Leftover Braised Pork Tacos
Inside: Quick tips for turning leftover shredded pork into rich, savory tacos; Plus 10 more easy ideas for using up leftover pulled pork.
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!
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.
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.
The rest was just stuff I had in the fridge. Cabbage and onions – nothing earth-shattering there.
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:
- Mexican Shredded Beef
- Instant Pot Pulled Chicken
- Instant Pot Barbecue Pulled Pork Tenderloin
- Beef Birria
Queso fresco and cilantro are ingredients we use regularly. Ditto for the tortillas and tomatoes. Kind of a Mexican twist on this Italian favorite.
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!
More tasty taco recipes
- Quesabirria Tacos
- Carne Asada Tacos
- Tinga Style Pork Tacos
- Chicken Street Tacos
- Crispy Baked Fish Tacos
- Smoky Black Bean Tacos
- Tangy Garlic Lime Shrimp Tacos
Leftover Braised Pork Tacos
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
- 1 avocado sliced
DIRECTIONS:
- Before making the tacos, print out the free printable cheat sheet for more leftover pulled pork recipes.
- Preheat the oven to 300°.
- Heat 8 corn or flour tortillas by placing them 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 it to a medium-high heat. 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 ½ recipe of leftover Hearty Homestyle Pork Ragout in the microwave or on the stovetop. While the pork heats, arrange 2 roma tomatoes, 1 avocado, 2 cups thinly sliced or shredded cabbage, ½ red onion, 1 cup fresh cilantro leaves and 8 ounces queso fresco on a platter. Transfer the pork to a serving bowl and serve with the vegetables and corn tortillas.
NOTES:
NUTRITION:
Don’t Forget To “Pin It” For Later!
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!
This looks so tasty! I love using leftovers to create completely different meals! I’ll definitely be trying this one!
Enjoy it Stacey! We did!
This looks amazing! <3
Thank you Paola!
Love the bright and fresh flavors here! Those tacos look succulent! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
They are really good!
Wow, that looks amazing! I love that you used cabbage instead of lettuce…I’m definitely going to try this recipe out!
Glad you like it!
What a great way to use up leftovers! This looks super delicious!
I love tacos! I love leftovers! Basically…this sounds perfect! Thanks so much for sharing!
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!
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!
Loving the vibrant colours and fresh flavours of these tacos. They look SO good!
Leftover recipes are the best!!! So effortless but delicious 🙂 great post!
Glad you like it, Emma!
I would love to have these for lunch or dinner…they would be a hit with my family. So flavorful and delicious! xo, Catherine
Thanks, Catherine!
These look and sound delicious! I am a taco nut LOL
Everything is better in a tortilla, am I right?
This looks so good! I love how it seems to have so much flavour. I also adore how you photographed it!
Thank you! Braised pork is always a flavor bomb!
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! 🙂
Sounds fabulous!