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When the weather turns crisp, this pork and apple casserole is exactly what I crave — slow-cooked pork shoulder steaks with dry cider and chunky apples, finished with a splash of cream for a silky sauce. It’s an affordable, minimal-fuss pork casserole that bakes gently in the oven for around 2 hours, turning budget-friendly pork into melting tenderness. Serve it with buttery mashed potatoes and plenty of green veg for a hearty autumn or winter dinner.
“My family loved this dish. I omitted mushrooms and added a red and yellow pepper because my daughter dislikes s’hrooms. It worked very well. The apple works and balances out the dry cider.
It is a winner!”
Table of Contents
I love this pork & apple casserole
This one has been tested, then re-tested many many times, Not because it needed it, just because I like it 😉.
As soon as the air turns crisp and the leaves start to tumble, this goes on repeat in our kitchen. Pork and apples just belong together in autumn — sweet, crunchy fruit against savoury pork, all wrapped in a creamy, cider-sage sauce. It’s proper cosy, midweek-roast energy without the faff.
Keep the apples chunky so they hold their shape (Jazz, Braeburn or Pink Lady are fab). Use a dry cider for tartness, and choose pork shoulder steaks for melt-in-the-mouth results after a gentle braise. I love finishing with a few sage leaves on top, then serving with buttery mash and something peppery and green.
I’ve also included some instructions on how to make this in the slow cooker too – check out the notes section of the recipe card.
📋 What do we need?
The best cut of pork for this casserole
I use pork shoulder steaks because they have a little bit of fat running through them – which keeps the pork lovely and tender. Cut off any large sections of fat, then slice the rest into large chunks (I cut each steak into 3 or 4 chunks).
- You can also use a boneless pork shoulder joint and chop into large chunks if you prefer.
- Pork loin steaks are ok – but they have less fat, so be careful not to overcook them, as they can go dry. I would cook them for 30 minutes less altogether.
A note on the cider
- Cider – Use dry alcoholic cider (called hard cider in the US). Go for still/dry for a clean, savoury finish; medium-dry will taste a touch sweeter. Avoid very sweet or scrumpy styles. Sparkling works, but it’ll foam when it hits the pan.
No alcohol? Use the same volume of apple juice plus 1–2 tsp cider vinegar (or a good 0% dry cider) to keep that gentle tang. - Tip: Don’t use apple cider vinegar as the main liquid – it’s far too sharp. Most of the alcohol in regular cider cooks off during the long braise.
Ingredient swaps & Additions
- Add vegetables – such as baby carrots, leeks and/or courgette (zucchini) chunks. These can be added right before the dish goes in the oven.
- Add green beans – at the same time you add the apple.
- Add peas – just for the last 10 minutes of cooking.
- Swap out the cream for creme fraiche.
- Add a teaspoon of dijon or wholegrain mustard for a little heat kick.
🔪 How to make this Pork and Apple Casserole
Full recipe with detailed steps in the recipe card at the **end of this post**.
Sear the pork in a little oil with salt and pepper. Add the onions and mushrooms to the pot and cook for a few minutes to soften, then stir in the garlic. Dust everything with flour, pour in the cider and stock, add the sage, cover and cook in the preheated oven for 90 minutes. Stir in the cream and the 2 sliced apples, then return to the oven for a further 25 minutes until the pork is tender and the apples are soft.
Recipe Tips
- Brown the pork, onions and mushrooms first for big flavour, then dust with flour before deglazing — those golden bits dissolve into the sauce and the flour gently thickens as it simmers, giving a silky, pub-style gravy with no lumps.
- You can add more apple and mushrooms to this dish to make it stretch further – serving up to 6 people.
Pin this now to find it later
Pin ItTender pork in a cider-kissed, creamy sage sauce, dotted with savoury mushrooms and soft-edged apple wedges. Proper spoon-licking comfort. Don’t you just want to dive right in!
🍽️ What to serve it with
Serve topped with a few fresh sage leaves. I like to serve mine with creamy mashed potatoes and roasted radishes.
- Creamy Mashed Potatoes
- Roasted Potatoes, Sautéed Potatoes or even a Baked Potato would work great.
- Green Beans, spring greens or roasted broccoli
- Homemade Artisan Bread for mopping up that creamy sauce
📺 Watch how to make it
Prefer to watch first? Hit play here— you’ll see the golden browning stage and exactly how chunky I slice the apples.
Creamy Pork and Apple Casserole Recipe
Ingredients
Creamy Pork:
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 500 g (1.1 lbs) pork shoulder steaks chopped into large chunks
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
- 1 medium onion peeled and diced
- 12 button mushrooms sliced in half
- 2 cloves garlic peeled and minced
- 2 tbsp plain flour (all-purpose flour)
- 240 ml (1 cup) dry cider (hard cider in the US)
- 420 ml (1 3/4 cups) chicken stock
- ½ tsp dried sage (or 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh sage)
- 2 crisp dessert apples cored and sliced into thick wedges (if they're too thin they'll disintegrate) – I use sweet apples such as Jazz apples but Braeburn or Pink Lady are also great options.
- 80 ml (1/3 cup) double cream (heavy cream)
To Serve:
- 6 fresh sage leaves (optional)
- 1 apple cored and thinly sliced
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 170C/325F (fan).
- Add the oil to a large casserole pan and heat over a medium-high heat.2 tbsp olive oil
- Add the chunks of pork and sprinkle over the salt and pepper. Brown the pork on both sides – this should take about 5-6 minutes altogether.500 g (1.1 lbs) pork shoulder steaks, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper
- Turn the heat down to medium and add in the diced onion and button mushrooms. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion softens.1 medium onion, 12 button mushrooms
- Add in the cloves of minced garlic and cook for a further minute.2 cloves garlic
- Sprinkle over the flour and stir it all in to coat the meat, onion and mushrooms.2 tbsp plain flour (all-purpose flour)
- Pour in the cider and the chicken stock. Add in the dried sage.240 ml (1 cup) dry cider (hard cider in the US), 420 ml (1 3/4 cups) chicken stock, 1/2 tsp dried sage
- Turn up the heat and bring to the boil, scraping up any bits that might have stuck to the bottom of the pan.
- Place a lid on the dish and place in the oven for 90 minutes. Check a couple of times towards the end of cooking and add a splash of water or stock if it's starting to look a little dry.
- Remove the casserole from the oven and add in the sliced apples and the cream.2 crisp dessert apples, 80 ml (1/3 cup) double cream (heavy cream)
- Stir together, place the lid back on the dish and place back in the oven for 25 minutes – until the apples are tender.
- Remove from the oven and serve. I like to top mine with a few fresh sage leaves and some very thinly sliced apple for a bit of crunch. I love to serve this dish with mashed potatoes, cabbage and roasted radishes.6 fresh sage leaves, 1 apple
Video
Notes
Make Ahead & Freezer Instructions
Make the casserole fully (including the cream and apples), then cool quickly, cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Reheat covered in the oven at 175°C/325°F for 30–40 minutes until piping hot, loosening with a splash of stock if needed, or reheat gently on the hob over low–medium heat for about 15 minutes, stirring regularly. To freeze, cook fully, cool, cover and freeze. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator, then reheat as per the make-ahead instructions above.Can I make it in the slow cooker?
Yes – cook in a large frying pan right up until it’s ready to go in the oven, then instead of cooking in the oven, transfer to the slow cooker. Cook on high for 3 hours or low for 5 hours.After this time, add in the sliced apples and cook for a further hour (for high or low heat setting).
Stir in the cream right before serving. If you don’t want to mess around with adding apples in the last hour of cooking, you can add them as soon as you add everything to the slow cooker. The apples will be softer and may fall apart a little, but it’s a little simpler and easier and will still taste great.
The total cooking time in the slow cooker will be 4 hours on a high heat and 6 hours on low heat.
I’d also serve with a very thinly sliced apple for garnish too – so you have a bit of crunch and good apple flavour in there.
How to scale up and scale down this recipe
You can halve this recipe to serve two people. Use a small casserole pan. Halve all of the recipe quantities EXCEPT the stock – as the dish will dry out quicker using smaller quantities. Use around 360ml (1 1/2 cups) of stock. Cook for the same amount of time as for the full recipe. You can double this recipe by doubling all of the ingredients. The frying of the pork and onions will take 10-15 minutes longer, but the rest of the timings will remain the same.Can you cook this on the hob/stovetop?
Yes this would work on the stove, but you’ll need to cook it slowly, give it a stir a few times, and possibly add extra liquid if it starts to look too dry. It may be ready 20-30 minutes sooner, you’ll just need to keep an eye on the pork to see how tender it is. Nutritional information is approximate, per serving, and does not include side dishes. This recipe serves 4 people.Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This pork casserole recipe was first published in October 2014. Updated February 2021 with new photos, video, a few recipe tweaks and a bit of housekeeping. Updated since with recipe improvements and for housekeeping reasons.
More Casseroles/Stews to try
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Nicki your recipe was fantastic . We are chilli freaks so I added 1 large tbs chilli flakes & 2 x the pork amount plus green beans & baby spud microwaved for 8 mins . The end result was truly terrific – added to favourites. Thank YOU ❤️
Soooooooooo nice didn’t change anything regarding the ingredients just how i cut the onions which was in to 8 to make onion ‘petals’ in the chunky style of a sweet & sour dish. I used a meduim dry cider namely Henry Westons Vintage Cider which is matured in oak vats to give it a lovely smokey oak flavour though it is a strong one at 8.2% abv though i guess most of the alcohol cooked off.Next time i will add a little whole grain mustard,just enough for a hint.This is so Autumn and acorns absolutely fabulous.
A delicious recipe using ingredients sourced locally and from our garden on the beautiful island of Tasmania. Recommended to our daughters. Thank you.
I cooked this tonight, well I actually started this morning and done it in the slow cooker. I was a bit concerned as my wife isn’t keen on pork. But I went with it in hope that it would turn out well. It was amazing, I had a large shoulder joint that I cut into three smaller joints for us. I then diced 1 portion for this recipe. Despite her reservations, she thought it was lovely. I’m not sure how many brownie points that’s worth but I’m sure it will be a bonus.
Hi there
When you say 170 degrees for the oven, do you mean fan forced or normal ? Amd does this apply to all your recipes ?
Hi Gilly, yes, I use a fan oven, and it’s the same for all of my recipes.
Thanks,
Nicky
I haven’t made it yet, but I love the sound of it. It sounds really lovely David.