Easy Pork Stir-fry Recipe

Every parent knows the importance of an easy-button recipe.

The kind where you already have all the ingredients stocked so if you find yourself in a mid-week scramble you can easily slide this one into the menu lineup.

The kind where only one pan is involved — because less is ALWAYS more when it comes to dinner prep and clean up.

The kind where you can have food on the table in less than 30 minutes without breaking a sweat.

Like we said, every parent knows the importance of an easy-button recipe, and this pork stir-fry checks all the boxes — it even has easy in the name!

An easy-button recipe is good year-round, but especially in September as we celebrate National Family Meals Month all month long! This month we’re challenging fellow parents here in Illinois to commit to eating more meals together as a family. With kids getting back into the swing of school and ALL THE FALL ACTIVITIES, we know it’s tough to get everyone around the table together, so we’re serving up recipes to make this commitment easy and tasty! For more meal inspiration, check out our other farmer favorites: Slow cooker BBQ Country-Style Ribs, Instant Pot Mac and Cheese, and BBQ Meatballs.

Illinois farmer Deanne Frieders is lending us one of her favorite easy-button meals: Easy Pork Stir-fry. It’s a recipe that’s kid- and farmer-approved. She cooks it frequently during harvest and planting season. No knives are required so her farmers can easily eat while still working in the field. And if you think traditional family meals around the table are fun, you should try it all cozy in a combine or on the back of a tailgate at sunset!

Deanne Frieders eating a home-cooked meal with her family

While this recipe thrives on just a handful of staple ingredients, it also uses another secret weapon: frozen veggies. While nothing beats incorporating fresh vegetables into mealtimes when they’re in season, frozen vegetables are a very close second. In fact, frozen vegetables are picked at their peak freshness, and typically canned or frozen just hours after being picked — providing a nutritious, budget-friendly alternative to buying fresh produce!

Whether it’s incorporating frozen veggies or pantry staples, Deanne is all about easy-to-make, family-friendly meals. Deanne and her husband Ryan, along with Ryan’s parents, make up Frieders Farm. The family grows corn, soybeans, and hay, and raises beef cattle just an hour west of Chicago in Waterman. Deanne grew up in a farming town but never set foot in a tractor before meeting her husband. Today, she’s an integral part of the family farm, operating equipment during busy seasons and prepping all the meals during planting and harvesting. You can follow along with her cooking adventures!

Easy Pork Tenderloin Stir-fry

INGREDIENTS

¼ cup reduced sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon minced garlic
½ cup water
¼ cup honey
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 pound pork tenderloin
1 tablespoon olive oil
24 ounces frozen stir-fry vegetable blend

INSTRUCTIONS

In a small bowl, mix soy sauce, water, garlic, honey and cornstarch. Set aside.
Slice the pork tenderloin in half lengthwise to make 2 pieces, then slice into thin strips, approximately ¼ inch thick. Set aside.
Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add oil to lightly coat the pan. Add pork pieces and cook, stirring until the pork is almost completely cooked, about 4 minutes.
Add frozen veggies to the pan and cook over medium high heat until thawed and no longer frozen.
Increase the heat to high. Add the stir fry sauce to the pan and cook over high heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture begins to boil. Reduce heat to low and cook for 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat. Sauce will thicken and coat the stir fry as it cools.

NOTES

Serve over rice, cauliflower rice, or noodles of your choice.

Soy sauce substitute: You can substitute tamari or coconut aminos for the soy sauce.

See the original recipe.

Family Meals Inspired by Family Farmers

Illinois farmers are no stranger to family traditions, especially given 96% of the farms in Illinois are family-owned. Gathering around the table as a family to eat together is one of those traditions Illinois farm families love. But schedules can fill up and life can get crazy — whether that’s attending all the school activities or trying to harvest a crop during a short period of good weather. Sometimes, you have to get creative with family mealtimes. That’s why we’re going all in on National Family Meals Month, including dinner on us via our IFF Mealtime Box sweepstakes, and more easy-to-make recipes so you can join the challenge, too. Learn more about National Family Meals Month, plus follow us on social.