Mexican-type foods are often my go-to for busy weeknights — mainly because they can almost always be made ahead of time and either reheated in a slow cooker or baked in the oven.
Plus, our family LOVES chips, salsa, guacamole, sour cream, and all other “toppings”.
I’ve had fun cooking my own tortillas lately, so in an effort to use them up, I’ve been making lots of quesadillas and enchiladas these past couple months. 🙂
The first time I made this recipe, I used canned green chilis, but was then told to try canned chipotle peppers in adobe. I was initially a little nervous because our kids aren’t big on lots of “spice” in their foods.
However, I was pleasantly surprised how much of the spice was gone after cooking the meat for several hours. All that was left was amazingly flavorful pork that is absolutely PERFECT for enchiladas — or any other Mexican-style meal you want to throw together (Dave and I love this pork on loaded nachos too).
If you’re looking for a fantastic make ahead freezer meal to add to your weekly meal plans, give these Chipotle Pulled Pork Enchiladas a try.
Chipotle Pulled Pork Enchiladas
If you’re looking for a fantastic make-ahead freezer meal to add to your weekly meal plans, give these Chipotle Pulled Pork Enchiladas a try!
Ingredients
For the Meat
- 1 pork roast or loin (2-3 pounds)
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 T. chili powder
- 1 t. cumin
- 1 t. salt
- 1/2 t. pepper
- 4-6 chipotle peppers in adobo (from a can), minced
- 2 c. broth or water
- 3-4 c. cheese, divided
- 20 tortillas
For the Sauce
- 1 can (10 oz.) green enchilada sauce
- 1/4 c. milk
- 1/4 c. broth or water (or liquid from the pork cooking)
- 2 T. fresh cilantro
Instructions
- Put pork roast in a large slow cooker
- In a small bowl, mix garlic, chipotle pepper, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper. Rub/spread mixture on all size of pork (I used a rubber spatula).
- Add broth or water to the bottom of slow cooker (try not to wash the seasoning off the meat).
- Cover and cook on low for 5-8 hours depending on the size of your roast.
- Drain most of the liquid off the meat (reserve for later) and shred meat with 2 forks. Add some liquid back if meat seems dry. Taste and re-season with additional salt and pepper.
- Place a few Tablespoons of shredded meat down the center of a tortillas, top with shredded cheese, and roll up.
- Place tortillas into a greased pan OR into a freezer bag for later.
FOR THE SAUCE:
- Mix enchilada sauce, milk, broth, and cilantro in a small bowl
- Set aside until you’re ready to bake the enchiladas (can be refrigerated for a few days or frozen for later).
**I usually only bake a half batch of enchiladas at a time so I freeze half the sauce until later.
TO BAKE:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9″ x 13″ dish. Spread about 1/2 cup of the sauce in the bottom of the dish.
- Place rolled-up enchiladas in pan and pour remaining sauce over top.
- Sprinkle with additional cheese.
- Bake (covered with foil) for 20-25 minutes. Remove foil and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes, or until cheese is golden and bubbly.
Notes
We love serving these enchiladas with any (or all) of the following!
- chips and salsa
- guacamole
- corn, tomato, avocado salad
- lettuce salad
- sour cream, diced onions, or any of your favorite toppings.
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Nutrition Information
Yield
20Serving Size
1 enchiladaAmount Per Serving Calories 344Total Fat 27gSaturated Fat 15gTrans Fat 1gUnsaturated Fat 9gCholesterol 81mgSodium 679mgCarbohydrates 6gFiber 0gSugar 1gProtein 20g
Nutrition information does not include additional toppings.
I thought I had more pictures of making and shredding the meat, but I can’t find them on my phone or computer — and I made SO much meat this last time that I won’t be making it again for a while!
That said, the meat is so ridiculously simple to make, you can probably manage just fine without step-by-step photos. Just rub the spice mixture on all surfaces of the meat, pour in the broth, and let it cook for several hours! Your house will smell amazing!
Also, the chipotle peppers in adobe are CRAZY SPICY! You will want to wash your hands and cutting board immediately after touching them. However, as I mentioned above, they really do NOT make your meat crazy spicy — they just add great flavor.
My kids don’t like anything even remotely spicy and they LOVE these enchiladas!
Side Dish Suggestions
- chips and salsa
- guacamole
- corn, tomato, avocado salad
- lettuce salad
- sour cream, diced onions, or any of your favorite toppings.
Of course, if you just want to make the meat mixture, there are so many other ways you can serve it — on a salad, on buns, on nachos, in quesadillas, etc. etc.
It’s such a fun twist on traditional pulled pork and a nice change of pace from “more boring” beef or chicken enchiladas.
Our family loves this meal… and I hope yours does too!
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Anda says
I made these! They are on regular rotation. I love that I can make the pulled pork one night and serve it Chipotle style with rice, salsa, cheese, sour cream and guac. The second night the pork gets turned into enchiladas.
Andrea says
yay — good to know they worked for you!
Chris says
I saved this recipe from the day you posted it and made it this weekend. I also made homemade fried peach pies. My husband said the meal and the dessert might have been the best meal I’ve ever made (and we’ve been married over 30 years!). So this was a winner! 🙂
Andrea says
oh yay — this makes me SO happy!
Yes, our whole family LOVES these enchiladas! And I love that they can be made in advance and just popped in the oven.
Also, “Fried Peach Pie” sounds AMAZING!!!
Sandy VanderLaan says
I’d be concerned about the heat factor too with the Chipotle in Adobo component so appreciate your feedback on that. Any clue as to why the ‘heat’ doesn’t linger after cooking? Also, can you share what brand (Chipotle in Adobo) you used, if you remember? I’ve been wanting a pulled pork recipe for Mexican dishes (we eat a ton of it too!) for a change of pace/flavor but so far haven’t found a recipe that isn’t a ton of work. I think I’ll be giving these a try. Thanks!
Diana says
I have been using this recipe which uses a pork shoulder (Boston butt): https://dontwastethecrumbs.com/2017/01/best-slow-cooker-carnitas/ (Hope it’s okay to link this here, Andrea!) There are quite a few spices but after you add those in, the crockpot does the rest of the work. It’s great on corn tortillas especially
I am really looking forward to trying this variation, Andrea! I’ve been using the one above, but the chipotles in adobo will be a nice change of pace from that one. I’m actually going to try it with beef this week, because that’s what’s on sale, but I definitely want to try pork loin too. I have had a hard time with the flavor of pork loin in most recipes, but this might cover up the porky taste I don’t like 🙂
Andrea says
Thanks for the recipe link Diana! I’m sure it will taste delicious with beef too!
Andrea says
yeah, I was pretty nervous adding so many of these SUPER spice peppers — but our kids gobble it up, and it truly isn’t that spicy!
The brand I used was from Aldi (Pueblo Lindo)
Hope this helps!
Melissa says
Thank you for this recipe! I was needing to change up my enchiladas. Plus this will be the perfect entree for when I make meals for others.
The best part of all of this…I completely trust your recipes. Thank you for putting reliable recipe content out there!
Renae Vander Kolk says
This looks delicious!! A good way to use the pork in my freezer this week. Have you ever tried the Frontera brand green enchilada sauce? It’s a game-changer!!
Melissa says
I love Rick Bayless and his Frontera brand is amazing!
Andrea says
nope, I’ve never tried that brand — maybe I’ll need to look for it next time!