold water (about 1 Tbsp of cornflour), and stir well, then cook for the last hour with the lid off.

Step 7: Stir in the sour cream off the heat, just before serving. Sprinkle with parsley if desired.

Storage, Freezing, Reheating

Store in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 days.

Reheat gently on the stove or in the microwave until piping hot – avoid high heat, as the sour cream can split.

For batch cooking, freeze the stew without sour cream and stir it in after defrosting and reheating.

Serving Suggestions

This stew is great over boiled or mashed potatoes and steamed green beans on the side.

Alternatively, for a simple option, serve with crusty bread.

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