Slow Cooker Carnitas Bowl
Susan Ohtake
Certified Personal Trainer
Instead of serving with starchy carbs, serve the tender slow cooked pork roast with healthy things — spice roasted veggies, diced avocado, and your favorite toppings like salsa, fresh herbs, and crunchy raw veggies. The result is a meal that hits every point from both a nutritional and taste factor.
This is an amazing set-and-forget slow cooker recipe.
After you’ve browned your pork (don’t skip this step — that’s where you get all the crunchy, flavorful bits that make it so flavorful!) you’ll pop it in your slow cooker and let it go while you’re at work, out running errands or whatever. When it’s almost done, you can roast up your veggies, and then dinner is done.
For a more authentic meal, you can rice the cauliflower in a food processor and saute it until browned.
Leftovers are delicious the next day, or wrapped in lettuce wraps or just eaten plain. The pork is so tender and flavorful, you won’t find a problem eating it all.
Ingredients
Pork Roast:
4 tablespoons olive oil
3-4 pound pork roast
4 cloves garlic, smashed
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon cayenne
Juice of 2 limes
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 cups broth or water
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
Roasted Veggies:
1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced
1/2 head cauliflower, cut into florets
1 large red pepper, diced
1-2 jalapenos, sliced
1 teaspoon cumin
2 tablespoons olive oil
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
To Serve:
Diced avocado
Chopped green onions
Chopped cilantro
Salsa or Pico de Gallo
Raw veggies for crunch: radishes, onions, shredded cabbage
Instructions
Season the pork roast liberally with salt and pepper. Heat a heavy bottomed skillet over medium high heat and add the oil. Add the pork roast, and sear until well browned on all sides. This should take 15 minutes or so — you want it dark brown and caramelized.
Transfer the roast to your slow cooker pot and add the remaining ingredients. Turn to low and cook for 8 hours or so, until the meat is fall apart tender.
When the meat is almost done, preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Toss the veggies in the oil and cumin and season with salt and pepper. Spread on a large baking sheet lined with parchment in a single layer. Roast for 20-30 minutes, or until browned and caramelized.
When ready to eat, shred the pork roast, and scoop into bowls. Add some veggies, and whatever other toppings you want.