(Copied in from instagram.)
This simple carnitas recipe (adapted from @sjanedevore ) IS MY FAVORITE and one of our staples for sure. It’s like the easiest thing, SO GOOD, and the perfect meat to have on hand for tacos, taquitos, salads, rice bowls, burritos etc.. I’ll even take the leftovers and turn them greek for this pita! I make it at least a couple of times a month and am always sad when it’s gone. It’s so lean and so full of flavor, the perfect thing to stock if you’re sick of grabbing chicken every time you need protein… I’m literally making it for the second time this week right now. In garlic scented heaven…
These were AMAZING. For sure the kind of meal I’m always floored can fit my macros so easily.
Tostadas used to turn me off because generally I don’t like lettuce up my nose. But these are 100 percent worth it. I also caught wind of these these extra thin corn tortillas through @sjanedevore – so grateful Sarah! Just thinner, so for only 24 carbs you’ve got yourself 3 full sized tacos. I take those tiny street tacos down in two bites. These give you a full-sized shell you can really fill or stack. I’ve only found them at my Ralph’s. But you can also get them on amazon. This is the first time I tried making them into tostadas and they were perfect. I’ll never go back to store bought. Way fewer macros and sooo much crispier and yummier!
I’ve also used them to make homemade tortilla chips for these nachos! Fewer carbs and almost no fat for a plate of chips. UM YES.
Tostadas with THE BEST Slow Cooker Salsa Verde Carnitas
Ingredients
- For the Carnitas
- 2-3 pounds pork tenderloin Only 2.5 fat for 4oz- I get mine from Costco and usually do one of the packages which is two small loins.
- Season Salt
- 16 oz jar herdez or some green salsa
- 8 cloves of garlic I always use frozen cubes from Trader Joes- they have them at some normal stores too.
- 1 medium white onion diced- weigh it raw and make a note before you add it I used about 250 grams
For the Tostada
- 3 Extra Thin Mission Corn Tortillas found them at Ralphs and Walmart
- 2 Tbsp. refried beans (32g)
- 4.5 oz Carnitas (130g)
- Shredded lettuce
- 1/3 cup Pico (60g)
- 2 Tbsp. Mango (20g)
- 1/4 small avocado (30g)
- Cilantro
- 1 Tbsp. of fat free chipotle sour cream* (15g) optional… I just love it and always have it on hand!
- 1 Tbsp. skinny cilantro lime ranch (15g) or sub Bolthouse cilantro avocado.https://lillieeatsandtells.com/two-ingredient-skinny-chipotle-creme/
- 1 tsp. Cotija (5g)
- A squeeze of lime
Instructions
For the Carnitas
- Trim fat off meat and pat dry.
- Cut into chunks, 3-4 inches long. (This helps the pieces be shorter later like carnitas.)
- Season liberally all over with season-salt and sear on all sides in a hot pan with cooking spray to lock in flavor. Get a nice brown crust on it.
- Move to a crock pot and cover with the salsa, garlic, and onion and cook for 4-6 hours or until tender. Shred it and toss in juices.
- ***You can either use the meat like this, or spread it on a pan and bake at 350 for about 15 minutes to get some crispy pieces, more like authentic carnitas. OR… my favorite way (especially with the leftovers) is just crisp up as much as you need in a hot fry pan. Quicker than the oven and SOO good when it gets a good brown on it! For the Quick Fat-Free Chipotle Sour Cream (update: it’s since earned it’s own blog post so if you want more details it’s linked here.)
- Blend 1-2 chipotle peppers and 1-2 tbs of it’s adobo sauce (bought near other canned mexican food like green chilis etc) with ½ cup fat free sour cream. Chop and mix in, or blend with blender.
For the Tostada
- Spray a medium- hot pan with cooking spray and spray your EXTRA thin mission tortillas with a quick mist and sprinkle with kosher salt. Cook till nice and crispy on each side…. Just took a few minutes. Let rest on a paper towel lined plate. ( I didn’t use mine for like an hour and they were great! So no rush here. You can even make them ahead!)
- Now Top three tostadas with thin layer of refried beans (I did a tiny bit because I didn’t have tons of carbs- about 8 grams on each), 130 g carnitas, and 5 grams of cotija cheese.
- Bake at 400 for a few minutes … just long enough to warm it all back up if it wasn’t already and liven up the cotija a little.
- Pull them out and top all three combined with: 40 g lettuce, 60 g pico, 20 g mango, 30 g avocado, cilantro, 10 g homemade fat free chipotle sour cream, and 15 g cilantro lime ranch. (Or you can use Bolthouse cilantro avocado.)
Notes
Nutrition
Tried this recipe?
Tag @LillieEatsAndTells on Instagram with #LillieEatsandTells! We’d love to see your creations!
Oh these are sooooo good!!
THese are the best! The FLAVORS are amazing!
Can someone recommend Sexy Teddies? Cheers xox
high or low on the crockpot??? Thanks!
Amazing, just made the carnitas and used for tacos. My whole fam loved it <3
Hi! Are the toppings (beans, cheese, etc) meant to be split between the three as well?
These tostadas are amazing and incredibly satisfying.
Hi! Should I set the crockpot to low or high? Can’t wait to try 🙂
What are the macros for just the meat? In case I want to add more meatTo my tostadas to get more protein, or eat without all the fixings to save carbs..??
Do you cook on high or low in the slow cooker? Recipe doesn’t say. Thanks!
Do you know if the instant pot method would be low or high pressure?
I always use high!
Is it 130 g of pork per tostada or 130 g split between 3 tostadas? Looks amazing!
Split between the three!
Had this tonight, so yummy!! I didn’t make the chipotle sour cream because I’m not a sour cream person, but it was delicious without it!
So glad you liked it! Are you a creamy sauce person when it’s not sour cream? If so, try it! It’s more of a smokey spicy sauce… but if not … that’s ok too! Ha!
Lillie! Your photos are gorgeous, your writing is so friendly, and the recipes look amazing. You amaze me. You’ve got me thinking seriously about starting this macro thing. Sending you an email…
Rebecca! I’m so glad it doesn’t just have you wanting to quit instagram so you don’t have to see more food from me. Is it annoying? Can be so annoying. But of course I’m so into it so email me! How ARE YOU??!! You make it all look so easy and i cannot even imagine but I want just one day to pretend your baby girls are mine because they’re AMAZING.