Easy Pork Enchiladas with Green Sauce are Perfect for a Weeknight Dinner
These Easy Pork Enchiladas with Green Sauce are fantastic for a weeknight dinner. With 3 options for the pork, this dish can be as easy as you want it to be. I prefer to slow cook the pork personally since it can cook during the day while I’m at work and be ready to shred and roll into enchiladas as soon as I get home. Rolling the enchiladas is also super easy and quick. Some recipes dip the tortillas in sauce, but I find that unnecessary, especially since the tortillas are easier to roll dry. And finally, the baking time for the enchiladas give you time to prepare rice and refried beans so that your whole dinner is ready at the same time. All in all, this is a great, easy meal!
Three Easy Ways to Make Pork
The easiest way to make the pork for these enchiladas is to use store bought or leftover pulled pork. These would be delicious with leftovers of my Smoked Boston Butt or any smoked pork that you have. Or if you’ve recently made or bought carnitas, that would also go great.
Speaking of carnitas, that’s what I based the homemade pork in this recipe on. Onions, cumin, garlic, and chili powder make a great base. While not exactly authentic, these ingredients are likely already in your pantry, so can be quickly deployed to the slow cooker in the morning. If you happen to have a can of chipotle peppers in adobo, you could dice one pepper up and put that into the mix too for an even deeper flavor.
You’ll notice in the ingredients list that I call for the pork roast to be cut into 6-8 large cubes. This has two benefits. First, it makes the pork super easy to shred on a plate. No post-cook cutting required. The second benefit is that if you’re pressure cooking the pork, it’s guaranteed to finish in the suggested cook time. I’ve found that sometimes a whole pork loin won’t cook evenly in the pressure cooker, or won’t cook to a high enough temperature to be easily shredded. As long as you’ve cut your pork into cubes, you shouldn’t have an issue.
Pressure cooking is a great option for this meal if you don’t have time to start the slow cooker in the morning, but do have 50 minutes to spare in the afternoon. Or if you don’t have a slow cooker but do have a pressure cooker. Most electric pressure cookers have a keep warm function that lasts for many hours, meaning you can throw the pork in at any time and have it ready for dinner.
Smoked Tomatillo Enchilada Sauce Gives a Deep Flavor
The Smoked Tomatillo Enchilada Sauce in this recipe is a personal favorite of mine. I’ve been growing tomatillos in my garden for years, and at the end of every harvest I make large batches to can and store for the next year. Tomatillos have such a unique flavor, and smoking them only deepens it. Spicy peppers also add a little heat to the sauce. This sauce pairs wonderfully with pork in this enchilada recipe.
Alternative Enchilada Preparations
In the mood for enchiladas but don’t want to spend time rolling tortillas? Or maybe have small corn tortillas instead of flour? Well you’re in luck. Check out my Chicken Green Enchilada Casserole Recipe and just substitute the chicken with your pork. It will be delicious and can be served the same way you would this recipe. And even better, you’ll save some calories by using fewer tortillas.
How to Serve Easy Pork Enchiladas with Green Sauce
These Easy Pork Enchiladas with Green Sauce go great with my Turmeric Yellow Basmati Rice. Refried beans are another fantastic side dish, and I recommend adding some shredded cheese on top for a restaurant-worthy experience. Finally, I like to add diced tomato, diced onion, and chopped cilantro on top of my enchiladas for a little burst of fresh flavors. So try my Easy Pork Enchiladas with Green Sauce today!
Easy Pork Enchiladas with Green Sauce
Ingredients
For Store Bought or Leftover Pork
- 2-3 lbs Leftover or store bought pulled pork
For Homemade Pork
- 2-3 lbs Pork loin roast, cut into 6-8 large cubes
- 1 cup Water
- 1 tsp Chicken bouillon
- 1 medium Onion, diced
- 2 tbsp Minced garlic
- 2 tsp Ground cumin
- 1 tsp Black pepper
- 1 tsp Chili powder
- 1 tsp Kosher salt
For the Enchiladas
- 8 Flour tortillas
- 32 oz Smoked tomatillo enchilada sauce Or store bought green sauce
- 2 cups Mexican blend cheese
- Chopped cilantro for serving
Instructions
To Slow Cook the Pork
- Combine all ingredients in a slow cooker and slow cook on high for 4 hours, or low for 6-8 hours.
- When the cook time is finished, remove the pork from the slow cooker and shred on a plate with 2 forks. Return to the slow cooker to mix it into the cooking juices and diced onion.
To Pressure Cook the Pork
- Combine all ingredients in the pressure cooker and cook on high pressure for 40 minutes with 10 minutes of natural pressure release.
- When the cook time is finished, remove the pork from the pressure cooker and shred on a plate with 2 forks. Return to the slow cooker to mix it into the cooking juices and diced onion.
To Make the Enchiladas
- Preheat the oven to 400F and grease a 9×13 baking pan. Pour about a half cup of the green sauce over the bottom of the pan.
- Wrap the tortillas in a damp paper towel and microwave for 30 seconds until they are pliable.
- On a plate or cutting board, put down a tortilla. Sprinkle 1 tbsp of cheese down the middle of the tortilla.
- Use a slotted spoon to put a layer of pork over the cheese, including some of the diced onions and juices if using homemade pork. Wrap the tortilla around the filling and place seam side down in the greased baking pan. Repeat until all of the tortillas are used.
- Spread any remaining pork around the edges of the pan.
- Pour green enchilada sauce over the entire pan and cover with the rest of the cheese.
- Bake for 20-30 minutes, until the sauce is bubbly and the cheese is fully melted and a little browned.
- Serve with rice and refried beans.