Loaded Healthy Carnitas Bowl

This delicious carnitas bowl is slow braised and mixed with roasted sweet potatoes, peppers, onions, and black beans. A well balanced, filling meal for any day of the week! One of the best things about making a batch of my Dutch oven carnitas, is leftovers! The first day I make them, we always eat them as tacos. On subsequent days, I usually add a portion to a salad or atop a bowl. Today I’ll be sharing how to turn your healthified carnitas into this warm and delicious bowl. Packed with fiber, protein and healthy fats, this bowl tastes as good as it is good for you.

Ingredients

• Slow Braised Dutch Oven Carnitas
• Roasted Diced Sweet Potatoes
• Roasted Peppers & Onions
• Black Beans (canned or homemade)
• Garnishes – sliced radishes, jalapenos, sour cream, pico de gallo, avocado

How to make Your carnitas bowl

If you haven’t already, you need to make a batch of my Dutch oven carnitas. Once you have those in hand, you’re half way done! Next you have to roast your sweet potatoes, peppers and onions. Start by tossing each with some olive oil, salt and pepper and about 1 teaspoon each chili powder, cumin and paprika. Roast the diced sweet potatoes in a 400 degree oven for about 20-25 minutes, till fork tender. Place your sweet potatoes in a bowl and set aside. Now roast your peppers and onions together in the same 400 degree oven, for about 10 minutes. While those are roasting, heat your canned beans on the stovetop of microwave. Now it’s time to assemble!  Begin with your beans then layer in your potatoes, onions and peppers, and top with carnitas! Add your garnishes last. Your options for toppings are endless! You can vary them based off dietary needs, or of course taste preferences. I love the many layers of warm fillings, then topping with a bunch of fresh ones like greens, onions, radishes and cilantro. You can do grated cheese or sour cream, and of course adding salsa makes it just all the more better.

Does this taste like the Chipotle Carnitas Bowl?

This is reminiscent of the Chipotle carnitas bowl, but I’ve added nutrient dense sweet potatoes. This version though, is a lot more simple in the flavor profile. People have a love hate relationship with Chipotle, and the ones in the hate category Chipotle tend to say it’s the spices they don’t care for. I can definitely see that! They go very heavy on the cumin. I only use a couple teaspoons here, which is just enough to give the veggies a more distinct flavor. Of course you can scale the spices back or ramp them up if you’d like it to taste more or less like the Chipotle carnitas bowl.

Storing and Reheating leftovers

If you have enough for leftovers, I applaud your restraint ha! Go ahead and store the beans, potatoes, onions and peppers together in a heat proof dish. Make sure to store your garnishes separately. To reheat, add all the ingredients to a bowl, with the exclusion of the garnishes, and reheat in a microwave for 1-2 minutes. Then add your fresh garnishes. Leftovers can be safely stored in the fridge for 3-5 days.

Other pork recipes To try

• One Pan Pork Tenderloin Medallions with Sweet Potatoes & Apples
• Garlic Parmesan Pork Chops
• Braised Asian Pulled Pork

Carnitas Bowl