Healthy Leftover Pulled Pork Tacos are another use for your Slow Roasted Cuban Pork Shoulder. And a stunning one too with charred sweetcorn, zingy coleslaw, marinated and fried zucchinis and a Peach BBQ Sauce. Topped by orange lime marinated beets, acting like fruity salsa and crunchy hazelnuts on top. No one will ever notice this was made from leftovers.
Why You Want To Make This
Perfect use of Leftovers
If you were following along, you might notice that this has the exact same components as the Cuban Pulled Pork Salad. That is very intentional. The aim is, to show you how you can make either a stunning salad or addictive Tacos with the exact same ingredients you prepared one day. Make one. Make both. Switch them up between your workdays.
Have a very happy family with Taco Tuesday or feel very virtuous with your huge salad bowl. Your choice. Skip ahead to assembly, if you have already prepared the salad ingredients.
For those joining us here, welcome to the Cuban Pork Shoulder series, where I show you 4 different dishes for the leftovers of 2 different ways to cook your pork shoulder. The above mentioned slow roasted version and the Air Fryer variant. You can use either for this. I just felt the pulled pork works slightly better.
Nutrition
Nutritionists would probably frown upon the pork shoulder, but the fact that we are using it more like a salad topping than main part means, you get your protein from it. All while feeding your body with lots of other nutrients including fibre and vitamins from the large selection of veggies I’m using here.
5-a-day in one Taco. Or Two.
Well…7-8 rather really. I really love using seasonal veg and end of summer is an amazing time for that. Though most of them you’d get in winter too. Red and white cabbage, carrots and fennel make a super flavourful coleslaw when mixed with the Hazelnut-Orange-Lime-Dressing. You could add onions and apple too if you’d like a little more sweetness. I often do.
Charred sweetcorn and zucchini add interest and sweet crunch. Did I mention I love sweetness in my salads? Also, when I see fresh sweetcorn on the cob, I can absolutely never resist. It’s just too good.
Super quick marinated beets lend earthiness and even more sweetness.
And the greens are provided by some Romaine lettuce.
I’m topping the whole thing with sliced oranges and crunchy toasted hazelnuts, bringing all the flavours together, matching the dressing and Pork.
What about carbs?
I decided to make fresh sourdough whole wheat tortillas, which I had adapted from this. The recipe is the same I used for my Healthy Chicken Tacos.
If you don’t feel like making your own (I won’t judge) you could use any store bought tortillas or even just bread on the side. Or just skip the carbs, as the salad is super filling on its own.
If you are like me, you’ll probably want variety though, so having tortillas here means you can make tacos from pretty much the same ingredients tomorrow.
The Orange Maple Vinaigrette with Hazelnuts and Lime
I’m using soaked hazelnuts here, which I then throw into my Nutribullet. You could use other nuts too. Cashews or Almonds make an even creamier dressing. The hazelnuts don’t get as creamy, but I loved the favour they added and due to the crunch from the coleslaw, the remaining texture in the dressing wasn’t really noticeable.
If you don’t have a blender, you could just use any nut butter and add a bit more water. The flavour will change depending on what nuts you are using. Tahini would work too here.
The nuts are blended with water, orange and lime zest and juice, cilantro and garlic, sweetened with a bit op maple syrup. This mimics the Cuban marinade I used for the pork and adds incredible flavour.
It’s also much healthier than an oil based dressing, as your body gets fibre and healthy fats from it, it can readily use.
I’m using very little dressing here, which gets mostly mixed into the coleslaw, as I found the other ingredients have so much flavour when eaten together, more dressing was just not needed. And if I can save calories without compromising on enjoyment, I sure will.
If you leave out the salt, this dressing would be Nutritarian.
Variations
The fact that I’m using a lot of veggies here doesn’t mean you have to use them all. I just absolutely love the variety and my body is thanking me for it. But if you don’t like some of them or simply want less work, just leave out what you don’t want. Make it your own. And let me know what you changed. I’m very curious.
The Process
Again, if you followed along and made the Salad, hop right down to assembly, and enjoy your tacos within 5 minutes. You did a great job already with your meal prep.
Now you could make this with any pulled pork you have around. Shop bought or homemade. I made these Healthy Leftover Pulled Pork Tacos with the Slow Roasted Cuban Pork Shoulder.
Tortillas
If you are making your own tortillas, start by making the dough. Just mix all the ingredients and knead (I used a stand mixer) until you have a smooth dough. Cover with clingfilm and leave to rest in the fridge until you are ready to use it. I made mine the evening before, to let the flavours develop and the sourdough do its thing over night.
Once ready to fry, divide into about 12 pieces and roll them out thinly, while stacking between sheets of cling film or baking parchment.
Pre-heat a pan to medium high heat (no oil) and fry your tortillas until bubbly and golden. This should take about 30 seconds on the first side. If yours fries much faster or slower, adjust the heat.
Flip and fry for another 30-40 seconds.
Keep them stacked on a plate, wrapped into a towel and topped by another plate. The moisture and heat will keep them soft and pliable while you prepare them all.
Meal prep wise, I found these are good re-warmed briefly in the microwave. But you could also keep them raw in the fridge between clingfilm and fry fresh when needed. They keep for about 3 days. After that the edges get a bit dry. You can also freeze the dough balls, to have a quick and delicious side whenever you like.
Prepare the Orange Maple Vinaigrette with Hazelnuts and Lime
For the dressing, use: ½ cup hazelnuts. Soaked for 1h in hot water or overnight in cold. Drained.
¼ cup water, 1 Orange, zest, and juice, 2 limes, zest, and juice, 2 tbsp fresh cilantro and/or oregano, 1 clove of garlic, minced, 2 tbsp maple syrup, Salt and pepper to taste.
If you are using pre-soaked nuts, add all dressing ingredients to a high speed blender (to get creamy dressing from nuts, it does have to be high speed. Nutribullet is a really good and affordable choice) and blend until creamy. Give it a taste and adjust the seasoning accordingly. The coleslaw needs a lot of seasoning, so go with a bit more than you’d think when tasting.
Zucchini
For the Zucchini, mix 1 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp maple syrup, zest and juice of 1/2 orange, chopped oregano (or dried) and minced garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Add the zucchini slices to a container with tight fitting lid or a freezer bag and pour the marinade over. Close lid or bag and shake, to cover the slices with the marinade. Put to one side while you prepare the rest.
When you have everything else prepared, heat a pan on medium high (I used cast iron, but any pan will do). Once hot, add the zucchini slices in one layer. You will have to do this in batches, so they get nice and brown and don’t just steam. Let them fry until brown on the edges, maybe even a little charred. Turn, let them fry for another few minutes, so both sides have some colour.
These are lovely cold or warm.
Coleslaw
I use the slicing blade of my food processor, to make quick work of the red and white cabbage and the fennel. The switch to the grater for the carrot. If you don’t have one, thinly slice and grate by hand.
In a big bowl, mix all of the above with ¾ of the hazelnut dressing and massage with your hands, so the cabbage breaks down a bit and absorbs all the flavour. Stick in the fridge to marry the flavours while you prepare the rest. This is even better the next day, so great for meal prep.
Sweetcorn
Rub the corn cobs with a little olive oil. Either use the same pan as you used for the zucchinis. Heat to fairly high heat, add to the pan. Let the corn cobs fry, turning occasionally, until browned on all sides. Let them cool a little.
Once cool enough to handle, get a larger bowl, put a small bowl (like a ramekin) upside down into it. Stand your sweetcorn cob on the small bowl and, with a sharp knife, slice the kernels from the cob. This way they fall neatly into the bowl, instead of flying all over your work surface.
Beets
I’m using pre-steamed mini beets here I found a M&S, which was very handy. Most supermarkets have some sort of cooked and unmarinated beets these days. Use whatever you find. Or use pre-marinated if you prefer.
If marinating yourself, mix the remaining tbsp maple syrup, juice and zest of ½ orange with salt and pepper and pour over the beets. These too get better by being given time for the flavours to marry. So, they work very well for meal prep.
Oranges
Using a sharp knife, cut off the top and bottom of your last 2 oranges. Then, following the curve, slice of the skin and pith, leaving you just with the juice insides. Cut them into slices across.
Pork
If using the Slow Roasted Cuban Pork Shoulder, slice off the crackling and fat and quickly heat them in the air fryer or oven, to re-crisp. Or give it a quick fry in the pan, skin side down.
Pull apart the rest of the pork, using two forks.
Assembly
On your tortilla, lay out a strip of the romaine. Top with coleslaw and a bit of the remaining dressing. Top the slaw with the remaining ingredients, and, if using, a little Peach BBQ sauce over the pork. https://forthepleasureofeating.com/peach-bbq-sauce-with-single-malt/
The beets on top are ideally chopped a little smaller than for the salad, to resemble salsa. The rest can stay the same.
I don’t feel this benefits from the usual sour cream or guacamole, but if you have some on hand and want to try, let me know if it was good. I am, as always, curious.
Enjoy your Healthy Leftover Pork Tacos. Messy eating inevitable.
Meal Prep
Due to the various parts in this that actually profit from marinating and resting, these Healthy Leftover Pork Tacos are perfect for meal prep. Coleslaw, dressing, beets, zucchinis, and tortillas do all particularly well when made the day before, as they flavours can mingle.
For the rest: I tend to prepare everything on a weekend day, the store the separate parts in lidded containers in the fridge. That way, I just have to assemble and maybe briefly heat pulled pork and tortillas in the microwave and I have a fabulous workday meal ready in 5 minutes.
Now I’d love to hear from you in the comments!
Have you tried this? Did you enjoy it?
What other recipes would you like to see?
If you enjoyed this recipe, please share. It helps me a lot.
Healthy Leftover Pulled Pork Tacos
Ingredients
Sourdough Whole Wheat Tortillas
- ½ cup sourdough or discard
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ¼ whole wheat flour
- 1 cup hot water or more, if needed
- ⅓ cup shortening or vegetable oil
- 1 ½ tsp kosher salt
Salad with Hazelnut Orange Lime Dressing
- ½ cup hazelnuts. Soaked for 1h in hot water or overnight in cold. Drained.
- ¼ cup water
- 2 limes zest, and juice
- 4 oranges 3 zested and juiced. Divided.
- 2 tbsp fresh cilantro
- 2 cloves of garlic minced. Divided
- 1 tbsp oregano fresh, finely chopped (or 1 tsp dried)
- 3 tbsp maple syrup divided
- 1 lb pulled pork / https://forthepleasureofeating.com/slow-roasted-cuban-pork-shoulder
- ¼ red cabbage stalk removed, shredded thinly
- ¼ white cabbage stalk removed, shredded thinly
- 2 carrots roughly grated
- 1 fennel bulb Inner stalk removed, finely shredded across the grain
- 2 corn on the cob leaves and silk removed
- 2 zucchinis sliced thinly lengthwise
- 1 head Romaine lettuce shredded to your preferred size
- ½ lb (1 pack) steamed mini beets
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp oregano fresh, finely chopped (or 1 tsp dried)
- ½ cup hazelnuts toasted in the oven for 8min, the roughly chopped
- BBQ Sauce optional
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Tortillas:
- If you are making your own tortillas, start by making the dough. Just mix all the ingredients and knead (I used a stand mixer) until you have a smooth dough. Cover with clingfilm and leave to rest in the fridge until you are ready to use it. I made mine the evening before, to let the flavours develop and the sourdough do its thing over night.
- Once ready to fry, divide into about 12 pieces and roll them out thinly, while stacking between sheets of cling film or baking parchment.
- Pre-heat a pan to medium high heat (no oil) and fry your tortillas until bubbly and golden. This should take about 30 seconds on the first side. If yours fries much faster or slower, adjust the heat.
- Flip and fry for another 30-40 seconds.
- Keep them stacked on a plate, wrapped into a towel and topped by another plate. The moisture and heat will keep them soft and pliable while you prepare them all.
Hazelnut Orange Lime Dressing:
- If using pre-soaked nuts, add all dressing ingredients to a high-speed blender and blend until creamy. Adjust the seasoning to taste. Set aside. If using Nut butter of any kind, you can just stir them together in a bowl until smooth.
Zucchini:
- Mix 1 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp maple syrup, zest and juice of 1/2 orange, chopped oregano (or dried), and minced garlic for the zucchini marinade. Season with salt and pepper. Add zucchini slices to a container with a tight-fitting lid or a freezer bag and pour the marinade over them. Close the lid or bag and shake to coat the slices. Set aside.
- When ready, heat a pan on medium-high heat, add the zucchini slices in one layer, and fry until browned on the edges. Turn and fry for another few minutes until both sides have some colour. These can be served warm or cold.
Coleslaw:
- Use a food processor with a slicing blade for red and white cabbage and fennel, and a grater for the carrot.
- Alternatively, thinly slice and grate by hand. In a large bowl, combine the shredded red cabbage, white cabbage, grated carrots, and finely shredded fennel.
- Add ¾ of the hazelnut dressing to the bowl and massage the coleslaw with your hands until the cabbage softens and absorbs the flavour. Refrigerate the coleslaw to allow the flavours to meld.
Sweetcorn:
- Rub the corn cobs with a little olive oil. Heat a pan over fairly high heat, add the corn cobs, and cook, turning occasionally, until browned on all sides. Let them cool.
- Once cool enough to handle, slice the kernels from the cob into a larger bowl.
Beets:
- Use pre-steamed mini beets or marinate them by mixing 1 tbsp maple syrup, juice and zest of ½ orange, salt, and pepper.
- Let them sit to enhance the flavours.
Oranges:
- Cut off the top and bottom of your last 2 oranges. Then, following the curve, slice off the skin and pith, leaving you just with the juicy insides.
- Cut them into slices across.
Pork:
- If using Slow Roasted Cuban Pork Shoulder, slice off the crackling and fat, and re-crisp them in the air fryer, oven, or a pan.
- Pull apart the rest of the pork using two forks.
Assembly:
- Lay your warm tortilla on individual plates, create a bed of shredded Romaine lettuce along the middle, leaving space for rolling on both sides and the bottom. Top the lettuce with the coleslaw and drizzle with some of the remaining hazelnut dressing.
- Arrange the zucchini, sweetcorn kernels, beets, and orange slices on top of the coleslaw. Place the pulled pork on top and sprinkle with the toasted, chopped hazelnuts.
- Optionally, drizzle a little BBQ sauce over the pork.
- For rolling: Either use them in a U shape like in the pictures. Or, if you have bigger soft wraps, fold one side over, then the bottom, finishing with the third side and you have yourself an easy to eat wrap. It will still be drippy, but very delicious.
Notes
Protein: Approximately 10-15 grams per serving
Fat: Approximately 15-20 grams per serving
Carbohydrates: Approximately 55-60 grams per serving
Fiber: Approximately 10-12 grams per serving
Sugars: Approximately 18-22 grams per serving
Nutrition
Just made these Healthy Leftover Pulled Pork Tacos, and they are amazing! So easy and delicious!
Just made these Healthy Leftover Pulled Pork Tacos, and they are amazing! So easy and delicious!
I was looking for something to do with my leftover pulled pork and this was perfect! I loved how it was healthy too. My family loved the salad with the tacos. All around delicious!
One of the most delicious tacos I have eaten. The addition of zucchini and beets was unexpected yet amazing. The sauce is also amazing. So many delicious flavors blended in beautifully. Best tacos hands down!!