Leftover Braised Pork Tacos

A plate of braised pork tacos with cabbage and tomatoes.

Who doesn’t love a good taco, am-I-right? These leftover braised pork tacos are quick and easy to make from any leftover braised or shredded meat you have on hand. I used leftover (Italian-style) braised pork for these tacos — and guess what? They’re fabulous!

leftover braised pork tacos | Garlic + Zest

Confession:  Some of my very favorite meals are not planned or prepped.  I don’t shop for special ingredients or spend hours tweaking special sauces.  No.  The best breakfasts, lunches and dinners come from leftovers.   Truly.   Like these leftover braised pork tacos. 

leftover braised pork tacos | Garlic + Zest

Scott would say that it helps to have good leftovers — and he’s right.  

But if you are in the kitchen as much as I am,  it’s a given.  For these tacos, the leftover I used was that Hearty Homestyle Pork Ragoût.  

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The rest was just stuff I had in the fridge.  Cabbage and onions – nothing earth-shattering there.

leftover braised pork tacos | Garlic + Zest

Don’t worry if you don’t have this particular braised pork recipe on hand. These tacos work equally well with any type of shredded leftover meat. Here are some of my favorites:

leftover braised pork tacos | Garlic + Zest

Queso fresco and cilantro are ingredients we use regularly.  Ditto for the tortillas and tomatoes.  Kind of a Mexican twist on this Italian favorite.

leftover braised pork tacos | Garlic + Zest
leftover pork ragout
leftover braised pork tacos | Garlic + Zest

I just nuked the braised pork and heated the tortillas over my gas stove top burner.  The rest was just assembly, so I hesitate to even call this a recipe, but they were so good, I had to share with you!  And nothing makes me happier than putting together a delicious fresh meal in under 10 minutes.  It takes longer to wait in line at Chipotle, right?

Now if I had shopped before making this, I probably would have added some sliced avocado and shredded mozzarella  or swapped out the corn tortillas for flour, which oddly weren’t at-the-ready on this day, but sometimes you just have to roll with what you’ve got.    Yum!

leftover braised pork tacos | Garlic + Zest

More tasty taco recipes

leftover braised pork tacos | Garlic + Zest

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leftover braised pork tacos | Garlic + Zest
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5 from 4 votes

Leftover Braised Pork Tacos

These tacos are the easiest – using leftover braised pork, tortillas and vegetables!
Author: Lisa Lotts
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Keyword pulled pork
Dietary Restrictions Egg Free
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings 4

INGREDIENTS:

  • ½ recipe of leftover Hearty Homestyle Pork Ragout from this site
  • 8 corn or flour tortillas
  • 2 roma tomatoes chopped
  • 8 ounces queso fresco crumbled
  • 2 cups thinly sliced or shredded cabbage green or red
  • ½ red onion very thinly sliced
  • 1 cup fresh cilantro leaves

DIRECTIONS:

  • Preheat the oven to 300°. Heat the tortillas, by placing directly over a gas flame and flipping with tongs until some char appears, or if you have an electric stove, place a skillet on the stove and heat to a medium high. Place a tortilla in the skillet and heat on one side until the tortilla begins to take on some color and becomes fragrant. Use tongs to flip the tortilla and repeat on the other side. Transfer to a baking sheet and keep the tortillas warm in the oven until ready to eat.
  • Reheat the braised pork in the microwave or on the stovetop. While the pork heats, arrange the tomato, avocado, cabbage, onion, cilantro and queso fresco on a platter. Transfer the pork to a serving bowl and serve with the vegetables and corn tortillas.

NOTES:

Note: you can add hot sauce or salsa if you like, but since the pork is closer to Italian than Mexican influence, I chose not to.

NUTRITION:

Calories: 396kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 38g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 131mg | Sodium: 541mg | Potassium: 718mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 1020IU | Vitamin C: 20.3mg | Calcium: 363mg | Iron: 2.1mg

Don’t Forget To “Pin It” For Later!

Use leftover pork in this easy recipe for Braised Pork Tacos! Top it with crunchy cabbage and fresh tomatoes for the ultimate comfort food!

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24 Comments

  1. Betty Burdick says:

    Holy Cow – not sure how this post slipped by me – but let me just say YUMMO! Can’t wait to try your Pork Ragout just so I can make these tacos!

  2. Stacey Eckert (@HomemakerStacey) says:

    This looks so tasty! I love using leftovers to create completely different meals! I’ll definitely be trying this one!

  3. Love the bright and fresh flavors here! Those tacos look succulent! Thanks for sharing! 🙂

  4. Wow, that looks amazing! I love that you used cabbage instead of lettuce…I’m definitely going to try this recipe out!

  5. Everyday Sarah Jane says:

    I love tacos! I love leftovers! Basically…this sounds perfect! Thanks so much for sharing!

  6. 5 stars
    All hail the leftovers! Why let such deliciousness go to waste? I’m all for these tacos, now I just need to go whip up some braised pork *runs to the kitchen* – thanks!

  7. Sometimes the best recipes are the ones that come together totally on a whim. These tacos look amazing. The pork is so tender and juicy. Yum!

  8. Leftover recipes are the best!!! So effortless but delicious 🙂 great post!

  9. I would love to have these for lunch or dinner…they would be a hit with my family. So flavorful and delicious! xo, Catherine

  10. Bobbi's Kozy Kitchen (@BobbisKozyKtchn) says:

    These look and sound delicious! I am a taco nut LOL

    1. Everything is better in a tortilla, am I right?

  11. Bella Bucchiotti (xoxoBella) says:

    This looks so good! I love how it seems to have so much flavour. I also adore how you photographed it!

    1. Thank you! Braised pork is always a flavor bomb!

  12. danyasmith says:

    These look amazing and so simple!! Great leftovers really do make awesome meals. I think I’ll try these with the leftover braised chicken I have in my fridge. Yum! 🙂