Healthy [Whole30 Approved] Pork Carnitas Bowls
Stephanie Ralya
These bowls are filled with Pork Carnitas, Cilantro Lime Caulirice, Smoky Sweet Potato Bites & topped with all the best extras. They're the perfect meal to satisfy your Take-Out craving without loading up on processed carbs & sneaky sugars.
Prep Time 10 minutes mins
Cook Time 4 hours hrs
Total Time 4 hours hrs 10 minutes mins
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American, Mexican
Carnitas:
- 1 T Oregano dried
- 2 t Cumin ground
- 1 T Olive Oil
- 2 lbs Pork Tenderloin or Loin
- 1 Small Onion white or yellow, chopped
- 3 cloves Garlic minced or 3 t Preminced
- 1 Jalapeño deseed for less spice & dice
- 2 t Salt
- 1 Lime juiced
- 1 Orange juiced
Cilantro Lime Caulirice:
- 1 T Olive Oil
- 5 cloves Garlic minced (or 1.5 T preminced)
- 2 24 oz bags Riced Cauliflower frozen
- 2 Limes halved
- ½ bunch of Cilantro finely chopped
Smoky Sweet Potato Bites:
- 2 lbs Sweet Potatoes
- 1.5 T Olive Oil
- ¼ t Cinnamon
- ½ t Sea Salt
- 1 t Chili Powder
- 1 t Smoked Paprika
- ½ t Chipotle Powder
Toppings: (all optional)
- 1 Red Onion finely diced
- Chopped Cilantro remaining ½ bunch
- 1-2 Limes cut into wedges
- 1-2 Jalapenos thinly sliced
- Avocado or Guacamole
- Salsa Verde read labels for Whole30
To make the carnitas:
Pat pork tenderloin dry with paper towels. Mix rub ingredients together & rub all over tenderloin. Place in your Crockpot. Top with remaining ingredients & cover. Cook on high for 4-6 hours or low for 6-8 hours.
Remove the tenderloin from the Crockpot and shred the meat with two forks. Add back to cooking juices to keep moist.
To make the caulirice:
in a large skillet, heat oil over medium high heat. Reduce heat, add minced garlic & saute 30 seconds. Add frozen cauliflower rice to skillet & stir to combine with the oil & garlic. Bring heat back up to medium-high. Continue cooking until the extra moisture is evaporated, caulirice is warm throughout, & it starts to brown slightly (10-15 minutes). Remove from heat & allow to cool. Juice limes into rice. Add chopped cilantro & stir to combine the flavors. (If rice is too hot, the cilantro will brown but still taste fine.) Season with salt & pepper to taste.
Serve with toppings as desired & enjoy!
- Consider using this Vegetable Chopper to make this recipe easier. It saves time & helps the potatoes cook evenly.
- This recipe is adapted from 40aprons.com’s Crockpot Carnitas from Pork Tenderloin. It will make more pork than you will probably use. Consider freezing the leftovers or repurposing for other recipes (tacos, nachos, enchiladas, etc).
Keyword bowl, easy, healthy, kid-friendly, meal-prep, spicy, whole30