If you want a recipe that is both simple and insanely delicious, you’re in the right place.
By using some leftover crispy carnitas, a simple recipe made from slow cooker pulled pork, we can have hearty burritos ready to enjoy in just minutes.
One of my favorite recipes to date is my Slow Cooker Pulled Pork, which is perfect for meal prep. But, when you make such a large quantity of pork, sometimes you need to get creative with your meals.
We can easily transform any leftover pulled pork into delicious Mexican carnitas to make these filling pulled pork burritos.
How to make pulled pork carnitas
If you have leftover pulled pork, even if it contains BBQ sauce, you can turn that into Mexican-inspired carnitas!
I have a full recipe for carnitas using leftover crock pot pulled pork that you can find here, but it’s one of the many easy recipes that I swear by.
All we have to do is take our leftover pulled pork, mix it together with some lime juice, chicken broth, and spices, and toss it in a hot pan to give it a quick sear.
In minutes, you’ll have crispy, flavorful carnitas that you can use to make these burritos.
How to make pulled pork burritos
Since we’re using leftover pork, the prep time to make these burritos is very minimal.
Heat your leftover pulled pork in the microwave or in a hot pan.
The microwave makes things very simple, but I love reheating pulled pork in a hot pan to give it a bit of a crisp. Regardless of the route you choose, you’ll only need a few minutes.
A note on my leftover pulled pork: My healthy pulled pork recipe uses pork loin instead of pork shoulder to help keep the calories down, but you’d never know it wasn’t using fatty pork should or pork butt. It’s a great recipe if you prefer to keep your calories on the lower side.
If you prefer using a pressure cooker, my friend Mason Woodruff has a great Ninja Foodi pulled pork recipe that you can find here (it also works great as an instant pot recipe).
While the pork heats up, you’ll prep the flour tortilla for filling. When it comes to burritos, you can get very creative with the sauces & spreads you used, but I kept it simple with guacamole, salsa, and cheese.
Spread your guacamole in the center of the tortilla, leaving room around the edges to roll the burrito.
Note that I used Mission burrito tortillas, so the amount of filling worked out perfectly. If you use an extra-large or smaller tortilla, you may need to scale the ingredients.
After the guacamole, I added some black bean & corn salsa.
This cowboy caviar from Trader Joe’s is one of my favorite condiments because it’s salsa, black beans, and corn, all in one convenient topping. You can add black beans and/or corn to your burrito separately, but I love using this salsa instead.
Once the shredded pork has been heated, add it to your tortilla along with some shredded cheese. I added hot sauce at this stage as well, but that is optional.
I like to use sharp cheddar cheese, but Monterey jack cheese will also work. If you like things extra cheesy, you can also throw in some queso fresco.
At this stage, you can add additional ingredients if you prefer, like fresh cilantro, minced garlic cloves, green chiles, etc.
Now it’s time to roll your burrito.
If you’re like me, rolling a neat burrito is a terrifying task. Luckily, I found a great visual from Food Network here.
The last step is to add the rolled burrito to a hot pan. This has 3 purposes: it helps to seal the burrito so it stays shut, it adds some extra texture, and it helps the cheese inside of the burrito get nice and melty.
Serve your pulled pork burrito with sour cream, refried beans, black beans, or rice, and enjoy!
If you want to take things one step further, you can smother the burrito in extra cheese, or make a wet burrito.
For a cheesy burrito, you can add some cheddar cheese to the top of the burrito and place the burrito in a pan over medium heat (or medium-high heat). Add a little bit of water to the pan and cover it to create some steam so the cheese melts, then enjoy!
If you prefer a wet burrito, you can add some red enchilada sauce or green chili sauce right over the top of the burrito, which is absolutely delicious. Take it one step further by topping the wet burrito with additional chili peppers and you’ll be in for a real treat.
Other ways to enjoy leftover pulled pork
There’s no wrong way to enjoy pork. While burritos may just be my favorite way to enjoy leftover pulled pork, there’s no shortage of ways you can enjoy it.
You can keep it classic with some BBQ pulled pork sandwiches.
Or, follow this same pulled pork burrito recipe, but turn them into pork carnitas tacos!
If you really want to take things to the next level, throw together a quick pizza (I love this Trader Joe’s pizza recipe) and top it with pulled pork to make a pulled pork pizza!
And it’s not pictured here, but this pulled pork would make great pulled pork burrito bowls, too. Place one cup rice (white rice or brown rice) in a large bowl, layer some black beans, onion, and any other veggies you prefer, then add the pork right in there.
Top with guacamole and some shredded lettuce, and you have a Chipotle-quality burrito bowl.
And if that’s not enough for you, I have a bunch of Mexican recipes here on my blog that would be perfect for pulled pork, like my Frito Casserole or Tater Tot Pulled Pork Casserole.
Loaded Leftover Pulled Pork Burritos
By taking leftover pulled pork and making a quick batch of crispy carnitas, we can transform any pulled pork recipe into a delicious, loaded pulled pork burrito.
Ingredients
- 4oz Leftover Carnitas or Pulled Pork
- 1 Burrito Tortilla
- 2 Tablespoons Guacamole (I love Wholly Guacamole brand)
- 15g (2 Tbsp) Shredded Cheddar Cheese
- 2 Tbsp Corn & Black Bean Salsa
- Hot Sauce
Instructions
This recipe works best using leftover pulled pork that is already cooked. Check out my carnitas recipe that turns leftover pulled pork into crispy Mexican carnitas in minutes.
- Heat up a pan on high heat.
- Add your leftover pulled pork to the pan to give it a quick reheat and sear, then flip to sear the other side. You can reheat any leftover pulled pork in the microwave, but I love the extra crisp you get from the pan.
- While the pulled pork heats up, spread the guacamole in the center of your burrito tortilla, followed by salsa.
- Add the pulled pork to the center of the tortilla, being sure to leave room around the edges to roll the burrito.
- Add the shredded cheese right on top of the pulled pork, then add any hot sauce or other filling you'd like inside your burrito.
- Wrap your burrito (a great visual is here) and then add it to your hot pan with the end of the tortilla down. This will help sear the burrito shut and give the exterior a nice little crisp. After about 30 seconds, flip and brown the top for another minute.
- Remove from heat and top with some additional shredded cheese, pico de gallo, hot sauce, or anything else you want, and enjoy!
Notes
- You can follow this same recipe to make pulled pork tacos or a burrito bowl, too!
- Burritos can be customized however you'd like, so feel free to add rice, black beans, or additional cheese in your burritos.
- If you prefer a BBQ burrito, you can use my slow cooker pulled pork recipe and make a burrito with pulled pork and coleslaw for a delicious combination.
Nutrition Information
Yield 1 Serving Size 1 BurritoAmount Per Serving Calories 445Total Fat 16.5gCarbohydrates 46.5gProtein 32.5g
