Pork Tacos
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These pork tacos are super easy to whip up for a fast dinner. I like to use leftover pork roast to make it, but you can even cut up leftover pork chops!
Pork Tacos
Earlier this month, I made my Sweet Chipotle Pork Roast and I ended up with a good bit of the roast left. Being the ever frugal minded mom that I am, I just couldn’t throw them away.
Being able to eat twice from the same meal is something that I strive to do for budget’s sake, but I don’t really like to eat the exact same thing when I do that.
There has to be some sort of twist on it so that the leftovers don’t taste like…. well, leftovers. Transforming them into something else is my favorite thing to do with them, hence the term leftovers reconstituted.
Tacos are a great way to incorporate leftovers into a new dish, and that’s what I went for with my leftover pork roast.
Now, you don’t have to use just leftover roast. Â I’ve also done this with leftover pork chops. You don’t even have to use pork. Just chop up whatever leftover meat you have.
How I Make Pork Tacos
I chop up my leftover pork roast into small pieces, seasoned them up well & warmed them in a skillet along with some sauteed red onion.
Just a couple of simple additions gives the meat a whole new flavor, and the finished product in no way resembles the original dish!
You can use store-bought taco shells if you wish, but I really recommend using corn tortillas, and lightly frying them on each side.
Once you have tacos this way, the authentic way, then trust me – you can never go back to the ones from the box.
What to Serve with Pork Tacos
I serve pork tacos alongside some fresh pico de gallo, which really just packed on more flavor and aided in further transforming the meal into something new.
Sprinkle on a little cheese, a little cilantro, & a squeeze of lime and you have a pork taco in front of you that is better than your local Mexican restaurant, at just a fraction of the price.
Actually – even cheaper than a fraction of the price since this dish started off with leftovers.
Pork Tacos
Ingredients
- 1-2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 medium red onion diced
- About 4 cups leftover diced pork or use fresh if you have no leftovers, just increase the cooking time
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp chili powder
- salt & pepper to taste
- corn tortillas
- vegetable oil for frying
- cilantro lime, & shredded cheese to garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a skillet, and saute the onions until translucent. Add the diced pork and sprinkle with the seasonings; stir well to coat. Cook for 6-8 minutes on medium heat until thoroughly warmed.
- In a separate pan, heat enough vegetable oil to cover the bottom of the pan on medium-high heat. Fry the corn tortillas 1 minute on each side. Drain on paper towels.
- Serve with pico de gallo.
I have often made this dish, but I always used plain reheated pork with pico de gallo and maybe some avocado. Not anymore! Off to buy tortillas and cilantro!
Wow this is just what I was thinking about for dinner we have leftover Prime rib of pork cooked in a Set-it-and-forget-it Rotisserie(which by the way was awesome) but still have leftovers evenv after all t5he sammies we had for 2 days This ought to finish it up and taste good too,thanx!!
What kind of sauce would you suggest to go with this?
I like regular hot sauce with it. Also, this cilantro cream sauce is really good on it too. https://mrshappyhomemaker.com/cilantro-cream-sauce/
Wow! Lady after my own heart- thank you so much for your fabulous ideas and recipes.
It’s hard to think of something fresh and budget conscious that the whole family will agree on!Â
I really appreciate it being the mother of dragons also – or unicorns 🦄 on a good day!!  xxx
Sending love from across the pond 🇬🇧Â
I had leftover pork tenderloin and was looking for a good recipe for the leftovers. This was fantastic! Frying your own tortillas makes all the difference. Great recipe, thank you
We had a giant porkchop leftover so I went googling for something to do with it and stumbled across this recipe. I had leftover corn tortillas in the fridge too. I made up the linked pico de gallo recipe and added chopped poblano to that. Then I combined the lime juice and sour cream to make a crema. I don’t fry food so I simply steamed the corn tortillas and topped the whole thing off with some shredded Mexican blend cheese. Fantastic.
I was worried the pork would be dry from recooking it, but I had sliced it extra thin and only sautéed it for about a minute to get it heated up. This is absolutely going to be made again with leftovers… maybe even with chicken or beef in the future as well.