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30-Minute Meal Idea for Busy Parents
As a working mom of two little ones, my afternoons tend to get a little (read: a lot) busy. After work/school, we all pitch in to do enough chores to keep our house from looking like a pigsty. Then there is homework, playtime, baths, and stories… and somewhere in the middle of all of that, we all need to be fed. Cooking homemade meals for my family is something that is really important to me, but it can be challenging with so many other things going on. I have started relying on 30-minute meals to help get homemade dinners on the table, without losing my mind 🙂 One of my newest favorite 30-minute meals is pork carnitas street tacos!
Packing Tons of Flavor in 30-Minutes
My pork carnitas street tacos are unbelievably flavorful, especially considering they can be prepared in only 30 minutes. They are also a really inexpensive dinner, with this recipe feeding about 4 people for about $3 per serving.
My secret to making these pork carnitas street tacos so flavorful is by using Smithfield Marinated Boneless Pork Shoulder Seasoned Carnitas. By using Smithfield® Marinated Fresh Pork, I get the benefit of marinated 100% pork, without having to invest a ton of time prepping.
How to make Pork Carnitas Street Tacos
First, you start by cooking Smithfield Marinated Boneless Pork Shoulder Seasoned Carnitas. Open the packet, and cut down any large pieces of pork, to expedite the cooking process. Add a little bit of olive oil to a large pan and turn the heat up to medium-high. Place pork pieces into the pan, and sear on all sides. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and continue cooking until internal temperature reaches 150 degrees, about 20 – 25 minutes, depending on the sizes of your carnitas.
Meanwhile, create your homemade chimichurri sauce by blending fresh cilantro, parsley, olive oil, vinegar, garlic and a little bit of salt.
Once your chimichurri sauce is made, dice up red cabbage and fresh jalapenos.
I personally like to saute the jalapenos in a little olive oil to calm the heat a bit, and give them a little softness to contrast with the crunch of the cabbage. It also flavors the olive oil for the next step.
The corn tortillas are very lightly fried in the residual olive oil from the jalapenos, making them pliable, while imparting some richness from the olive oil and a little bit of spice from the jalapenos.
Fry the corn tortillas, one at a time, until pliable, but not yet crunchy (about 20 – 30 seconds a side).
Assembling the Pork Carnitas Street Tacos
This is the easy part! Double-stack your corn tortillas, because they’re amazing this way. Trust me.
Add in a generous serving of cooked Smithfield Marinated Boneless Pork Shoulder Seasoned Carnitas:
Generously sprinkle on shredded red cabbage:
Then add on a few of those sauteed jalapenos (isn’t the color contrast gorgeous?):
And spoon on as much of the chimichurri sauce as you like!
Finally, grab a taco, pinching the sides together, and sink your teeth into the amazing flavor. Enjoy the few moments of peace and quiet while everyone at your table has a mouth-full of food!
These make Amaaazing Leftovers
If (and that is a big if) there are leftovers, these make a fantastic salad for lunch the next day! I grabbed a large mason jar, added some Italian dressing to the bottom, piled in Smithfield Marinated Boneless Pork Shoulder Seasoned Carnitas, some corn kernals, black beans, leftover jalapenos, and the leftover shredded red cabbage. I brought the mason jar salad to work with me, and when I was ready for lunch, I shook the mason jar until all of the ingredients were distributed evenly.
OMG, what a yummy, easy, and inexpensive lunch for the win!
Pork Carnitas Street Tacos | A 30-Minute Meal
Ingredients
- 2 - 3 lbs Smithfield Marinated Boneless Pork Shoulder Seasoned Carnitas
- 4 tbsp olive oil divided
- 1 cup red cabbage
- 2 - 3 jalapenos
- 16 corn tortillas
Chimichurri Sauce
- 1 cup fresh parsley
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 3 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp salt
Instructions
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Warm 1 tbsp of olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add in carnitas and sear on all sides. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and continue cooking until internal temperature reaches 150 degrees, about 20 - 25 minutes.
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Meanwhile, shred red cabbage, and set aside. Slice jalapenos into thin pieces. Warm 1 tbsp of olive oil in another pan over medium heat, and saute jalapenos until starting to soften and brown. Set jalapenos aside.
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In the same pan the jalapenos were sauteed in, lightly fry corn tortillas, one at a time, until pliable (not crispy). This takes about 20-30 seconds per side, per tortilla. Add more olive oil as needed.
Chimichurri Sauce
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Combine all chimichurri sauce ingredients in a blender, and blend until smooth.
To Assemble
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Layer two corn tortillas together, then top with carnitas, followed by red cabbage, jalapenos and then drizzle with chimichurri sauce. And enjoy!
Real Flavor Real Fast at Walmart
Be sure to check out the other NEW Smithfield® Marinated Fresh Pork options at Walmart. They make flavorful weekday meals easy!
- Smithfield Marinated Sweet & Smoky Pork Roast
- Smithfield Marinated Homestyle Pork Roast
- Smithfield Marinated Boneless Pork Shoulder Seasoned Carnitas
You can pick them up at your local Walmart, or, better yet, order them through Walmart’s online grocery pick-up! It is a tremendous time saver for working parents!
Grab your Coupon!
Save money on these tasty pork carnitas street tacos by grabbing a $1 off Ibotta coupon:
So, grab your coupon, head to Walmart, and get the ingredients for these pork carnitas street tacos. Try them out, then come back and tell me how much your family loves them 🙂
Having lived for many years in the Southwest, I grew to love carnitas and most any other Mexican food. This looks super easy and super yummy.
I am into baked tacos which is hard to prepare. but surely this one is a taco that I will enjoy too this weekend.
This sounds delicious! Thank you for the recipe!
Those street tacos look amazing! It’s always so good when parents have several options for healthy and quick meals for their children.
I love anything that’s natural. I like that it’s plant based too. I’ve never heard of this but I love trying new products!
Oh! The way to my heart is definitely through tacos! This looks beautiful!
Omg can we say yum?!?! I just love pork cantinas! I will definitely be giving your recipe a try
This looks amazing I need to try to do it soon!! At home they are going to love it
I love tacos ! This one is one of a kind and different. I wonder how chimichuri will enhance the taste. Surely delicious
It’s nice to have a plan for a good meal that doesn’t take too awful long to make. Especially true this time of year with sports.
I love cooking delicious and filling meals for my family! I am going to have to give it a try, especially since it is less than 30 minutews!!
Like you, it’s important to me to cook homemade meals for my family. We love Mexican dishes, so I’m excited to try your 30 minute recipe.
OMG! I’m craving!! This is really looks so yummy and delicious. I really love this post.
This tacos recipe is very different from the tacos I have tried at home. It so easy to prepare yet looks very delicious. Perfect for a working Mom like me.
This looks easy enough and delicious too. Going to give it a try this weekend.
Yum! The final result is hard to resist. Love how this is a great alternative for those who love street tacos. Anything you make at home means you know what’s in it 😉
I so enjoy Pork Carnitas – didn’t know there was a seasoned package to purchase. And of course, I was already tasting the soft corn tortillas with it before I read on – I am so glad you gave us the recipe and especially for the chimichurri sauce – thank you
This looks really good and I love tacos! I can’t remember the last time that I made some tacos. It is time-consuming. I will definitely try this Smithfield Marinated Boneless Pork Shoulder Seasoned Carnitas.
It looks so appetizing! I like easy recipes like this especially since I tend to have busy days wherein I have no time to cook a meal for the family. This is a great idea!
These look so amazing! I love tacos.
These look delicious! I definitely got really into the taco trend a couple years back and I’d love to try making some at home!
We love tacos here. These are a new twist that my family would enjoy.
I totally hear you about the crazy afternoons…they always seem to arrive so quickly and then fly by. These 30-minute carnitas tacos totally need to appear in our kitchen for dinner soon. And that chimichurri sauce…yum! Thanks for sharing! #client
I love easy peasy meals like this for busy weeknights. I can’t wait to make this.