This post is sponsored by OhioPork.org. All opinions are my own.
Love the taste of pork carnitas, but hate the long cooking time? If so, then these Ground Pork Carnitas Tacos are for you! Quick and easy, these ground pork tacos are ready in about 30 minutes. Ground pork is cooked and seasoned then topped with salsa verde, cotija cheese, cilantro and pickled onions for a tasty Mexican cuisine inspired meal...just in time for Cinco de Mayo!
I'm honored and delighted to be partnering again with the Ohio Pork Council for this post because I believe in supporting a local industry that gives back to the community. Did you know that Ohio Pork Farmers donate pork to our local food banks each year the week prior to Easter?
This year, Ohio pork farmers delivered 17,400 pounds of ground pork, which translates to 87,000 ground pork recipes and meals, to local food banks for needy Ohio families.
You might remember my trip last December to the Shoup Brothers Hog Farm. The Shoup Brothers are one of those generous pork farms that donate each year. Since the program began in 2009 over 1.7 million meals of pork have been donated by generous pork farmers like the Shoup Brothers.
What kind of meat do you use to make carnitas?
Today, I'm featuring ground pork recipes to honor those farmers for their donations! With 19 grams per serving, ground pork is a great economic protein for your family. I picked up the pork I used for these ground pork tacos for $1.99 per pound!These Ground Pork Carnitas Tacos could not be any easier to make...it's a ground pork recipe that is as delicious as the slow cooked kind! They are full of the same flavors you would use if you were making them with a braised pork shoulder, but take only 30 minutes to make from start to finish.
This makes them an ideal choice for a weeknight meal.
Topping your Ground Pork Carnitas Tacos!
The toppings I chose for these tacos are from toppings on a tacos I love from a local restaurant, BOMBA. BOMBA serves many different taco varieties, but by far, my favorite one is the Tomatillo Pork taco. It's a taco with seasoned shredded pork that's topped with pickled red onion, tomatillo salsa, and aji verde. It's incredible!
While my version isn't an exact copycat, it does have all the same flavors. I top Ground Pork Carnitas Tacos with some jarred salsa verde, Mexican Cotija cheese, cilantro and pickled onions.
The pickled onions are the icing on the cake and you don't want to skip these! It gives these tacos a sweet crunch and the acid cuts through the slightly fatty pork perfectly! (Get the recipe for quick pickled onions in this post.)
While my version isn't an exact copycat, it does have all the same flavors. I top Ground Pork Carnitas Tacos with some jarred salsa verde, Mexican Cotija cheese, cilantro and pickled onions.
The pickled onions are the icing on the cake and you don't want to skip these! It gives these tacos a sweet crunch and the acid cuts through the slightly fatty pork perfectly! (Get the recipe for quick pickled onions in this post.)
You can serve these ground pork tacos on either soft corn or flour tortillas. We love them on either. My family gave these tacos two thumbs up and so will yours! Put them on your Cinco de Mayo menu this year
Yield: 6 Seervings
Ground Pork Carnitas Tacos
prep time: 10 Mcook time: 20 Mtotal time: 30 M
Get the same taste as slow cooked pork carnitas with this quick and easy ground pork recipe. Then assemble into tacos with salsa verde, cotija cheese, cilantro, and pickled onions!
ingredients:
- 1 1/2 pounds ground pork
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tsp. dried oregano
- 2 tsp. cumin
- salt and pepper, to your liking
- 1/2 cup orange juice
- 12 taco sized (6-inch) warm soft flour or corn tortillas
- jarred salsa verde sauce
- grated Cotija cheese
- cilantro, if desired
- pickled onions (get recipe for quick pickled onions here)
instructions:
How to cook Ground Pork Carnitas Tacos
- In large non-stick skillet sprayed with cooking spray, saute onion and jalapeno pepper on med heat until they begin to soften (about 5-7 minutes).
- Add in ground pork, garlic, oregano, cumin and salt and pepper. Brown pork and break it up as it cooks. (a potato masher works great for this!) Continue to cook mixture until pork is well browned and at least 140 degrees F. (think sausage like browning - the browning gives the pork extra flavor!) and the onion and peppers are soft. Drain off any excess fat.
- Return meat to pan and increase heat to med-high. Add in orange juice and stir. Allow juice to come to boil and reduce by at least half. Take off heat and keep warm.
- To assemble tacos, warm the tortillas. Place tortillas on a plate and add meat, salsa, cheese, cilantro and pickled onion. Serve immediately.
Calories
878.35
878.35
Fat (grams)
44.67
44.67
Sat. Fat (grams)
17.50
17.50
Carbs (grams)
65.45
65.45
Fiber (grams)
7.81
7.81
Net carbs
57.65
57.65
Sugar (grams)
6.92
6.92
Protein (grams)
51.50
51.50
Sodium (milligrams)
1419.26
1419.26
Cholesterol (grams)
158.87
158.87
Nutritional Information is an estimate.
Copyright © 2019 Renee's Kitchen Adventures
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Did you make the pickled onions in the picture? If so do you have a recipe?
ReplyDeleteHi Jenny, I did make the ones pictured. They are so easy! There is a link in the recipe to a post that shows you how to make them where it says (get recipe for quick pickled onions here) Hope that helps!
DeleteThey were fabulous. Loved all the flavors. Made my own pickled onions. Did add a little taco seasoning.
ReplyDeleteThey were fabulous. Loved all the favors. Made my own pickled onions. I added a little taco seasoning to the meat.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your review! Taco seasoning sounds like a great way to boost flavor.
DeleteFound it a bit under spiced. Picked onions were excellent! Next time I'll increase cumin a bit and use 1/4 cup lime juice and cut OJ in half but then again my tastes lean more toward acidic. Made corn tortillas from scratch bc sodium and they're just too dang good! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteYou can certainly modify it for your own tastes! I like the idea of more cumin. I love the idea of making your own corn tortillas too! Thanks so much for leaving a your review.
DeleteIs that 800 plus calories for one taco? Or all 6? Seems a bit steep for one. Thanks
ReplyDeleteHi Nicunurse! The entire recipe is for 12 tacos, so 6 servings would mean 2 (well filled) tacos per serving according to the nutrition calculator used with this recipe card program.
Delete