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Crisp Pulled Pork Tacos are an irresistibly delicious way to change up your average taco night.
With crunchy taco shells and plenty of cheese on top, this taco recipe is one of our favorite ways to use leftover pulled pork.
Leftover Pulled Pork Tacos
Taco shells are beyond handy to have in the pantry for quick and easy dinners. You can stuff them with almost anything and have an easy dinner in a crunchy “wrap” in minutes.
We love to make our tacos with everything from The Best Taco Meat to leftover Grilled Chicken or Shredded Chicken, Carnitas (street taco style), and all of the different Pulled Pork varieties.
Just about any leftover works when it’s held in a crispy taco. And yes, my kids have tried stuffing taco shells with almost everything.
Leftover Pulled Pork
Pulled pork is my go-to main dish for so many reasons: it can be made in the crockpot, it easily feeds a crowd, it makes spectacular leftovers, it can be used in countless ways!
Classic Sweet and Tangy Pulled Pork, Mexican Pulled Pork, Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas, Crock-Pot Green Chile Pork, and Spicy Honey Lime Pork are all great options here.
We love pulled pork in traditional Pulled Pork Sandwiches with a side of Garlic Lover’s Potato Salad as well as rolled into Enchiladas and Taquitos for a Mexican Meal that feeds a crowd.
I’ve also been known to toss pulled pork in taco salad and serve it with potatoes or rice.
To make meal prep easier, I often find myself making a big batch of pulled pork in the slow cooker over the weekend and using it in meals throughout the week. A few years ago, I started piling leftover pulled pork on our nachos.
Almost immediately, my kids started constantly requesting Pulled Pork Nachos or Pulled Pork Tater Tot Nachos for lunch whenever they spotted pulled pork in the fridge.
The other day, when I was starting to make lunch, my eye fell on the boxes of taco shells in the pantry. Since the leftover pulled pork nachos had been such a hit, I couldn’t resist trying out an idea for pulled pork tacos.
And let me tell you, these Pulled Pork Tacos are a great idea. Using the leftover pork and ready made taco shells means it takes just a few minutes to whip together this meal.
If you’re in a rush and don’t have any leftover pulled pork in the fridge, this recipe works just fine with ready-made pulled pork from the store as well. Look for it in the deli section of your favorite grocery store.
(Do you have an instant pot? This Instant Pot Pulled Pork Recipe looks like another fantastic way to save time!)
As much as I love cooking from scratch, I’m all about using ready-made ingredients as short cuts when you need a quick meal. Using these ready-to-go ingredients like barbecue sauce, pulled pork and taco shells sometimes means the difference between serving a hot homemade meal or calling for takeout on a busy night.
Pulled Pork Taco Recipe
I covered the pulled pork leftovers in a cup of one of our favorite Sweet and Spicy Homemade Barbecue sauces. It added just the right amount of spice to the dish without being overwhelming. We thought the hint of sweetness also balanced out the smoky savory pork nicely, too.
I already had the homemade sauce on hand from another recent meal, but it’s worth making just for this recipe alone, if you have the time. You could also use your favorite bottled barbecue sauce or another barbecue sauce recipe you love.
Next I might try this taco recipe with Homemade Spicy Barbecue Sauce or Sriracha Bourbon Barbecue Sauce for something different.
After stuffing your taco shells you simply bake the tacos in the oven for about 10 minutes. The cheese gets melty and the taco shells get crisped to perfection.
I served the tacos for lunch with a heaping side of Classic Memphis-Style Coleslaw for a complete easy meal that everyone went crazy for. It would also be good with Jalapeno Corn Coleslaw or this Sriracha Coleslaw.
Recipes Using Leftover Pulled Pork
Looking for even more taco recipes? We go nuts for tacos in my house and have amassed quite the impressive list of delicious, easy homemade taco meals over the years.
Red Chile Chicken and Black Bean Tacos pack in lots of chile taste with tender pieces of chicken and black beans. Carnitas Street Tacos are a more traditional Mexican dish using pulled pork that kept everyone in my family coming back for seconds (and thirds).
For something a little different than the standard “meat and cheese in a tortilla”, give Frito Pie (a.k.a. Walking Tacos) a try at your next casual family dinner. All of your favorite go-to taco fillings are covered with Fritos and cheese, and eaten with a fork.
If you’re a fan of the combination of barbecue and Mexican flavors, Rebecca’s Neato Frito Overstuffed Burritos need to be on your radar. These are pulled pork burritos with lots of cheese and Fritos to boot. They’re a fun filling meal that both kids and adults love.
{originally published 8/25/15 – recipe notes and photos updated 6/7/22}
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