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The Schmidty Wife

The Schmidty Wife

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  • About
  • Fan Favorites
  • Shop
  • Contact
  • All Recipes
  • Weeknight Dinners
    • 30 Minutes or Less
    • Skillet
    • Casserole
    • Sheet Pan
    • Main Dish
    • Crockpot
  • Browse By Type
    • Pasta
    • Mexican
    • Asian
    • Fun Foods
    • Leftovers
    • Tacos

Family Friendly Green Chicken Enchiladas

September 27, 2021 by Lauren Schmidt Leave a Comment

This Green Chicken Enchilada Recipe is sure to please the whole family! This green sauce stars tomatillos lending to a savory but not spicy green enchilada that is sure to please everyone when mixed with corn tortillas, chicken, fresh corn, and cheese!

This post may contain Affiliate Links.

Overhead view of green chicken enchiladas in a white baking dish, topped with melty cheese, sour cream, and cilantro.

Chicken Enchiladas with Green Sauce

These Green Chicken Enchiladas were somewhat developed by accident, I had a ton of corn tortillas left from another recipe as well as a bunch of shredded chicken in the freezer that needed to be used…

So since I already have my Leftover Chicken Enchilada Recipe with my Homemade Enchilada Sauce I wanted to go in a slightly different direction and give green enchiladas a try.

I had two goals with these green chicken enchiladas, I wanted a good but easy homemade sauce and I wanted to make sure this recipe wan’t spicy so that my kids would eat it.

So I developed this green sauce using simple ingredients with the start being canned tomatillos. Using whole canned tomatillos the sauce pretty much makes itself. Adding tender onions and garlic along with salt and cilantro made an instant delicious green sauce perfect for enchiladas.

Quickly putting some filling together with the chicken this green chicken enchilada recipe was born.

A white baking dish filled with baked green chicken enchiladas topped with melty cheese, sour cream, and cilantro.

Ingredients

  • Canned Whole Tomatillos – Tomatillos also know as the Mexican Husk Tomato are part of the night shade family. You usually will recognize them as the green looking tomatoes that have the paper lantern looking thing on it. While you can find them fresh in season at some grocery stores we are streamlining this recipe by using a large can of whole tomatillos! Just open the can, drain, and you are ready to use them. Plus finding a can of tomatillos should prove easier to find than the fresh vegetable, or at least depending where you live. (P.S. If you are having trouble finding it check the Hispanic section of the grocery)
  • Onion – To add more flavor and substance to the sauce we will use an onion. In this recipe to make a smoother and less bitter sauce we will sauté the onion with garlic and oil for just a few minutes to soften and sweeten the onion slightly.
  • Garlic Cloves – My advice to make this easy is go grab a couple of garlic cloves and just smash them and trow them in with the onions while cooking, again just to take the bite out. They will be blended up so no need to fully mince them.
  • Oil – I like to use olive oil because of the flavor but the amount in the recipe is pretty small so feel free to use any neutral flavored oil you have on hand.
  • Cilantro – This is a green enchilada recipe after all so of course we have to throw some cilantro into the mix. I don’t use too much because I din’t want the cilantro to be overpowering but feel free to add some fresh cilantro to the top after cooking if you like cilantro!
  • Kosher Salt – If you are using table salt make sure you reduce the amount by half. Feel free to taste the sauce before adding to the enchiladas to see if you need to add more or not.
  • Corn Tortillas – I opted to go with corn tortillas for this recipe for a couple of reasons. First off corn tortillas are the traditional choice for Mexican Enchiladas. Second I also think they taste better in an enchilada than flour tortillas. Third corn tortillas are quite a bit lighter (aka healthier) than their flour counterparts. I think you call that a win, win, win.
  • Shredded Chicken – In this recipe we take advantage of using precooked shredded chicken. You can get this chicken from anywhere you want you may make it yourself specifically for this recipe, you can use leftovers from another dish, you can use rotisserie chicken, you can use chicken you have cooked and froze. Your choice!
  • Corn on the Cob OR Corn Kernels – If it happens to be corn season you should just grab a corn on the cob for some good fresh corn BUT fresh corn can be hard to find when it isn’t in season so I recommend subbing out 3/4 cup of frozen corn kernels that have been thawed!
  • Monterey Jack Cheese – I went with this nice delicious cheese because it melts so amazing. I recommend buying a block of Monterey Jack and shredding it yourself if you can, that way you won’t have any extra anti-caking chemicals and it will melt better!

For a complete detailed list of the ingredients continue towards the bottom of the page.

Ingredients needed to make green chicken enchiladas laid out on a counter top, including tomatillos and shredded chicken.

Instructions

Start by preheating the oven to 375º F. Lightly grease a 9×13 or similar size baking dish. 

In a small skillet over medium-high heat add the oil, onion, and garlic. Saute 3 to 4 minutes until the onions have softened. Remove from heat. 

In a food processor/blender add the cooked onion mixture, drained tomatillos, cilantro, and salt. Blend until a smooth sauce forms. 

Making the green sauce for green chicken enchiladas showing the ingredients in the bender and then blended up.

Peel the corn on the cob and carefully cut off all the kernels with a sharp knife. Add the corn kernels to a large bowl along with the chicken, ½ cup of the montery jack cheese, and ½ cup of the green sauce. Mix together to combine. 

Collage showing a bowl of the ingredients for the filling of green chicken enchiladas and the filling mixed together.

Next you will want to decide how you are going to warm your tortillas. Corn tortillas will tend to fall apart if they aren’t warmed up before being used. For best results heat tortillas one at a time on an ungreased skillet over medium-high heat for 10-15 seconds on each side (this is what I prefer). You may also microwave the tortillas by placing 4 to 6 tortillas between two damp paper towels. Microwave 30 to 45 seconds or until warm. Whatever way you use keep the tortillas wrapped in a clean towel until it is time to use to keep warm until you are ready to use them.

Add a scoop to a warm tortilla, carefull roll up, and place seam side down in the baking dish. Repeat until all the filling as been added to the tortillas and the tortillas have been aranged next to each other in the baking dish.

A collage of greased baking pan and a hand showing a corn tortilla with chicken filling.
Wrapped tortillas in a collage as they fill up a baking dish.

Cover with the remaining sauce, spreading out if needed with a spatula. Transfer to the oven and bake for 25 minutes. 

Collage showing green sauce being poured onto filled tortillas and then spread around.

Cover the dish with the remaining cheese. Turn the heat in the oven up to 425º F and cook the enchiladas another 8 to 10 minutes until the cheese is golden brown. Serve hot with more cilantro and sour cream to garnish.

Tips, Tricks, and Questions

Need to make some chicken to shred? Try one of these to methods:

Pressure Cooker: Add 2 cups of chicken broth with 3 chicken breasts and a pinch of salt to the pot. Seal lid and steam vent. Cook on pressure cook for 8 minutes. Quick release. Remove the chicken and shred.

Oven: Add 3 chicken breast to a greased baking dish. Add 1 cup of chicken broth and sprinkle chicken with salt. Bake at 350º F for 35 to 40 minutes or until the inside temperature reaches 165º F. Shred chicken to use.

Are Green Chicken Enchiladas healthy?

I guess it mostly depends on who you ask BUT this recipe doesn’t use sugar and is full of protein. And while it is covered in cheese it is going to be a better option than ordering takeout!

Is this spicy? If not can I make it spicy?

This Green Chicken Enchilada Recipe is NOT spicy. Like stated above I wanted this to be one that the whole family including my spice hating 6 year old would love.

If you want to add more spice it is easy, add some green chilies or jalapeños to the sauce. You can grab canned or fresh and just blend it up with the tomatillos!

What is a good side dish for enchiladas?

I love making a side of Mexican Rice or Instant Pot Refried Beans (Or Slow Cooker Refried Beans).

Overhead close up view of baked green chicken enchiladas topped with melted cheese, sour cream, and cilantro.

If you like My Green Chicken Enchiladas you might also like:

  • Mexican Street Corn Dip
  • Skillet Chicken Fajitas
  • Slow Cooker Black Bean Tortilla Soup Recipe
  • Easy Chicken Tacos
  • Hibiscus Margarita
  • Slow Cooker Barbacoa
  • Crockpot Carnitas
  • Homemade Taco Seasoning
Yield: 4 servings

Green Chicken Enchiladas

Overhead view of green chicken enchiladas in a white baking dish, topped with melty cheese, sour cream, and cilantro.

These Green Chicken Enchiladas start with a green sauce that stars tomatillos lending to a savory but not spicy green enchilada that is sure to please everyone when mixed with corn tortillas, chicken, fresh corn, and cheese!

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 36 minutes
Total Time 51 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 28-ounce can whole tomatillos, drained
  • 1 onion
  • 3 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 1 teaspoon oil
  • 1/4 cup packed cilantro
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 12 corn tortillas, warm*
  • 3 cups shredded chicken
  • 1 corn on the cob (or 3/4 cup corn kernels)
  • 2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 375º F. Lightly grease a 9x13 or similar size baking dish.
  2. In a small skillet over medium-high heat add the oil, onion, and garlic. Saute 3 to 4 minutes until the onions have softened. Remove from heat.
  3. In a food processor/blender add the cooked onion mixture, drained tomatillos, cilantro, and salt. Blend until a smooth sauce forms.
  4. Peel the corn and carefully cut off all the kernels with a sharp knife. Add the corn kernels to a large bowl along with the chicken, ½ cup of the montery jack cheese, and ½ cup of the green sauce. Mix together to combine.
  5. Add a scoop to a warm tortilla, carefull roll up, and place seam side down in the baking dish. Repeat until all the filling as been added to the tortillas and the tortillas have been aranged next to each other in the baking dish.
  6. Cover with the remaining sauce, spreading out if needed with a spatula. Transfer to the oven and bake for 25 minutes.
  7. Cover the dish with the remaining cheese. Turn the heat in the oven up to 425º F and cook the enchiladas another 8 to 10 minutes until the cheese is golden brown. Serve hot with more cilantro and sour cream to garnish.

Notes

*Corn tortillas will tend to fall apart if they aren't warmed up before being used. For best results heat tortillas one at a time on an ungreased skileet over medium-high heat for 10-15 seconds on each side. You may also microwave the by plaing 4 to 6 tortillas between two damp paper towels. Microwave 30 to 45 seconds or until warm. Whatever way you use keep the tortillas wrapped in a clean towel until it is time to use to keep warm unti you are ready to use them.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

3 enchiladas

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 649Total Fat: 30gSaturated Fat: 13gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 126mgSodium: 673mgCarbohydrates: 53gFiber: 9gSugar: 11gProtein: 47g

Nutritional data is automated, final nutritional information will depend on ingredients used and any changes made.

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment below on the blog or share a photo with me tag @the_schmidty_wife! Can't wait to see what you made!

© Lauren Schmidt
Cuisine: Mexican / Category: Main Dishes

And make sure you are following me on TikTok, Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook for all the latest recipes!

Peace & Love

Lauren, The Schmidty Wife

The BEST Mexican Recipes

May 3, 2021 by Lauren Schmidt 4 Comments

All of the best Mexican Recipes to make for your family at home. With over 50 dishes to choose from, everything from Guacamole, to Pork Carnitas, Enchiladas, Margaritas, and even Churros! With a list this big you are sure to find something you love!

This post may contain Affiliate Links.

Image with text '50+ Mexican Recipes to make at home' with photo of chicken fajitas as the background.

Mexican Dishes to Make at Home

Mexican food, everyone seems to love it right?!? So I have rounded up some of the internet’s best Mexican dishes to make!

This list is outlined according to the following:

  1. Appetizers
  2. Sauces & Spices
  3. Sides Dishes
  4. Main Dishes
  5. Drinks
  6. Desserts

Seriously everything you need for any occasion. From easy weeknight meals to dinner parties with friends this list has you covered!

Enjoy!

Mexican Dishes to Make at Home

Appetizers

Easy Mexican Street Corn Dip

Easy to make in under 15 minutes you will watch this Mexican Street Corn Dip disappear from the bowl! Made with fresh corn on the cob and five other simple ingredients this appetizer dip is truly a winner!

Fresh Restaurant Style Salsa

Fresh Restaurant Style Salsa made fresh at home with simple ingredients perfect for appetizers, snacks, and parties.

Photo Credit: flavorthemoments.com

Tomatillo Salsa Recipe

You’ll never buy green salsa from the store again after trying this easy Tomatillo Salsa recipe! It’s fresh and vibrant and includes just a few simple ingredients. There’s no cooking involved, so it comes together in just 10 minutes!

Photo Credit: www.cheaprecipeblog.com

DIY Guacamole Bar

What’s better than guacamole? Totally customizable guacamole. Your guests can make their own customized guacamole when you wet up a DIY guacamole bar.

Photo Credit: www.agoudalife.com

Cowboy Queso

Warm spicy dip loaded cheese, chorizo sausage, black beans, corn, tomatoes and cilantro. See with tortilla chips - the ultimate Mexican appetizer

Photo Credit: joyfoodsunshine.com

Easy Guacamole Recipe

This quick & easy guacamole recipe is made with a handful of healthy ingredients and is ready in 5 minutes!

Photo Credit: nourishplate.com

Easy Pineapple Salsa Recipe

This easy pineapple salsa recipe has everything you look for in a party appetizer! It's fresh, super delicious, sweet, savory and spicy at the same time. It's also vegan and gluten free.

Sauces & Spices

Simple Homemade Taco Seasoning for Perfect Tacos

Taco Tuesday just got a lot more exciting with this Simple Homemade Taco Seasoning Blend! Taco seasoning at home is easy to make using spices you probably already have in your cabinet; Chili Powder, Cumin, Paprika, Salt, Black Pepper, Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, and Oregano.

Easy Homemade Fajita Seasoning

How to make Homemade Fajita Seasoning! Easy to make at home this fajita seasoning leaves out all the preservatives found in store bought seasoning. Perfect for chicken, steak, and veggie fajitas!

Photo Credit: inthekitch.net

How to Make Mole Sauce

This Mexican mole sauce is a rich, sweet, fragrant, and spicy combination of chilies, herbs, spices, and chocolate. It has a range of uses in the kitchen from eating on its own with some tortilla chips to cooking with enchiladas.

Photo Credit: www.spiceupthecurry.com

Chipotle Sauce {5 Minutes Only}

Once you try this homemade chipotle sauce recipe you’ll never go back to the store-bought one. Quick and easy to make, we love to serve this with any type of tacos or as a dipping sauce for burritos, chips, fries, or drizzle over the nachos, salads.

Side Dishes

Mexican Rice

This Mexican Rice is an easy and quick dish made from pantry staples! The perfect side dish for any Mexican meal.

Instant Pot Refried Beans Recipe

Better than a restaurant, these Homemade Pressure Cooker Refried Beans made in the instant pot are a healthy meatless meal made easy with only a few ingredients and no ‘re-frying’ required perfect for tacos, burritos, nachos, on their own, more!

Photo Credit: www.endofthefork.com

Easy Pinto Beans

This recipe for Pinto Beans is easy to make in just 30 minutes. It’s perfect as a dip or sauce for most Mexican dishes!

Photo Credit: www.pressurecookrecipes.com

Instant Pot Mexican Street Corn (Elote)

15 minutes to make juicy Mexican Street Corn (Elote) bursting with creamy, cheesy, zesty flavors.

Easy Vegetarian Crockpot Refried Beans

This dump and go hands off refried beans are better than a restaurant and healthy! This vegetarian meal is made easy in the slow cooker with only a few ingredients and no 're-frying' required.

Main Dishes

Skillet Chicken Fajitas

Easy Skillet Chicken Fajitas are an easy weeknight dinner! Juicy chicken and flavor packed peppers are ready to eat in just 20 minutes!

Photo Credit: xoxobella.com

The BEST Fresh Mexican-Style Shrimp Ceviche with Avocado

A refreshing appetizer or light lunch, shrimp ceviche is one Mexican dish I can’t get enough of! You will just love this Mexican shrimp ceviche recipe.

Easy Crockpot Carnitas + How to Make Them Crispy!

A simple recipe for delicious Crockpot Pork Carnitas! This Mexican classic comes together in no time using flavorful pork butt, spices, onion, oranges, and beer! With a special trick to get your carnitas tasting better than what you get at a restaurant! Perfect for filling tacos, burritos, quesadillas, and more!

Leftover Pork Carnitas Quesadillas

Perfect for using up those leftover carnitas! Using only 4 ingredients this Carnitas Quesadillas Recipe comes together fast, perfect for lunch or busy weeknights!

Loaded Leftover Carnitas Nachos

Got leftover carnitas? Look no further, Carnitas Nachos are a fast and simple meal or appetizer that use up those leftover carnitas. Your family will love this recipe and you will love how it only takes 15 minutes to make!

Photo Credit: inmamamaggieskitchen.com

Huevos Rancheros – An Authentic Mexican Breakfast Recipe

Huevos Rancheros, or “Rancher’s Eggs,” is a popular Mexican breakfast. Eggs, refried beans, and salsa. Doesn’t that sound like a delicious way to start your day?

Photo Credit: annainthekitchen.com

Mexican Red Pozole

This earthy Mexican Red Pozole is made of tender pork cooked in a delicious chili broth with white hominy and topped with sliced veggies. A hearty comforting dinner for the entire family!

Photo Credit: littlesunnykitchen.com

Portobello Mushroom Tacos Recipe

Here's a great vegan option for those that don't eat meat; portobello mushroom tacos with salsa, guacamole, and pink pickled onions.

Photo Credit: inmamamaggieskitchen.com

Northern Style Bean Tamales

Northern Style Bean Tamales (Tamales de Frijol Norteños) are perfect for vegetarians, vegans, and meat-eaters alike. Delicious, savory, and so yummy!

Photo Credit: inmamamaggieskitchen.com

Slow Cooker: Birria de Res, or Mexican Beef Stew 

Birria de Res is a tasty beef stew slow cooked in a robust chile sauce. Serve as tacos or in a stew. There’s no wrong way to eat this deliciousness.

Slow Cooker Chipotle Pineapple Carnitas

A twist on classic carnitas, chipotle peppers and pineapple makes these slow cooker pork carnitas extra juicy and flavorful!

Photo Credit: www.sweetteaandthyme.com

Carne Asada and Marinade Recipe

Carne Asada is easy to make with a super tasty marinade to give it a lot of flavor. This recipe is my go-to whenever I am craving authentic restaurant-quality Mexican for dinner, with plenty of ways to use up the leftovers!

Easy Red Lentil Tacos Recipe

This easy Red Lentil Tacos Recipe is the perfect weeknight meatless meal that the whole family will love! An easy Vegetarian Taco Meat is ready to eat in under 30 minutes, making it a simple, quick, and healthy meal.

Photo Credit: www.simplyhappenings.com

One-Pan Chicken Flautas

These are easy one-pan chicken flautas that are a delicious Mexican dish even kids love. They are filled with tender chicken and sauteed onion then pan-fried in a crispy flour tortilla. Top with your favorite toppings.

Photo Credit: ramshacklepantry.com

Calde de Queso

Caldo de Queso is a warm, comforting, and delicious Mexican soup that you should try today. Wonderful pillows of cheese balance the heat of poblano peppers in such an interesting dish. Potatoes, or papas in Spanish, bring it all together with a great international soup.

The Easiest Chicken Tacos

Learn how to make the best Easy Chicken Tacos. Make a simple and quick taco filling with chicken breasts and taco seasoning. Grab your favorite taco toppings fast because this meal is ready in under 10 minutes, perfect for family taco night!

Photo Credit: twohealthykitchens.com

Sheet Pan Shrimp Fajitas 

These delicious Sheet Pan Shrimp Fajitas are on the table in just over 20 minutes! Super easy (with minimal cleanup). They’re so simple and so perfectly cooked … you’ll never bother with restaurant shrimp fajitas again!

Photo Credit: houseofnasheats.com

Best Ground Beef Enchiladas

These saucy, cheesy Ground Beef Enchiladas are made with a rich homemade enchilada sauce. They are savory, hearty, and supremely satisfying.

Photo Credit: tarateaspoon.com

Slow Cooker Arroz Con Pollo

Easy arroz con pollo is a Mexican chicken and rice casserole, with flavorful spices and smoky chipotle. Even better that it simmers in the slow cooker while you do other things!

Slow Cooker Barbacoa

This Crockpot Beef Barbacoa recipe is easy and delicious! Blend up a quick flavorful sauce, dump it with the beef in the slow cooker, and you have a wonderful meal waiting for you at the end of the day! This easy slow cooker barbacoa is perfect in tacos, burritos, quesadillas, and so much more!

Photo Credit: nutriciously.com

Easy Homemade Vegan Bean Burrito Recipe

Looking for a delicious, filling, easy and healthy protein-rich lunch? Our homemade vegan bean burritos have become our go-to recipe for whenever we want some Mexican comfort food or have a couple of leftovers from the night before.

Photo Credit: www.acedarspoon.com

Chicken Tinga Recipe

This Chicken Tinga Recipe, or tinga de pollo, is one of my favorite Mexican dishes to make. Shredded chicken is simmered in a smoky, spicy chipotle sauce adding so much flavor. You will love how quick and easy this is to make and it can be use in so many ways. We eat it over white rice, in tacos, burrito bowls, burritos, quesadillas, on salads or even added into soups. You can even freeze this and use it for future meals!

Leftover Chicken Enchiladas

Five simple ingredients plus some leftover shredded chicken is all you need to make these simple Leftover Chicken Enchiladas.

Drinks

Photo Credit: messybunsandmargaritas.com

Classic Margarita Recipe

The Classic Margarita, a mainstay cocktail. Surprisingly easy to make with three ingredients lime juice, cointreau, and tequila.

The Best Refreshing Hibiscus Margaritas

A pink and tropical take on the classic margarita. This Hibiscus Margarita Recipe takes on a sweet floral yet also tart flavor! A perfect refreshing drink thanks to the popular herbal hibiscus tea!

Photo Credit: budgetdelicious.com

Melon Agua Fresca Recipe

Fruity Agua Fresca is a light and refreshing Mexican fruit drink made with simple everyday, all natural ingredients and perfect for summer, Cinco de Mayo, cookouts and more.

Photo Credit: hildaskitchenblog.com

Tamarind Margarita

The perfect Tamarindo Margarita, sweet, tangy, and delicious! Learn how to make this tasty 3-ingredient tamarind margarita at home!

Photo Credit: www.chocolatemoosey.com

Frozen Mango Margaritas (Tequila and Virgin Margarita)

Escape to paradise with Frozen Mango Margaritas made with coconut milk. Both tequila and virgin margarita recipes included so anyone can enjoy.

Photo Credit: houseofnasheats.com

Horchata Mexican Drink Recipe

This Horchata Mexican drink recipe is a slightly creamy, non-alcoholic agua fresca flavor made with cinnamon and rice and is perfectly refreshing.

Photo Credit: www.baconismagic.ca

Mexico's 3 Ingredient Chelada Beer Cocktail Will Change Your Summer

Long before lime in beer was made trendy, Mexicans were creating refreshing light beer cocktails for hot days. The chelada is a traditional Mexican recipe that will become a household favourite.

Photo Credit: suebeehomemaker.com

Blackberry Peach Frozen Margaritas

The weather is heating up here in Texas, and we are loving anything frozen, especially these Blackberry Peach Frozen Margaritas! Bring on the tequila and limes, because this party starts NOW!

Photo Credit: veggiedesserts.com

Xocolatl - Aztec Hot Chocolate

Xocolatl is a spiced, slightly bitter chocolate drink that was popular with Aztecs and Mayans. It's a rich drink with chili, vanilla and cinnamon that can be enjoyed hot or cold. You're going to love it!

Desserts

Photo Credit: www.whiskaffair.com

Mexican Churros

Hot Crispy Mexican Churros dipped in a luscious chocolate sauce, what’s not to love about this dessert. Make these at home using pantry staples and in under 30 minutes from scratch.

Photo Credit: www.thegunnysack.com

Fried Ice Cream

Fried Ice Cream has a warm, crunchy shell with cold vanilla ice cream inside. Yes, it really is deep fried and served with cinnamon chips.

Photo Credit: boulderlocavore.com

Tres Leches Cake recipe

Tres Leches Cake is a sweet, simple cake recipe soaked in three types of milk. It’s absolutely delicious and fun to make.

Peace & Love

Lauren, The Schmidty Wife

Slow Cooker Barbacoa

April 19, 2021 by Lauren Schmidt Leave a Comment

This Crockpot Beef Barbacoa recipe is easy and delicious! Blend up a quick flavorful sauce, dump it with the beef in the slow cooker, and you have a wonderful meal waiting for you at the end of the day! This easy slow cooker barbacoa is perfect in tacos, burritos, quesadillas, and so much more!

This post may contain Affiliate Links.

A tabletop with a blue towel, limes, cilantro, and a white plate with a bunch of tacos that are filled with crockpot beef barbacoa.

Easy Barbacoa Recipe

This is one of those super classic crockpot meals. It is easy to throw together in the morning, it cooks all day, and you have a super delicious meal ready for you at the end of the day.

Barbacoa is the perfect contender for a slow cooker meal because the origins of this Mexican dish is cooking the meat all day long in an underground pit! And as much as we all wish we could have that version for a weeknight meal we have to adapt that to our modern lifestyle, that is where the slow cooker comes in!

By doing the barbacoa in the slow cooker it gives it a chance to cook slowly and become super tender while soaking in all the flavor from the delicious sauce.

Close shot of a plate of tacos with beef barbacoa garnished with onions and cilantro.

Ingredients

This recipe is developed to make it easy as possible by blending up all the sauce ingredients quickly. The list may look long at first but at closer look you will see that it is a lot of spices, easy pantry items, and just a few fresh items.

  • Beef Chuck Roast
  • Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce
  • Garlic Cloves
  • Onion
  • Cumin
  • Oregano
  • Kosher Salt
  • Apple Cider Vinegar
  • Lime
  • Orange
  • Ground Cloves

For a complete detailed list of the ingredients continue towards the bottom of the page.

All the ingredients needed to make slow cooker barbacoa laid out on a table top.

How to Make Barbacoa in the Slow Cooker

Start by making the sauce, this can be done in a food processor or blender. Peel the garlic cloves and the onion. Then cut the onion into large chunks to make it easier to blend. Add the garlic and onion to the food processor or blender.

Next juice the lime and orange into the food processor. Now add in the remaining sauce ingredients into the food processor the chipotle peppers, cumin, oregano, salt, apple cider vinegar, and cloves. Blend smooth about 30 seconds until no chunks remain and a sauce has formed. 

Collage showing the before and after of the sauce for crockpot barbacoa being made.

Prepare the beef for the slow cooker by carefully cutting into 4 large even sized chunks by doing this it gives the beef more surface volume to soak in the flavors of the sauce. Now add the beef to the slow cooker and pour all the sauce overtop. Cover and cook on LOW 6-7 hours. 

Once beef barbacoa is done cooking it should be ready to be gently pulled apart with forks before serving!

Collage showing the steps of adding the beef and sauce to the slow cooker.
Close look inside a black crockpot showing shredded beef barbacoa garnished with cilantro and two golden spoons for serving.

How to Serve Barbacoa

Barbacoa is traditionally served with onions, cilantro, and tortillas. But honestly you can make so many meals with it! Especially because this is a larger recipe you likely can make multiple meals!

  • Tacos
  • Burritos
  • Burrito Bowls
  • Quesadillas
  • Nachos

Often times will will have tacos with barbacoa beef for dinner and then next day we will have quesadillas or nachos with the leftover barbacoa!

Side angle of a white plate filled with a bunch of tacos filled with crockpot barbacoa and garnished with onions, radishes, and cilantro.

Tips, Tricks, and Questions

  • Freeze the leftover chipotle peppers from the can with the sauce for future use, you can do this in a small bag or in ice cube trays!
  • This can be cooked on high for 3-4 hours but I am think it does do better on low.
  • Even with the addition of the chipotle peppers I do NOT find this to be a spicy dish, my 3 & 5 year old will eat it no problem and my oldest does not care for spicy things.

If you like Slow Cooker Barbacoa you might also like:

  • Mexican Rice
  • Crockpot Carnitas
  • Easy Chicken Tacos
  • Carnitas Quesadilla
  • Carnitas Bowl
  • Carnitas Nachos
  • Pressure Cooker Refried Beans
Yield: 6 servings

Slow Cooker Barbacoa

Close up view of five barbacoa filled tacos on a white plate next to a bunch of sliced limes and a bunch of cilantro.

So easy to prepare this crockpot beef barbacoa is sure to become a family favorite. With help from a very quick sauce this Mexican barbacoa recipe is a perfect dump and go meal!

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 6 hours
Total Time 6 hours 10 minutes

Ingredients

  • 3 pounds beef chuck roast
  • 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
  • 6 garlic cloves
  • 1 small onion
  • 1 tablespoon cumin
  • 1 tablespoon oregano
  • 2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  • 1 lime
  • 1 orange
  • 1/4 tsp ground cloves

Instructions

  1. Peel garlic and onion, cut onion into large chunks. Add to a food processor or blender. Juice the lime and orange into the food processor. Add the remaining sauce ingredients into the food processor the chipotle peppers, cumin, oregano, salt, vinegar, and cloves. Blend smooth about 30 seconds until no chunks remain and a sauce has formed.
  2. Prepare the beef for the slow cooker by carefully cutting into 4 large even sized chunks. Add the beef to the slow cooker. Pour all the sauce overtop all the beef. Cover and cook on LOW 6-7 hours.
  3. Once beef barbacoa is done cooking it should be ready to be gently pulled apart with forks before serving.

Notes

You can also cook on high 3-4 hours but I found that this recipe does a lot better low and slow.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

  • Hamilton Beach 6-Quart Slow Cooker
    Hamilton Beach 6-Quart Slow Cooker

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

8 ounces

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 569Total Fat: 35gSaturated Fat: 14gTrans Fat: 2gUnsaturated Fat: 18gCholesterol: 188mgSodium: 891mgCarbohydrates: 8gFiber: 2gSugar: 3gProtein: 57g

Nutritional data is automated, final nutritional information will depend on ingredients used and any changes made.

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment below on the blog or share a photo with me tag @the_schmidty_wife! Can't wait to see what you made!

© Lauren Schmidt
Cuisine: Mexican / Category: Crockpot

And make sure you are following me on TikTok, Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook for all the latest recipes!

Peace & Love

Lauren, The Schmidty Wife

https://www.pinterest.com/theschmidtywife/

Easy Mexican Street Corn Dip

April 12, 2021 by Lauren Schmidt Leave a Comment

Easy to make in under 15 minutes you will watch this Mexican Street Corn Dip disappear from the bowl! Made with fresh corn on the cob and five other simple ingredients this appetizer dip is truly a winner!

This post may contain Affiliate Links.

Large what bowl filled with Mexican Street Corn Dip and tortilla chips surrounded by more chips, cilantro, and limes.

Mexican Corn Dip

The first time I made this for a few friends it disappeared faster than anything else I have ever made, not joking. Maybe I am not remembering this part correctly but I swear people were throwing elbows to get another scoop before it ran out.

The best part is that this street corn dip is so stinkin’ easy to make! Only 6 ingredients and ready in under 15 minutes!

So whether it is Cinco de Mayo, a summer barbecue, or taco Tuesday this dip is truly a winner.

Angled view of a table with a bowl of street corn, tortilla chips, and margaritas.

Supplies

An easy dip, where the craziest supply needed is a sheet pan… but seriously you will need:

  • Cutting Board, grater, & Knife (serrated works best for taking the corn off)
  • Sheet Pan
  • Oven
  • Bowl
  • Spatula and Spoons
  • Measuring Cups & Spoons

Ingredients

Simple ingredients although I will note that using fresh ingredients will yield the best result, so fresh corn, fresh lime juice, and fresh grated parmesan cheese.

  • Corn on the Cob
  • Mayonnaise
  • Cilantro
  • Lime Juice
  • Sriracha
  • Parmesan Cheese

For a complete detailed list of the ingredients continue towards the bottom of the page.

Ingredients needed to make easy Mexican Street Corn Dip recipe including fresh corn on the cob, mayo, and cilantro.

How to Make Mexican Street Corn Dip

Start by setting the oven to broil. You can keep the oven rack in the middle position so the corn doesn’t cook too fast.

Now carefully cut the corn kernels from the cobs. Spread the corn kernels over the sheet pan spread out in a single layer. For easy clean up you can line the sheet pan with aluminum foil.

Transfer to the oven and broil for 3-4 minutes. Toss the corn kernels and re-spread out into a single layer. Broil another 4-5 minutes or until the corn begins to darken and blister.

Sheet pan with blistered corn kernels.

While corn is in the oven add the mayo, cilantro, lime juice, sriracha, and parmesan cheese to a bowl.

Once corn is done add it to the bowl with the other ingredients and stir to mix together. Serve with tortilla chips warm immediately or can be stored in the fridge and served cold. 

Close up view on corn, parmesan cheese, and cilantro in a a quick and easy corn dip recipe.

Tips, Tricks, and Questions

  • If you are making this for a larger group I recommend doubling! 
  • Fresh corn from the cob is best for the recipe. I also tested it with frozen corn and canned corn, it was just not as good as with the fresh corn right off the cob!
  • I prefer the parmesan cheese in this recipe but you could also use cotija cheese
  • Don’t forget to buy a bag of chips! (Totally worth noting from personal experience…)
Mexican Street Corn Dip in a bowl garnished with parmesan cheese and cilantro with a handful of tortilla chips on the side.

If you like this Mexican Street Corn Dip Recipe you might also like:

  • Fresh Restaurant Style Salsa
  • Warm Buffalo Chickpea Dip
  • Greek Layer Dip
  • Easy Crockpot Carnitas Recipe
  • Hibiscus Margaritas
Yield: 6 servings

Mexican Street Corn Dip

Overhead view of a table scene with a large bowl of Mexican street corn dip with tortilla chips surrounded by cut limes, cilantro pieces, and margaritas.

Watch this amazing appetizer dip vanish! Easy to make with fresh corn and simple ingredients like mayo and lime juice this Mexican Street Corn Dip is one you will keep in your regular rotation!

Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 8 minutes
Total Time 13 minutes

Ingredients

  • 4 cobs of corn (about 2 cups corn kernels)
  • 1/2 cup of mayo
  • 1/4 cup of cilantro, chopped
  • 2 teaspoons lime juice
  • 1-2 teaspoons sriracha
  • 1/4 cup parmesan cheese

Instructions

  1. Set oven to broil. (Oven rack in the middle position)
  2. Carefully cut the corn kernels from the cobs. Spread the corn kernels over the sheet pan spread out in a single layer.
  3. Transfer to the oven and broil for 3-4 minutes. Toss corn kernels and re-spread out into a single layer. Broil another 4-5 minutes or until the corn begins to darken and blister.
  4. While corn is in the oven add the mayo, cilantro, lime juice, sriracha, and parmesan cheese to a bowl.
  5. Once the corn is done add to the bowl with the other ingredients and stir to mix together. Serve with tortilla chips warm immediately or can be stored in the fridge and served cold.

Notes

If you are making this for a larger group I recommend doubling!

Fresh corn from the cob is best for the recipe. I also tested it with frozen corn and canned corn, it was just not as good as with the fresh corn right off the cob!

Fresh grated parmesean cheese, not the stuff in a plastic canister.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1/3 cup

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 193Total Fat: 15gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 8mgSodium: 163mgCarbohydrates: 15gFiber: 2gSugar: 4gProtein: 3g

Nutritional data is automated, final nutritional information will depend on ingredients used and any changes made.

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment below on the blog or share a photo with me tag @the_schmidty_wife! Can't wait to see what you made!

© Lauren Schmidt
Cuisine: Mexican / Category: Appetizers

And make sure you are following me on TikTok, Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook for all the latest recipes!

Peace & Love

Lauren, The Schmidty Wife

https://www.pinterest.com/theschmidtywife/

The Easiest Chicken Tacos

September 22, 2020 by Lauren Schmidt 4 Comments

Learn how to make the best Easy Chicken Tacos. Make a simple and quick taco filling with chicken breasts and taco seasoning. Grab your favorite taco toppings fast because this meal is ready in under 10 minutes, perfect for family taco night!

This post may contain Affiliate Links.

Easy Chicken Tacos being made in a cast iron pan, saucy chicken pieces covered in seasoning.

Quick Chicken Tacos

Tacos are a family meal staple. I think everyone I know makes some sort of tacos on a regular basis for dinner.

Tacos are a dinner regular for a good reason, they are generally quick to make, easy, and delicious. And these Quick Chicken Tacos are no exception to that.

The best chicken taco filling inside a tortilla next to cilantro.

What You Need For Chicken Tacos

Lucky for you you don’t need a lot for this recipe! You will want:

  • Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
  • Taco Seasoning <– My own recipe (way better than store bought)
  • Tortillas and your favorite taco garnishes

For a complete detailed list of the ingredients continue towards the bottom of the page.

Ingredients on a table for easy chicken tacos, chicken breasts and a jar of taco seasoning.

You will also need a cutting board and knife for cutting the chicken. A bowl and measuring spoons. And a large pan, a little bit of cooking oil, and spatula for cooking.

I personally love making these chicken tacos in my cast iron pan, I’ve said it before and I will say it again, my cast iron is one of my favorite things in my kitchen. If you don’t have one yet I recommend it, they literally last forever and can be used for so many different types of recipes. And they are available on Amazon for a pretty decent price considering you will never have to replace it:

How To Make The Best Chicken Tacos

Dice the chicken breasts into small pieces, remember you will want this to be small enough to be taco filling so cut the chicken into roughly ½-¾ inch (1½ cm) cubes, don’t stress if they aren’t all exact.

Transfer the cut chicken to a bowl. Add the taco seasoning and mix to coat the chicken. 

two photos showing step by step instructions of mixing cut chicken and taco seasoning together.

Let the chicken rest for a few minutes while you bring a large pan to medium-high heat. Once hot lightly grease the pan. Add the seasoned chicken to the hot pan. 

Cook the chicken 5 to 7 minutes, stirring the chicken around every couple minutes.

Chicken is done when an internal temperate reaches 165ºF and juices run clear. Remove from heat and let rest 3 to 5 minutes.

Use as a filling in warm tortillas topped with your favorite garnishes.

close up in a cast iron pan of chicken taco filling being made and scooped with a wooden spoon.
Chicken tacos on a serving board topped with cheddar cheese and diced tomatoes.

A few things to note: 

  • This recipe may be doubled easily but be aware that because you are adding more chicken more liquid will build up in the pan while cooking meaning the chicken most likely won’t brown on the outside. 
  • I hope it goes without saying but you can totally use this chicken on things besides tacos. Try it on nachos, in quesadillas, burritos, on a pizza?! This would even make a great meal prep option!
Close up of chicken tacos in four tortillas on a platter next to some sliced limes.

More questions, tips, & tricks:

Really short on time?

I have had a lot of success with cutting the chicken and adding the taco seasoning and letting it rest in the fridge for a few hours until I am ready to use. Many times I prep it during my lunch break and it is literally ready to throw on the stovetop for dinner.

What are some good side dishes that go with Chicken Tacos?

Some great side options are healthy refried beans (Slow Cooker Refried Beans or Pressure Cooker Refried Beans), Mexican Rice, a Simple Spinach Salad, or roasted veggies like Baby Potatoes or Broccoli are all good options!

Also if you are looking for great garnishes check out my Greek Yogurt Southwest Sauce or my Restaurant Style Salsa.

Also don’t forget to add a Hibiscus Margarita!

hand holding a taco over a plate filled with chicken, tomatoes, cheese, and sauces.
My Southwest Sauce is pictured here.

Looking for more taco inspired recipes for Taco Tuesday? You might like these:

  • Skillet Chicken Tacos (Low-Carb)
  • Red Lentil Tacos
  • One-Pot Black Bean Taco Spaghetti
Yield: serves 4

Easy Chicken Tacos

Easy chicken taco filling in a cart iron pan with a wooden spoon scooping the filling.

Quick and easy chicken taco filling, just two ingredients and dinner is ready in under 10 minutes! Perfect for family Taco Tuesday night!

Prep Time 4 minutes
Cook Time 6 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast
  • 2 tablespoons taco seasoning
  • tortillas and your favorite taco garnishes

Instructions

  1. Dice chicken into small pieces, remember you will want this to be small enough to be taco filling so cut the chicken into roughly ½-¾ inch (1½ cm) cubes, don't stress if they aren't all exact. Transfer the cut chicken to a bowl. Add the taco seasoning and mix to coat the chicken.
  2. Let the chicken rest for a few minutes while you bring a large pan to medium-high heat. Once hot lightly grease the pan. Add the chicken.
  3. Cook the chicken 5 to 7 minutes, Stirring the chicken around every couple minutes. Chicken is done when an internal temperate reaches 165ºF and juices run clear. Remove from heat and let rest 3 to 5 minutes. Use as your filling in tortillas topped with your favorite garnishes.

Notes

Homemade Taco Seasoning is so easy to make, click the link in the ingredients list to be taken to my simple recipe. Although in a pinch storebought taco seasoning may be used.

This recipe may be doubled easily but be aware that because you are adding more chicken more liquid will build up in the pan while cooking meaning the chicken most likely won't brown on the outside.

Consider adding my Greek Yogurt Southwest Sauce to top your chicken tacos!

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

  • Lodge 12 Inch Pre-Seasoned Cast Iron Skillet
    Lodge 12 Inch Pre-Seasoned Cast Iron Skillet

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

¼ of the dish/8oz of chicken

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 388Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 193mgSodium: 476mgCarbohydrates: 2gFiber: 1gSugar: 0gProtein: 71g

Nutritional data is automated, final nutritional information will depend on ingredients used and any changes made. *Nutrition includes taco filling only*

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment below on the blog or share a photo with me tag @the_schmidty_wife! Can't wait to see what you made!

© Lauren Schmidt

And make sure you are following me on TikTok, Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook for all the latest recipes!

Peace & Love

Lauren, The Schmidty Wife

The Best Refreshing Hibiscus Margaritas

May 4, 2020 by Lauren Schmidt Leave a Comment

A pink and tropical take on the classic margarita. This Hibiscus Margarita Recipe takes on a sweet floral yet also tart flavor! A perfect refreshing drink thanks to the popular herbal hibiscus tea!

This post may contain Affiliate Links.

a glass of the best hibiscus margarita recipe with a salted-rim and a slice of lime

The Best Hibiscus Tea Margarita

When I find a flavor I love I have a hard time leaving it alone. Exhibit A, these amazing Hibiscus Margaritas.

I also have shared my Hibiscus Iced Tea Sparkler on the blog, so if you are here because you also share a love of hibiscus tea or if you are looking for an awesome low-calorie non-alcoholic drink for summer go check that out!

I first fell in love with hibiscus years and years ago when it started getting big at coffee shops like Starbucks as their seasonal summer drinks. Since then especially if the weather is warm an Iced Hibiscus Tea is a go-to drink for me.

I have even started buying it in bulk! I will get a whole pound of it off Amazon at a time! While you certainly don’t have to get crazy about it like me I definitely recommend getting some and then putting it into a margarita!

It is a perfect paring! Hibiscus tea brings a sweet floral note to the margarita that pairs so perfectly with the tangy/tart flavor a classic margarita usually has.

So when I set about making this margarita it didn’t overthink it too much. This is essentially a classic margarita with hibiscus tea, keeping it simple and easy to make but with such a fun twist…

Speaking of fun have we even mentioned the color yet?!?!? IT IS FABULOUS!!!

To be fair I am a huge sucker for the color pink but I would literally paint my house this color if my husband would let me!

Jokes aside if you are hosting a fun party, like a mom’s night, a summer bridal shower, or cinco de mayo this is such a fun margarita to make a show off! (I have even given batch measurements in the notes in the recipe card to help you with that)

So what do you need to make this delicious drink? Let’s Look.

two bright pink hibiscus margaritas shot from above with a colorful towel and dried hibiscus tea

How to make Hibiscus Margaritas! (and hibiscus tea)

To make a good hibiscus margarita you will need to make hibiscus tea.

Like I said before I bulk buy my hibiscus tea, I use Frontier Co-op off of Amazon:

But no fret you don’t have to buy a 16oz bag! You can also use hibiscus tea found in tea bags like Luzianne Iced Hibiscus Tea or you can use can even use a blend like the Tazo Passion which I have seen at a lot of grocery stores. 

I prefer making it cold brewed. To make it cold brewed hibiscus tea is really easy you will just need:

1.5 teaspoons hibiscus tea + 1 cup water 

I add it to a jar or bottle with a lid, give it a shake and let it brew in the fridge overnight. (I usually double that and make 2 cups at a time).

The next morning I use a mesh strainer to remove the hibiscus from the tea. It is that easy. 

You can also make it warm, brewing it like a typical herbal tea and then cool it down in the fridge. Just make sure since this is a herbal tea you will want to brew it strong, meaning let the tea brew for upwards up 15 minutes.

Now once you have the hibiscus tea all made the margaritas come together super fast!

hibiscus margarita on a white table in a glass with a salted-rim and lime wheel

You will need the remaining ingredients which are the typical classic margarita ingredients:

  • Limes/Lime Juice
  • Cointreau or any orange liqueur
  • Blanco Tequila
  • & Garnishes: sea salt for rim, limes for slicing, and if you want a sweeter drink some agave nectar or simple syrup

Now for the tequila I recommend using blanco/silver tequila. My favorite brand at the moment, Casamigos.

If you want to salt the rim of your glass sprinkle sea salt onto a small plate. Either run a lime slice along the rim of the serving glass or lightly dip the glass rim into agave nectar, place the coated rim into the salt and swirl around to coat. Then add ice to you glass!

Now to make your drink!

  1. Combine all of your ingredients in a cocktail shaker with a handful ice.
  2. Shake, shake, shake until cold about 15 to 30 seconds. Strain into a salt-rimmed (optional) glass over ice. Garnish with a lime slice.
pink hibiscus margarita being poured from a cocktail shaker into a salt-rimmed glass

For a sweeter drink I suggest adding 0.5 oz of agave nectar or simple syrup, I personally do not care for it sweetened but I know some people do!

Since the measurements for this drink are pretty straightforward it is easy to scale for 1 or 2 drinks depending on what you want!

I hope you enjoy this drink as much as I do!

hand holding a glass of hibiscus margarita with a lime slice

And if you are looking for more fun beverages check these out:

  • Rosé Strawberry Sangria Recipe
  • Spooky Black Halloween Sangria

Recipes to pair with your Hibiscus Margaritas?? Let’s make a whole Mexican Inspired Feast:

  • Restaurant Style Salsa
  • Mexican Rice
  • Healthy Slow Cooker Refried Beans (Or Pressure Cooker Refried Beans)
  • Easy Crockpot Carnitas
  • Red Lentil Tacos
  • Crockpot Black Bean Tortilla Soup
Yield: 1 drink

Hibiscus Margarita

a glass of the best hibiscus margarita recipe with a salted-rim and a slice of lime

A pink tropical take on the classic margarita, Hibiscus Margaritas take on a sweet floral yet also tart flavor. A perfect refreshing drink thanks to the popular herbal tea!

Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 oz lime juice (about 1 lime)
  • 1 oz unsweetened hibiscus tea
  • 1 oz cointreau (orange liqueur)
  • 2 oz blanco tequila

Garnishes:

  • sea salt for rim
  • lime for slicing

Instructions

  1. Combine all the ingredients in a cocktail shaker and add a handful ice.
  2. Shake until cold about 15 to 30 seconds. Strain into a salt-rimmed (optional) glass over ice. Garnish with a lime slice.

If you want to salt the rim of your glass sprinkle sea salt onto a small plate. Either run a lime slice along the rim of the serving glass or lightly dip the glass rim into agave, place the coated rim into the salt and swirl around to coat.

Notes

For a sweeter drink I suggest adding 0.5 oz of agave nectar or simple syrup.

I prefer cointreau but any orange liqueur like triple sec will work.

Typically 1 lime will produce about 1 ounce of juice, but I still like to measure it out!

To make this for a crowd you will need 1 cup lime juice/8 to 10 limes, 1 cup hibiscus tea, 1 cup cointreau (or other orange liqueur), and 2 cups tequila. That will give you 8 servings. You can mix this ahead of time (without ice) and keep in the fridge for several hours before serving, just stir it up again before serving over ice!

For how to make the best hibiscus tea see the article above.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

1

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 224Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 2mgCarbohydrates: 10gFiber: 0gSugar: 8gProtein: 0g

Nutritional data is automated, final nutritional information will depend on ingredients used and any changes made.

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment below on the blog or share a photo with me tag @the_schmidty_wife! Can't wait to see what you made!

© Lauren Schmidt
Cuisine: Mexican / Category: Drinks

And make sure you are following me on TikTok, Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook for all the latest recipes!

Peace & Love

Lauren, The Schmidty Wife

Leftover Pork Carnitas Quesadillas

April 21, 2020 by Lauren Schmidt 1 Comment

Perfect for using up those leftover carnitas! Using only 4 ingredients this Carnitas Quesadillas Recipe comes together fast, perfect for lunch or busy weeknights!

This post may contain Affiliate Links.

two carnitas quesadillas cut into pieces on a wooden cutting board with garnishes nearby

Using Leftovers to make Carnitas Quesadillas

Carnitas are a great and commonly made meal options for families, they are easy, delicious, and cheap! And more likely than not you will have some leftover!

So today I am sharing a great way to use up those leftover carnitas!

I love being able to stretch out that meal you made, and these quesadillas are the perfect way to do that.

Typically I will make these pork quesadillas for lunch the next day but they work just as perfect for a fast dinner option too!

photo focused on a single carnitas quesadilla sitting in between other pieces on a cutting board.

So first thing is first, you need carnitas! I recommend making my popular Crockpot Carnitas Recipe! It is really simple and makes a large batch!

(Or for extra flavor make my Slow Cooker Chipotle Pineapple Carnitas)

Once you have the Carnitas made these quesadillas take very little effort!

two pieces of carnitas quesadillas stacked on top of each other showing the pork and cheese on the inside

How to make Pork Carnitas Quesadillas

For this recipe you will need:

  • Flour Tortillas: Burrito size is what I use but a regular taco size will work too, you’ll just use less filling
  • Shredded Cheddar Cheese: I like to grate mine fresh for a block, it melts better that way but you can totally use what you have. You can also use a cheddar blend here like a ‘Taco’ or ‘Mexican’ cheese blend
  • Leftover Carnitas: For two I figure you will need about 1 cup of leftovers but this can definitely be made with more or less than that
  • Fresh Salsa/Pico de Gallo: I think that a fresh salsa tastes best here but you can definitely use a jarred salsa as well, my only advice drain out and extra liquid!

Now you have what you need, now you will have quesadillas ready to eat in no time.

If the carnitas are not already warm you will want to warm them slightly. In a microwave safe container, warm up the carnitas about 2 minutes so they are no longer cold (they will continue to heat on the skillet so they don’t have to be hot).

Warm large skillet over medium heat.

Times for cooking will vary depending on types of skillets used (like a heavy bottomed cast iron vs. thin aluminum skillet) Any type works but just note that some heat up faster than others. (I personally like to use my cast iron for making quesadillas.)

Prep quesadillas by sprinkling cheese evenly over the two torillas. Then add carnitas and salsa overtop the cheese on one half of each tortilla.

Now one at a time add the prepped tortilla to the warm skillet. Cover with a lid and cook 3 to 5 minutes, checking every so often to make sure the bottom of the tortilla isn’t getting too dark or burning.

tortilla in a large skillet with melting cheese, carnitas, and fresh tomato salsa

Once the bottom of the tortilla is brown and crispy and cheese is melted fold the cheese half over top the carnitas half with a spatula and carefully transfer to a cutting board to be cut.

Cook other quesadilla the same way. A note about the second quesadilla. Because the skillet is likely to get hotter as the first one cooks the second quesadilla might take less time to cook.

Cut and serve immediately with sour cream, salsa, and/or guacamole! You can also personalize each quesadilla if you like, I personally like adding pickled jalapeños to mine!

stack of 3 carnitas quesadillas on a wooden cutting board

Looking for more ideas on what to do with Carnitas? Check these out:

  • Loaded Pork Carnitas Nachos
  • Carnitas Bowls

Or if you like Carnitas Quesadillas check out out these other recipes you might like:

  • Homemade Taco Seasoning
  • Easy Red Lentil Tacos
  • Quick & Easy Taco Chicken
  • Black Bean Nachos
Yield: 2 quesadillas

Carnitas Quesadilla

two pieces of carnitas quesadillas stacked on top of each other showing the pork and cheese on the inside

Perfect for using up leftover carnitas! Using only 4 ingredients Carnitas Quesadillas comes together fast, perfect for lunch or busy weeknights!

Prep Time 2 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 12 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 flour tortilla, burrito size
  • 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
  • 1 cup leftover carnitas
  • 4 tablespoons fresh salsa/pico de gallo, extra liquid drained

Instructions

  1. If the carnitas are not already warm you will want to warm them slightly. In a microwave safe container, warm up the carnitas about 2 minutes so they are no longer cold (they will continue to heat on the skillet so they don’t have to be hot).
  2. Warm large skillet over medium heat.
  3. Prep quesadillas by sprinkling cheese evenly over the two torillas. Then add carnitas and salsa overtop the cheese on one half of each tortilla.
  4. One at a time add the prepped tortillas to the warm skillet, cover with a lid and cook 3 to 5 minutes, checking every so often to make sure the bottom of the tortilla isn't burning.
  5. Once tortilla is brown and crispy and cheese is melted fold the cheese half over top the carnitas half with a spatula and carefully transfer to a cutting board to be cut. Cook other quesadilla the same way. Cut and serve immediately.

Notes

Times for cooking will vary, different skillets (like a heavy bottomed cast iron vs. thin alumimun skillet) will make a difference in how long the quesadilla cooks. (I personally like to use my cast iron for making quesadillas)

A note about the second quesadilla. Because the skillet is likely to get hotter as the first one cooks the second quesadilla is likely to take less time to make.

Serve with sour cream, salsa, and/or guacamole! You can also personalize each quesadilla if you like, I personally like adding pickled jalapeños to mine!

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

  • Lodge 12 Inch Pre-Seasoned Cast Iron Skillet
    Lodge 12 Inch Pre-Seasoned Cast Iron Skillet

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

2

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 500Total Fat: 21gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 42mgSodium: 1201mgCarbohydrates: 59gFiber: 7gSugar: 4gProtein: 20g

Nutritional data is automated, final nutritional information will depend on ingredients used and any changes made.

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment below on the blog or share a photo with me tag @the_schmidty_wife! Can't wait to see what you made!

© Lauren Schmidt
Cuisine: Mexican

And make sure you are following me on TikTok, Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook for all the latest recipes!

Peace & Love

Lauren, The Schmidty Wife

Loaded Leftover Carnitas Nachos

April 16, 2020 by Lauren Schmidt Leave a Comment

Got leftover carnitas? Look no further, Carnitas Nachos are a fast and simple meal or appetizer that use up those leftover carnitas. Your family will love this recipe and you will love how it only takes 15 minutes to make!

This post may contain Affiliate Links.

a sheet pan full of carnitas nachos topped with cilantro, red onion, guacamole, and more

Loaded Pork Carnitas Nachos

Whether you are looking for an awesome appetizer or a super quick meal for your leftover carnitas you have come to the right place.

We can all agree nachos are amazing right? So you can imagine just how great they are once you add some carnitas!

Chances are if you are looking at this recipe you already have made the pork carnitas (hopefully from my recipe because it is amazing) BUT if you still need to make some no worries, I have got you covered.

Get my classic Crockpot Carnitas recipe here.

Or if you are into spicy foods check out my Chipotle Pineapple Carnitas, for a little extra heat and flavor.

sheet pan full of nachos with carnitas, cheese, and toppings

So Let’s Make Some Carnitas Nachos!

Here is what you will need, keep in mind you will want to keep the base of the recipe as written but you can go crazy with any additional toppings!

  • Pork Carnitas
  • Queso Fresco Cheese
  • Cheddar Cheese
  • A Bag Tortilla Chips
  • Sour cream
  • Guacamole
  • Salsa
  • Red Onion
  • Cilantro
ingredients need to make leftover carnitas nachos

Now making them couldn’t be any easier. To start preheat your oven to 350ºF.

If the carnitas are not already warm you will want to warm them slightly. In a microwave safe container, warm up the carnitas about 2 minutes so they are no longer cold (they will continue to heat in the oven so they don’t have to be hot).

Line sheet pan with tortilla chips in an even layer, you don’t have to use a full bag of chips depending on how many people you are serving, most of the time I only use about 3/4’s of a bag.

Spread the carnitas evenly overtop the tortilla chips. Overtop the carnitas and chips spread both of the cheese evenly.

Transfer the sheet pan to the oven, bake 7 to 8 minutes until the cheese is melty and chips are crispy.

Remove from the oven and evenly over the top add the sour cream, guacamole, salsa, red onion, and cilantro to your liking, serve immediately.

steps of making the nachos before they go in the oven, after they are baked in the oven, and after they are topped with toppings

See so freaking easy! So whether this is an appetizer for a tailgate or a weekend lunch for your family it will be done fast and get devoured almost immediately!

a fork on a sheet pan full of carnitas nachos pulling some off onto a plate

If you are looking for more recipes that use leftovers check out my:

  • Carnitas Bowls
  • Leftover Chicken Enchiladas
  • Carnitas Quesadillas
  • Leftover Turkey Mini Pot Pies
  • Split Pea Soup with Ham Bone

Or check out my Black Bean Nachos!

Yield: 6 servings

Carnitas Nachos

a sheet pan full of carnitas nachos topped with cilantro, red onion, guacamole, and more

Got leftover carnitas? Look no further, Carnitas Nachos are a fast and simple meal or appetizer that use up those leftover carnitas. Your family will love this recipe and you will love how it only takes 15 minutes to make!

Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 7 minutes
Total Time 12 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 cups pork carnitas
  • 1 cup queso fresco cheese, crumbled
  • 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
  • 12oz bag tortilla chips

for topping:

  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1/2 cup guacamole
  • 1/2 cup salsa
  • 1/4 red onion, sliced
  • 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. If the carnitas are not already warm you will want to warm them slightly. In a microwave safe container, warm up the carintas about 2 minutes so they are no longer cold (they will contunue to heat in the oven).
  2. Line sheet pan with tortilla chips in an even layer, you don't have to use a full bag of chips. Spread the carnitas evenly overtop the tortilla chips. Overtop the carnitas and chips spread both of the cheese evenly.
  3. Transfer the sheet pan to the oven, bake 7 to 8 minutes until the cheese is melty and chips are crispy.
  4. Remove from the oven and evenly over the top add the sour cream, guacamole, salsa, red onion, and cilantro to your liking, serve immediately.

Notes

When choosing tortilla chips I recommend a thicker brand that can hold the weight of the nachos.

If needed you can use all cheddar cheese instead of the two varieties, but I wouldn't necessarily recommend the same for the queso since its so wet and doesn't melt super well (which is why I use both varieties in the first place).

Feel free to top the nachos with more/less/different toppings as you like!

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  • Nordic Ware Baker's Sheet Pan
    Nordic Ware Baker's Sheet Pan

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1/6 the dish

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 620Total Fat: 40gSaturated Fat: 14gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 22gCholesterol: 82mgSodium: 879mgCarbohydrates: 46gFiber: 5gSugar: 3gProtein: 23g

Nutritional data is automated, final nutritional information will depend on ingredients used and any changes made.

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment below on the blog or share a photo with me tag @the_schmidty_wife! Can't wait to see what you made!

© Lauren Schmidt
Cuisine: Mexican

And make sure you are following me on TikTok, Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook for all the latest recipes!

Peace & Love

Lauren, The Schmidty Wife

Carnitas Bowls Using Leftover Carnitas

April 14, 2020 by Lauren Schmidt 1 Comment

Super easy to make Carnitas Bowls star delicious pork carnitas, quinoa, arugula, and a variety of toppings to make a quick meal! Perfect for using up leftover carnitas!

This post may contain Affiliate Links.

a carnitas bowl featuring a base of leftover carnitas, quinoa, and arugula with fresh topping make an excellent fast meal

How to Make Simple Carnitas Bowls Using Up Leftovers!

Carnitas are a wonderful meal option to make for families, they are easy, delicious, and cheap! And more likely than not you will have some leftover!

So today I am sharing one of my favorite ways to use up those leftover carnitas and stretch out that meal you made, I’m talking a Carnitas Bowl.

I typically will make a bowl like this for lunch the next day after making carnitas for supper, and most of the time I honestly like it more than the tacos I usually make for dinner!

So with this recipe first thing is first, make my wicked awesome Crockpot Carnitas Recipe! It is really simple and makes a large batch!

(Or for extra flavor make my Slow Cooker Chipotle Pineapple Carnitas)

Once you have the Carnitas made these bowls come together FAST!

The Base Ingredients for Carnitas Bowls:

  • Carnitas
  • Cooked Quinoa (Note, you could sub our quinoa for rice or another grain if that is what you have)
  • Arugula (Arugula really brings a freshness to this bowl so try not to leave it out, plus arugula is super healthy!)

Once you have the bases all together than you can add whatever toppings sound delicious to you!

Some awesome topping options are but not limited too:

  • thinly sliced red onion
  • cheese, like queso fresco or shredded cheddar
  • fresh salsa
  • sour cream or plain greek yogurt
  • cilantro
  • lime wedges
  • guacamole

Once you have everything you want on your bowl it is as simple as warming up the carnitas and quinoa if needed and then adding everything to the bowl!

If you don’t have cooked quinoa on hand already luckily it is really simple to make and doesn’t take too much time. You can make a batch of Quinoa in the Pressure Cooker or use 1 part quinoa 2 parts water in a covered pot simmering over medium-high heat about 15 minutes.

Quinoa stores pretty well in the fridge, so I like to make it in batches or make extras when I need it in a recipe to reheat for other meals throughout the week!

As you can see this recipe is all about taking advantage of leftovers and turning them into a new fresh meal. Giving leftover carnitas a makeover into a carnitas bowl is the perfect fast meal solution to keep food from going to waste!

a large white bowl full of leftover carnitas, quinoa, arugula, and fresh toppings like salsa and sour cream

Can I use this for Meal Prepping?

Absolutely! I would just pack the items you need/want to re-heat separate from the cold items. So store your carnitas and quinoa together and the arugula and toppings separate.

Looking for more fast & easy recipes?

  • Korean Ground Turkey & Recipe Bowls
  • Red Lentil Tacos
  • Quick & Easy Skillet Taco Chicken
  • Black Bean Nachos
  • Leftover Chicken Enchiladas
Yield: 1 serving

Carnitas Bowl

Carnitas Bowl

Super easy to make a Carnitas Bowl stars delicious carnitas, quinoa, arugula, and a variety of toppings to make a quick meal! Perfect for using up leftover carnitas!

Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup cooked quinoa
  • 1/2 cup pork carnitas
  • 1/2 cup arugula

Toppings:

  • sliced red onion
  • cheese, like queso fresco
  • fresh salsa
  • sour cream
  • cilantro
  • lime wedges
  • guacamole

Instructions

  1. Add warm carnitas, warm quinoa, and arugula to a large serving bowl. Top with your favorite toppings as preferred.

Notes

Make a batch of carnitas using my Crockpot Carnitas Recipe!

Need to make quinoa? Make a batch of Quinoa in the Pressure Cooker or use 1 part quinoa 2 parts water in a covered pot simmering over medium-high heat about 15 minutes.

Best part about this recipe is it isn't so much of a recipe as a meal suggestion, feel free to take this idea and make it your own!

Nutrition Information does not include toppings.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

1

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 284Total Fat: 14gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 47mgSodium: 206mgCarbohydrates: 22gFiber: 3gSugar: 2gProtein: 17g

Nutritional data is automated, final nutritional information will depend on ingredients used and any changes made.

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment below on the blog or share a photo with me tag @the_schmidty_wife! Can't wait to see what you made!

© Lauren Schmidt
Cuisine: American

And make sure you are following me on TikTok, Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook for all the latest recipes!

Peace & Love

Lauren, The Schmidty Wife

Easy Crockpot Carnitas + How to Make Them Crispy!

April 8, 2020 by Lauren Schmidt 135 Comments

A simple recipe for delicious Crockpot Pork Carnitas! This Mexican classic comes together in no time using flavorful pork butt, spices, onion, oranges, and beer! With a special trick to get your carnitas tasting better than what you get at a restaurant! Perfect for filling tacos, burritos, quesadillas, and more!

This post may contain Affiliate Links.

close up photo showing crispy carnitas on a sheet pan with an orange slice

Let’s Make Easy Pork Carnitas in the Slow Cooker

The best recipes in my opinion are ones that are simple to make, delicious, and can be stretched into multiple meals AND THIS ONE DOES IT ALL!

These Crockpot Carnitas are:

  1. Easy to make. Basically a dump and go slow cooker recipe!
  2. Super flavorful, a recipe the WHOLE FAMILY will devour.
  3. It is a large recipe that keeps really well so it is perfect for stretching into multiple meals!

I love these Carnitas so much in fact that I am working on a whole recipe series of what to make with your Leftover Carnitas!

all of the ingredients needed to make crockpot carnitas together in the crockpot

What you need to make Easy Crockpot Carnitas:

Equipment you need:

  • Slow Cooker/Crockpot
  • Standard Kitchen Tools (Cutting Board, Knife, Fork, Measuring Spoons)
  • Oven
  • Sheet Pan/Tray

Ingredients you need:

  • Pork Butt: Around 4 pounds & preferably boneless, also called a Boston Butt. It is actually the cut of pork that comes from the upper part of the front shoulder. It is the cut of pork typically used for making pulled pork.
  • Onion: Diced, a sweet, yellow, or white variety will work.
  • Spices: Chipotle Chili Powder, Dried Oregano, Cumin, and Salt. NOTE: The Chipotle Chili Powder is different from just normal Chili powder, most big brands like McCormick Spices do carry the Chipotle variety, known to be more smoky and slightly more subtle.
  • Orange: Just 1 orange, a navel variety works best but any standard size orange will work. You will be using the zest and the juice.
  • Blue Moon Beer: Or similar beer, Blue Moon is a Belgian-style Witbier AKA a Wheat Ale, so look for something similar if you can’t find Blue Moon. You will just need one bottle for this recipe.
all of the ingredients laid out to make the crockpot carnitas recipe

How to make Crockpot Carnitas Recipe:

Carefully cut the pork butt into 4 even pieces. Leave any fat pieces on, this adds to the flavor and the fat can be picked off when it is time to pull the pork. I cut the pork but into pieces to allow more flavor soak into the meat.

Transfer pork pieces to the crock. Add the diced onion, chipotle chili powder, oregano, cumin, and salt over top pork.

Zest entire orange over top the spices and juice the entire orange into the crockpot.

step by step photos for slicing and placing the pork in the crockpot, the onions & spices, and orange in the crockpot

Now slowly pour the beer overtop the crockpot contents.

a blue moon beer being poured over the contents of the crockpot

Cover the crockpot and set to LOW for 6 to 8 hours or HIGH for 4 hours. Cooking times will vary depending on size of meat and equipment used.

a photo showing the crockpot contents before it is cooked and after it is cooked

Once the pork is done in the crockpot (able to be easily pulled apart) there is one last step that is a game changer for making these carnitas better than a restaurant. You will shred the pork and then it will be crisped up in the oven.

So set your oven to BROIL. Transfer all the pork to a sheet pan. Pull/shread pork apart and spread over the entire sheet pan.

Measure out about 1/4 cup of the liquid from the crockpot and sprinkle evenly over the pulled pork.

Transfer to the middle rack of the oven and broil 5 to 6 minutes until the pork gets nice and crispy edges.

Serve immediately. Suggested serving, for delicious tacos serve with warm tortillas, queso fresco cheese, cilantro, and red onions.

a sheet pan full of crispy crockpot carnitas recipe
a sheet pan of carnitas next to a plate of pork carnitas tacos
three carnitas tacos on a white plate with onions, cheese and cilantro

If you like this recipe you might like:

  • Slow Cooker Chipotle Pineapple Carnitas
  • Crockpot Rotisserie Chicken
  • Crockpot Clean Eating BBQ Pulled Chicken
  • Slow Cooker Chicken Shawarma
  • Crockpot Bolognese

Have Leftover Carnitas?? Here are some great recipe ideas on how to use up those leftovers:

  • Carnitas Bowl
  • Loaded Carnitas Nachos
  • Leftover Carnitas Quesadillas

Need Chipotle Chili Powder? Order some here:

Yield: 8 servings

Crockpot Carnitas

close up photo showing crispy carnitas on a sheet pan with an orange slice

A simple recipe for delicious Crockpot Pork Carnitas! This Mexican classic comes together in no time using flavorful pork butt, spices, onion, oranges, and blue moon beer! With a special trick to get your carnitas tasting better than what you get at a restaurant! Perfect for filling tacos, burritos, quesadillas, and more!

Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 7 hours 5 minutes
Additional Time 5 minutes
Total Time 7 hours 15 minutes

Ingredients

  • 4 pounds pork butt
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 1 tablespoon chipotle chili powder
  • 2 teaspoons oregano
  • 2 teaspoons cumin
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 large orange
  • 1 (12oz) Blue Moon or similar wheat beer

Instructions

  1. Carefully cut pork butt into 4 even pieces. Transfer pork pieces to the crock. Add onion, chipolte chili powder, oregano, cumin, and salt over top pork. Zest entire orange over top the spices and juice the entire orange into the crockpot. Slowly pour the beer overtop the crockpot contents. Cover the crockpot and set to LOW for 7 to 8 hours or HIGH for 4 hours.
  2. Set oven to BROIL. Once pork is done (able to be easily pulled apart) transfer all the pork to a sheet pan. Pull pork apart and spread over the entire sheet pan. Measure out about 1/4 cup of liquid from the crockpot and sprinkle evenly over the pulled pork. Transfer to the middle rack of the oven and broil 5 to 6 minutes until the pork gets nice and crispy edges.
  3. Serve immediately. Suggested serving, for delicious tacos serve with warm tortillas, queso fresco cheese, cilantro, and red onions.

Notes

Chipotle Chili Powder is different than plain Chili Powder, use Chipotle Chili Powder in this recipe.

If you skip broiling in the oven I do find that the carnitas are really wet and mushy which isn't great, so don't skip the broiling step!

While I highly suggest beer for this recipe, if you don't have beer in your house you can use broth instead.

The Pork Butt cut is also referred to as a Boston Butt, they are the same thing. This cut of meat sometimes will contain a bone, I recommend a boneless cut.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

  • Hamilton Beach 6-Quart Slow Cooker
    Hamilton Beach 6-Quart Slow Cooker

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 632Total Fat: 43gSaturated Fat: 16gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 23gCholesterol: 195mgSodium: 447mgCarbohydrates: 5gFiber: 1gSugar: 3gProtein: 53g

Nutritional data is automated, final nutritional information will depend on ingredients used and any changes made.

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment below on the blog or share a photo with me tag @the_schmidty_wife! Can't wait to see what you made!

© Lauren Schmidt
Cuisine: Mexican / Category: Crockpot

And make sure you are following me on TikTok, Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook for all the latest recipes!

Peace & Love

Lauren, The Schmidty Wife

Black Bean Nachos Recipe

March 12, 2019 by Lauren Schmidt Leave a Comment

This easy Black Bean Nachos Recipe is the perfect weeknight meal. These nachos are topped with black beans, cheese, and loaded with toppings, plus they are cooked in less than 10 minutes. You can have your family fed a delicious and healthy meal in almost no time!

This post may contain Affiliate Links.

black bean nachos recipe on a sheet pan ready to eat

How many meals do you make on a regular basis where your family inhales all of it? How many of these meals take 10 minutes? If you you are looking for a recipe that fulfills both of those requirements look no further, this is that meal, Black Bean Nachos Recipe. 

The first time I made these it was sort of out of desperation of needing to feed my family a Sunday lunch but not having anything planned. So we had had Mexican earlier in the week so we had a lot of extras from that, you know chips, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes… Well the vision of a quick black bean nachos recipe sprung into action really quick. 

I made these one time and my family LOVED them so much, so I ended up adding it to my meal plans, developing the recipe, and now here they are being shared with you. 

And the best part is that as much as my family loves these I love these even more. Want to take a guess why? Yeah because THESE NACHOS ARE SO STINKIN’ EASY! Like 10 minutes dinners on the table easy, okay I guess 15 if you count prepping and topping. Either way they are delicious! 

ingredients for the nachos, black beans with spices

The Ingredients 

Black Beans. The main ingredient, I always have black beans in my pantry, the are perfect for sooo many things. Including if you need to make nachos in a pinch 😉 But seriously they are a healthy choice given that they are loaded with with fiber, folate, potassium, and protein.

Seasonings. For seasoning the black beans I went with a spice mixture that mirrors taco seasoning, and with spices you should already have in your spice cabinet. Cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and salt. Also in a pinch you could probably just use a few tablespoons of taco seasoning! 

Tortilla chips. Probably the one things that makes this meal ‘questionably’ healthy. When I look at tortilla chips there are a lot of brands out there that I find to be pretty ‘clean’, meaning just a couple of real ingredients, like ones you can actually spell. To find these brands I look more to the ‘local’ or artisan ones you find at the grocery store. They might cost about a dollar more but I find not only is the ingredients list nicer but they almost always taste better than some of those bigger brands. So take a look at the back of those chip bags next time you are at the store to discover which ones will be right for you! (I do enjoy Xochitl brand, which I think is available nationwide.)

Mexican Cheese Blend. Can you even have nachos without cheese? Okay I just googled it, you can’t the actual definition of nachos is “a dish of tortilla chips topped with melted cheese and often also other savory toppings”. So I grab for the Mexican blend at the store, if you wanted you could easily use a taco blend, or cheddar, I’ve even made these with pepper jack before!

For topping:

Shredded lettuce, either romaine or iceberg work great here. To make this really easy I buy pre-shredded tor chopped lettuce. One less thing right? And any extra lettuce I have can easily be added to another salad later in the week.

Tomato, diced up. I’ve also been know to use halved cherry tomatoes in a pinch!

Avocado, sliced or mashed, take your pick. When my 3 year old is helping me in the kitchen I let him mash them up, he loves being able to help!

Black Olives, so I grew up always putting olives on nachos and even on classic tacos but apparently its not something everyone does, which is news to me. So if you haven’t tried olives on nachos before don’t knock it until you try it!

Plain Yogurt, or greek yogurt, or sour cream. Choose which one makes you happy, if you are looking for healthier stick with a yogurt. Personally I am team plain yogurt.

Cilantro. Adds some fresh flavor to the mix, I like to add quite a bit because my family enjoys cilantro, so add as much or as little as you wish. 

Red onion, diced. Adds just a little zing to to nachos!

Lastly I will note that these nachos are best served with some salsa and pickled jalapeños, just like at a restaurant! 

step two, add chips, beans, and cheese to a sheet pan

The Method

Preheat oven to 350º F. Line sheet pan with tortilla chips to create a layer of chips over the entire pan.

In a bowl add black beans, cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and salt. Mix to coat the black bean.

Evenly distribute the seasoned black beans and cheese over the chips.

Bake for 8-10 minutes until cheese is fully melted and chips just start to brown.

Evenly distribute the toppings, lettuce, tomato, avocado, olives, onion, cilantro, and drizzle the yogurt (sour cream) overtop. And dinner is served!

overhead shot of seasoned black bean nachos on a sheet pan
tray of seasoned black bean nachos with toppings

TIPS & TRICKS

• You can use this recipe and method for other beans or proteins as well, instead of black beans pinto beans, refried beans, or pre-cooked shredded chicken, pork or beef would work well

• And I hope it goes without saying but I will say it anyways, feel free to change up the toppings as you like, love spice, go crazy with jalapeños, hate tomatoes, leave them off

• To help with clean up line sheet pan with parchment paper

You Might Also Like:

  • Easy Vegetarian Crockpot Refried Beans
  • Slow Cooker Black Bean Tortilla Soup
  • One Pot Southwest Quinoa
  • Loaded Leftover Carnitas Nachos
  • Easy One-Pot Black Bean Taco Spaghetti
Yield: 4 servings

Black Bean Nachos Recipe

black bean nachos recipe on a sheet pan ready to eat

Seasoned Black Bean Nachos are topped with cheese and loaded with toppings. Cooked in less than 10 minutes, you will have your family fed in almost no time!

Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 (15oz) can black beans, drained & rinsed
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/3 of a 1 lbs bag of tortilla chips
  • 2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend
  • 2 cups shredded lettuce, romaine or iceberg
  • 1 large tomato, diced
  • 1 avocado, sliced
  • 1 2oz can sliced black olives, drained
  • 1/4 cup plain yogurt
  • small handful cilantro
  • 2 tablespoons red onion, diced

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350º F. Line sheet pan with tortilla chips to create a layer of chips over the entire pan.
  2. In a bowl add black beans, cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and salt. Mix to coat the black bean.
  3. Evenly distribute the seasoned black beans and cheese over the chips.
  4. Bake for 8-10 minutes until cheese is fully melted and chips just start to brown.
  5. Evenly distribute the toppings, lettuce, tomato, avocado, olives, onion, cilantro, and drizzle the yogurt (sour cream) overtop. Serve immediately.

Notes

Best served with salsa and pickled jalapeños.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 582Total Fat: 29gSaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 14gCholesterol: 54mgSodium: 825mgCarbohydrates: 58gFiber: 18gSugar: 6gProtein: 29g

Nutritional data is automated, final nutritional information will depend on ingredients used and any changes made.

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment below on the blog or share a photo with me tag @the_schmidty_wife! Can't wait to see what you made!

© Lauren Schmidt
Cuisine: Mexican

And make sure you are following me on TikTok, Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook for all the latest recipes!

Peace & Love

Lauren, The Schmidty Wife

Slow Cooker Black Bean Tortilla Soup

February 5, 2019 by Lauren Schmidt 35 Comments

Slow Cooker Black Bean Tortilla Soup is a hearty and delicious vegetarian soup made in the crockpot using canned goods and fresh ingredients.

This post may contain Affiliate Links.

Overhead shot of a bowl of Slow Cooker Black Bean Tortilla Soup

Crockpot Black Bean Soup

I have been experimenting around with tortilla soup for probably a year now, making minor changes and big changes along the way. Recently I finally hit the jackpot, I made a super flavorful yet minimally prepped soup that can be thrown in the slow cooker in the morning so its ready to eat by evening. This Slow Cooker Black Bean Tortilla Soup also happens to be vegetarian and healthy so whether it is Meatless Mondays, slow cooker weather, or soup season this soup is perfect.

Now I will warn you know I have ‘two versions’ of this soup I am sharing with you today, I put that in quotes because it is the same recipe but for some of the ingredients you can choose homemade versions or store bought versions. I tested both ways and both were delicious, so it totally depends on you and how much effort/planning ahead you want to do!

Most of this soup comes from the help of canned goods, so most of the soup is opening up the cans and dumping. Although I did add fresh diced onions and a green pepper, which totally ups the soups freshness level. 

Now my favorite part of this soup besides being easy to make is the ‘faux’ creaminess, I wanted to give the soup a little bit of a creamy and hearty texture without adding any cream. To do this you’ll see that I have added refried beans to give it that texture. So besides the little extra step of whisking this soup is a breeze to make, let’s take a look!

Canned Good you need for the Tortilla Soup sitting in the crockpot

The Ingredients 

Black Beans. The star of this soup, when experimenting with this recipe I tried all different kinds of ‘stars’ including chicken and different kinds of beans but every single time I knew that just black beans is what was best. Plus they’re cheaper than chicken and loaded with with fiber, folate, potassium, and protein.

Refried Beans. So I guess I really did use two kinds of beans for this soup! I wanted to give the soup a heartier and thicker feel and taste to it and what better way than using beans! And no need to smash up beans when refried beans are already all smashed. I like to use my own recipe for the refried beans, with very little effort and just a little forethought I make a batch of my Easy Vegetarian Crockpot Refried Beans the day before. But if I don’t have the time I just grab a can from the store, but note if you really want this soup vegetarian make sure you buy the refried beans labeled so, because most original varieties are not! The biggest difference I noticed between homemade and store bought is that it was harder to stir the store-bought into the broth whereas the homemade mixed right in. 

Corn. For this tortilla soup the mixture of black beans and corn was an absolute must. Plus canned corn is so easy to use. To keep this soup healthy and tasting best opt for a no-added sugar or salt varieties, plus I always rinse off my corn just to ensure that the ‘canned’ taste doesn’t linger on them. Maybe it is just me but canned corn always has a ‘canned’ smell to it more than another canned products I’ve used, but I think that I just might be a little fussy…

Rotel. My beloved rotel coming back for another recipe. I mean it doesn’t get much better that pre-mixed tomatoes and green chilies. Rotel also comes in mild or original so that you can have more control over the spiciness level, I use mild so that my children will eat it!

And more green chiles. The minced green chilies definitely are what gives this soup it’s kick without it getting spicy. You could use a fresh diced jalapeño in its place if you wanted to up the heat and freshness factor. 

Enchilada Sauce. This is one of those ingredients that I warned you about, you get to pick homemade or store bought at this point you can use my Blender Enchilada Sauce Recipe or just pick up a can of sauce at the store. My enchilada recipe is super easy I promise and you will have some sauce left over if you want make enchiladas another night for dinner! 

Onion & Green Pepper. I couldn’t resist not adding some fresh vegetables to this soup, luckily an onion and a green pepper aren’t that difficult to chop up quickly, plus you could always do this the day before if you are strapped for time in the mornings. And if you haven’t learned the proper way to dice an onion yet check this video out, learning how to correctly cut an onion is such a time saver in the kitchen! 

Vegetable Broth. A quick container of vegetable broth from the store and you are ready to go! You could also use a vegetable base such as Better Than Bouillon if you wish.

And maybe salt… I find that all of the canned goods contain enough salt that I don’t like to add any but I also don’t like my dishes overly salty. So I recommend waiting until the soup is done, giving it a taste and adding salt if you see fit. 

The Garnishes: This soup is also all about the garnish. Shredded Mexican cheese, sour cream, chopped cilantro, a splash of lime juice, and tortilla strips/chips are all a must! I have also actually used tortilla chips to eat this soup before, yup like a pig. I almost eat this soup like a salsa scooping it up onto the chips, try it, it’s awesome!

Ingredients for the soup sitting in the crockpot
pouring enchilada sauce into the crockpot

How to make Black Bean Tortilla Soup

This is basically a dump and go recipe with two little minor exceptions. You need to dice an onion and green pepper, which should take too long or can be done ahead of time. And you have to quickly mix the refried beans into the broth that way the lump of beans isn’t just sitting on the bottom of the crockpot. Like I mentioned above my homemade refried beans were super easy to mix in while the store bought took just a little extra whisking.

3 bowls of Crockpot Black Bean Tortilla Soup
Black Bean Tortilla Soup in a bowl with garnishes
A big bowl of Black Bean Tortilla Soup

TIPS & TRICKS

•  don’t skip the little squeeze of lime juice into your bowl, it really adds a next level to the soup

• you could easily make this soup on the stove top or the instant pot, just cook until the onions and green peppers are tender 

• this would pair well with my easy Mexican Rice

Yield: 6 servings

Slow Cooker Black Bean Tortilla Soup Recipe

Overhead shot of a bowl of Slow Cooker Black Bean Tortilla Soup

a hearty and delicious vegetarian black bean tortilla soup made in the crockpot

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 7 hours
Total Time 7 hours 10 minutes

Ingredients

  • 4 cups (32oz) Vegetable Broth
  • 1 15oz can refried beans OR 1 1/2 cups homemade refried beans
  • 2 15oz cans black beans, drained
  • 1 15oz corn, drained and rinsed
  • 1 10oz can rotel
  • 1 4oz can diced green chilies
  • 1 10oz can red enchilada sauce OR 1 cup blender enchilada sauce
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 1 green pepper, diced
  • salt to taste*

garnishes for servings

  • shredded Mexican cheese
  • sour cream
  • cilantro
  • lime wedges/lime juice
  • tortilla strips/chips

Instructions

  1. Add vegetable broth and refried beans to the crockpot, mix to stir together (if you are using store bought you might need to use a whisk) so that the refried beans are mostly incorporated into the broth.
  2. Add the remaining ingredients; blacks beans, corn, rotel, green chilies, enchilada sauce, onion, and green pepper to the crockpot.
  3. Cook on low for 6-7 hours or high for 3-4 hours.
  4. Before serving taste to see if you need to add salt. Divide between bowls and top with shredded Mexican cheese, sour cream, cilantro, lime wedges, and tortilla strips/chips.

Notes

*I find that a lot of the canned goods contain enough salt that I don't need to add any but I also don't like a lot of salt in my food, so add salt at the end after tasting to see if you need it to your tastes

Nutritional data is automated, final nutritional information will depend on ingredients used and any changes made. Nutrition does not contain garnishes.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 307Total Fat: 3gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 663mgCarbohydrates: 56gFiber: 14gSugar: 9gProtein: 15g

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment below on the blog or share a photo with me tag @the_schmidty_wife! Can't wait to see what you made!

© Lauren Schmidt
Cuisine: Mexican / Category: Main Dishes

Peace & Love

Lauren, The Schmidty Wife

P.S. Looking for more Mexican like my Slow Cooker Black Bean Tortilla Soup? Check out my Slow Cooker Chipotle Pineapple Carnitas or my Fresh Restaurant Style Salsa.

Easy Vegetarian Crockpot Refried Beans

January 15, 2019 by Lauren Schmidt 11 Comments

Easy Vegetarian Crockpot Refried Beans - 4 ingredients, no 'frying', healthy
Easy Vegetarian Crockpot Refried Beans - a simple alternative to canned plus it tastes better than a restaurant

On so many levels I love this recipe I am sharing with you today. First, it is freaking delicious. Second, it’s not actually ‘fried’ or ‘refried’ for that matter so its healthy. Third, it is easy, like so easy the hardest part is dicing an onion. Fourth, this recipe is the perfect set it and forget it recipe, especially perfect for a long weekday. Five, it is vegetarian so perfect for meatless Monday or if you are just trying to eat less meat. Six, you don’t have to go to an actual Mexican restaurant to get good quality refried beans, which means you don’t have to take off those ripped leggings and shirt with the stain on it. Seven… just kidding I think 6 reasons is enough to make this Easy Vegetarian Crockpot Refried Beans for dinner! 

In all realness though I had been making this for my family about once a week the past couple months. It is healthy and I can use these refried beans in different ways, so even though I made them a lot our dinners would look different. Here are some great ways to eat them:

• In burritos, just as bean burritos with lots of cheese or with ground beef, these easy vegetarian crockpot refried beans make fantastic burrito filling

• In quesadillas, fill your quesadillas with delicious beans and cheese

• Pair it with super easy Mexican Rice, for a fast and affordable dinner 

• Plus I have a soup coming out soon that uses refried beans ( I will update this as soon as I publish it)

So now that your stomach is grumbling lets look at how simple these ingredients are.

–> Quick personal side note, and it inludes this next picture. My son Archie who is now 3 loves to help me so much in the kitchen. When I told him I was going to work on taking pictures of the Easy Vegetarian Crockpot Refried Beans he insisted on helping and not only helping, he wanted to take pictures too. So we got everything set up and I opened the camera on my phone and he went to work. He seriously has a future in this, I mean look at him line up that shot! It seriously makes my heart explode how much he loves to help me! Proud momma right here! 🙂

a picture of a toddler taking a picture of the ingredients for crockpot refried beans

The Ingredients 

Pinto Beans. I use 1 pound of dried pinto beans in this recipe, if the thought of using dried beans scares you a little bit, stop don’t let it. They are actually really easy to use in this recipe I promise. So grab a dried bog of them the next time you are at the store, part of the reason I love this recipe so much is that it is ‘basically’ a pantry meal, I put basically in quotes because it depends if you think of onions as a pantry items or not. I always like to grab an extra can of pinto beans just for troubleshooting the recipe (in case they come out watery) or if I want to add some beans back in for texture.

Onion. Doesn’t it seem like onion gets added to everything?! According to the National Onion Association, Americans on average eat 20 pounds of onions a year. That is a lot of tears! In Mexican food more often white onions are used but yellow onion works in this recipe just as well.

Green Chilies. A little can of minced green chilies brings these refried beans to ‘Flavor Town’. Another pantry staple, green chilies bring just enough kick to the beans without becoming overpowering and still ‘kid friendly’ (aka not too spicy).

Garlic. In this dish you can use either whole garlic or pre-minced garlic. Part of your decision on this will depend on if you have an immersion blender or not. If you have an immersion blender, whole cloves are perfect because they will blend right up, if you don’t no sweat just use minced garlic. 

Spices. Salt, pepper, and cumin. I stuck to the classics and tried not to get to crazy with the spices. Although it seems like there is a lot of salt in the recipes, remember its a lot of beans!

toddler hands holding a bowl of garlic ready for the crockpot

a toddler hand helping place garlic into the crockpot

all of the ingredients needed sitting in a slow cooker

The Method

Rinse beans and check for any particles and rocks, as you would with any dried beans. Because they use machines to separate out the beans you never know if a rock could accidentally sneak by! There is a also a lot of chatter on the internet about letting beans soak and switching out the water to reduce the amount of gas it might give you, yes we are talking farts now. I have never had a problem with this and I have never soaked these beans overnight for this recipe BUT if you have a hard time with beans apparently soaking them before hand reduces the carbohydrate oligosaccharides is what causes some people some issues. I am not going to continue to talk about gas anymore but I thought that I would throw that out there. 

Once that is done add all of the ingredients into the crockpot. Make sure you use all 9 cups of water, it might seem like a lot but the beans need it.  Set on HIGH for 8 -9 hours. Yes on HIGH not low, this is one of those recipes where you really want the crockpot bubbling away on those beans all day. 

Once time has passed and beans are soft remove remaining liquid but you’ll want to reserve the liquid.

Either ladle it out of the crockpot or place a colander into a large bowl and pour the contents of the crockpot in, returning the beans back to the crockpot. You’ll want to make sure you reserve water in case you need to thin the beans out as you are blending.

If you have an immersion blender the next part is a breeze, blend the beans in the crockpot until to your preferred smooth consistency.

If you don’t have an immersion blender, no worries you can transfer to a stand blender and blend smooth in batches or you can mash the beans with a potato masher. I personally like my refried beans a little chunkier so sometimes I like to use the potato masher method. 

If the beans are too thick add the reserved bean water back in a tablespoon at a time until smooth. Note, the beans will continue to thicken as they cool.

I like to keep an extra can of pinto beans handy to troubleshoot this recipe, in case you don’t get enough liquids out and the beans are too runny, you can add in the can of beans to thicken it up, I only ran across this issue when testing and I didn’t let the beans cook long enough and didn’t take enough water out, but I thought I would at least give you a heads up that it happened.

Serve your Easy Vegetarian Crockpot Refried Beans immediately, best topped with cheese!

easy vegetarian refried beans in the crockpot with cheese, tomatoes, and jalapeños

Easy Vegetarian Crockpot Refried Beans with cheese, tomatoes, and jalapeños with a spoon for scooping

cooked refried beens sitting in the crockpot

TIPS & TRICKS

• If you want to make this a little fresher and/or spicier swap out the can of green chilies for a fresh diced jalapeño 

Yield: 6 servings

Easy Vegetarian Crockpot Refried Beans Recipe

Easy Vegetarian Crockpot Refried Beans with cheese, tomatoes, and jalapeños with a spoon for scooping

these better than a restaurant refried beans are a healthy meatless meal made easy in the slow cooker with only a few ingredients and no 're-frying' required

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 8 hours
Total Time 8 hours 10 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 pound dried pinto beans
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 1 4oz can minced green chilies
  • 8 cloves of garlic or 2 tablespoons minced garlic
  • 3 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 9 cups water

Instructions

  1. Rinse beans and check for any particles and rocks.
  2. Add all ingredients into the crockpot. Set on HIGH for 8 -9 hours.
  3. Once time has passed and beans are soft remove remaining liquid but reserve the liquid. Either ladle it out of the crockpot or place a colander into a large bowl and pour the contents of the crockpot in, returning the beans back to the crockpot. You'll want to make sure you reserve water in case you need to thin the beans out as you are blending.
  4. If using an immersion blender, blend the beans in the crockpot until to your preferred smooth consistency. If you don't have an immersion blender you can transfer to a stand blender and blend smooth in batches or you can mash the beans with a potato masher. If the beans are too thick add the reserved bean water back in a tablespoon at a time until smooth. Note, the beans will continue to thicken as they cool.
  5. Serve immediately, best topped with cheese. Refrigerate in an airtight container, keeps up to a week in the fridge.

Notes

*I like to keep an extra can of pinto beans handy to troubleshoot this recipe, in case you don't get enough liquids out and the beans are too runny, you can add in the can of beans to thicken it up, I only ran across this issue when testing and I didn't let the beans cook long enough and didn't take enough water out, but I thought I would at least give you a heads up that it happened

Nutritional data is automated, final nutritional information will depend on ingredients used and any changes made.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

  • KOIOS 6-Speed Immersion Hand Blender/Mixer
    KOIOS 6-Speed Immersion Hand Blender/Mixer

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 105Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 1225mgCarbohydrates: 20gFiber: 4gSugar: 1gProtein: 6g

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment below on the blog or share a photo with me tag @the_schmidty_wife! Can't wait to see what you made!

© Lauren Schmidt
Cuisine: Mexican / Category: Crockpot

Peace & Love

Lauren, The Schmidty Wife

P.S. Looking for more Mexican like my Easy Vegetarian Crockpot Refried Beans? Check out my Slow Cooker Chipotle Pineapple Carnitas or my Fresh Restaurant Style Salsa.

Please note that my links above may be affiliate links, and I will earn a commission if you purchase through these links. I recommend them because they are helpful, and are companies that I trust, not because of the commissions that I may earn from you using these products.

Slow Cooker Chipotle Pineapple Carnitas

June 21, 2018 by Lauren Schmidt Leave a Comment

Slow Cooker Chipotle Pineapple Carnitas ~ A delicious twist on this classic Mexican dish made easy in the crockpot #slowcooker #crockpot #carnitas #porkcarnitas

I ABSOLUTELY LOVE MY SLOW COOKER. I don’t know if I’ve ever came out and said it before on the blog but Crockpot cooking is one of my favorite ways to feed my family. Since we received our slow cooker as a bridal shower gift from my aunts it has come out AT LEAST once a week, usually more to make our dinner.

It has been approximately 5 months since I shared a new slow cooker recipe with you. My Crockpot Bolognese in January to be exact (One of my last Recipes before Fred was born, so in all fairness some of that time I was taking a break). So it is time to share a new one.

Slow Cooker Chipotle Pineapple Carnitas.

Carnitas is one of those classic crockpot meals, the pork is slow cooked for hours to get nice and tender, ready to be eaten after a busy day. Well recently I had been playing with some leftovers in my fridge that I wanted to use up and I found some unused Chipotle Peppers in Adobe sauce. What a perfect start to some flavorful carnitas!

Chipotle Peppers in Adobe Sauce

Usually I like to use oranges as my sweet ingredient in Carnitas but with the chipotle peppers I felt like I needed to switch it up. Well I found a can of crushed pineapples that was collecting dust in my pantry and I knew that would be a perfect match!

So with a few chipotle peppers and pineapple I added in a variety of classic carnita spices like oregano, cumin, chili powder, salt, and cinnamon. And gave it a mix!

I decided to add a little liquid smoke that I already had to give it a little smokey flavor (although this dish would still be great without it), and I knew before I even put it in the crockpot that this was going to be a great meal.

Ingredients for Slow Cooker Chipotle Pineapple Carnitas in bowl ready to be mixed and poured over the pork

The pork roast goes into the crock and the pineapple spice mixture is poured over and that’s it! Set it to cook on low for 6-8 hours and get ready for your house to smell like carnitas!

So when it came to serving this carnitas it took a little trial and error. I first tried to serve them like you would a classic beef taco and it just wasn’t right so I tried them again street taco style and OMG, perfection.

The simpler the better, corn tortillas stuffed with the slow cooker chipotle pineapple carnitas, topped with crumbled queso fresco, diced red onion, and a bunch of chopped cilantro. It is seriously drool worthy!

I have also used the leftover carnitas to make nachos, and would highly recommend if you have leftovers to make some nachos.

Any way you make it these Slow Cooker Chipotle Pineapple Carnitas are full of flavor and extremely easy to make. Exactly what you should be making for your next meal!

Slow Cooker Chipotle Pineapple Carnitas on a serving platter topped with queso fresco, diced red onion, and cilantro

A Slow Cooker Chipotle Pineapple Carnitas sitting on a plate

Slow Cooker Chipotle Pineapple Carnitas ready to be eaten by a pair of hungry hands

TIPS & TRICKS:

• for the pork roast I have used both a bone-in picnic roast and a large pork butt, both worked terrific, I would recommend cutting off any fatty sections before placing it in the crockpot

• this is a pretty spicy meal, my two year old thinks it is too spicy, I always put in 3 peppers, if you want to use a little less spice you could only go with 2

• because of the pineapple these pork carnitas are super juicy so make sure to drain the pork a little more before serving than you would otherwise so you don’t get soggy tacos

• I recommend warming your corn tortillas on a skillet before serving

• a little splash of lime juice is always welcome on these tacos, also a margarita would go with these wonderfully

• my Mexican Rice recipe pairs perfectly with these carnitas 

Yield: 6 servings

Slow Cooker Chipotle Pineapple Carnitas Recipe

Slow Cooker Chipotle Pineapple Carnitas on a serving platter topped with cheese, onions, and cilantro

chipotle peppers and pineapple makes these slow roasted pork carnitas extra juicy and flavorful

Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 7 hours
Total Time 7 hours 5 minutes

Ingredients

  • 3 lbs pork roast (bone-in picnic roast or a pork shoulder work best)
  • 1 20 oz can crushed pineapple
  • 2-3 adobe peppers in chipotle sauce, diced
  • 2 teaspoons oregano
  • 2 teaspoons cumin
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • OPTIONAL: 1/2-1 teaspoon liquid smoke

to serve:

  • ~18 corn tortillas
  • queso fresco (usually comes in a 10oz round)
  • a red onion, diced
  • a bunch of cilantro, chopped

Instructions

  1. Mix together pineapple, peppers, oregano, cumin, chili powder, salt, and cinnamon (plus liquid smoke if using) in a large bowl until combined. 
  2. Add pork roast into the crockpot. Dump pineapple and spice mixture over top the roast. Cover.
  3. Set and cook on low 6-7 hours. 
  4. A few minutes before serving shred the pork roast and let rest in the juices for a few minutes. Best served street taco style on corn tortillas topped with queso fresco, red onions, and cilantro.

Notes

the carnitas tend to come out watery from the juice so use a tongs or slotted spoon to let the juice run off to serve

Nutrition includes only the pork carnitas, it does not take into consideration the tortillas or toppings. Nutritional data is automated, final nutritional information will depend on ingredients used and any changes made.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

3-4 tacos

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 355Total Fat: 12gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 150mgSodium: 534mgCarbohydrates: 13gFiber: 2gSugar: 10gProtein: 47g

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment below on the blog or share a photo with me tag @the_schmidty_wife! Can't wait to see what you made!

© Lauren Schmidt
Cuisine: Mexican

Peace & Love

Lauren, The Schmidty Wife

P.S. Looking for more crockpot recipes like my Slow Cooker Chipotle Pineapple Carnitas? Check out my Crockpot Rotisserie Chicken or my Crockpot ‘Cheater” Beef Pho.

Please note that my links above may be affiliate links, and I will earn a commission if you purchase through these links. I recommend them because they are helpful, and are companies that I trust, not because of the commissions that I may earn from you using these products.

Mexican Rice

January 17, 2018 by Lauren Schmidt 7 Comments

This Mexican Rice is an easy and quick dish made from pantry staples! The perfect side dish for any Mexican meal.

This post may contain Affiliate Links.

This post was given a refresh April 1, 2021 with clarified instructions and new photos. Recipe remains the same. 

Bright orange-red colored Mexican Rice in a large white bowl with a wooden spoon garnished with chopped cilantro.

Easy Mexican Rice Recipe

This recipe is a staple in my house. We have so many Mexican and Tex-Mex inspired meals and this is always an easy choice to make as a side. I swear I could probably make it with my eyes closed at this point…

For real it is that simple!

This recipe is also great because it can easily be altered and subbed. For example for some extra vegetables I very often will throw in 1 cup of frozen mixed veggies in as it is cooking. It is also easy to make with different kinds of onions or tomatoes, really whatever you have at home!

Ingredients

Besides the onion and garlic everything else is a pantry item! So it’s easy to stock up on these items so you can make this at anytime!

  • Olive Oil
  • Small Onion
  • Minced Garlic
  • White Rice
  • Sazón Goya Con Culantro Y Achiote Seasoning Packet
  • Diced Tomatoes
  • Water
  • Oregano
  • Salt

For a complete detailed list of the ingredients continue towards the bottom of the page.

Ingredients needed to make mexican rice arranged on a table top including Sazón Goya Con Cilantro Y Achiote.

Instructions for Mexican Rice

In a medium pot (that has a tight fitting lid) heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic, sauté 3-4 minutes until slightly translucent. 

Add rice to the pot and sauté 1-2 minute to slightly toast the rice. 

Next add the seasoning packet, diced tomatoes, water, oregano, and salt to the pot. Stir and cover. Bring to boil.

Once the rice is boiling, leave the lid on, reduce heat to low, and cook for 10 to 13 minutes. (Do not open the lid or stir during this time, just quickly check after the first 10 minutes to see if it needs a few more minutes.) 

Remove from heat, stir to fluff, and serve immediately.

Overhead view of a large white bowl of mexican rice on a table surrounded by cilantro and cut up limes.
Large white bowl filled with red-orange colored mexican rice garnished with cilantro with a wooden spoon.

Tips, Tricks, & Questions:

• Sazón Goya Con Culantro y Achiote (Coriander & Annatto) is a seasoning that comes in a box of packets. You can find it in the Mexican food or spice section of your grocery store or online here, Sazon Goya Con Culantro y Achiote. You can make this recipe without it, but it definitely adds a little something to the dish.

• I like to use flavored diced tomatoes in this dish when I have them, I think the fire roasted variety tastes amazing in here!

• Feel free to add some frozen mixed vegetables to the sauté if you feel inclined, I often add about 1-2 cups and soften them before I add the rice

Recipes to make with your Mexican Rice:

  • Easy Crockpot Carnitas
  • The Easiest Chicken Tacos
  • Slow Cooker Chipotle Pineapple Carnitas
  • Crockpot Refried Beans or Pressure Cooker Refried Beans
  • Slow Cooker Black Bean Tortilla Soup
  • Red Lentil Tacos
Yield: 6 servings

Mexican Rice

A white bowl with a wooden spoon filled with mexican rice and garnished with cilantro.

A quick and easy side dish perfect for Mexican dishes made from pantry staples!

Prep Time 2 minutes
Cook Time 18 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 1 small yellow onion, diced
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
  • 1 cup white rice (I use jasmine)
  • 1 packet Sazón Goya Con Culantro Y Achiote seasoning*
  • 1 can diced tomatoes
  • 1 1/2 cup water
  • 1 teaspoon oregano

Instructions

  1. In a large pot (that has a tight fitting lid) heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, sauté 3-4 minutes until slightly translucent. 
  2. Add the rice and sauté 1-2 minute to slightly toast the rice. 
  3. Add the seasoning packet, diced tomatoes, water and oregano to the pot. Stir and cover, then to bring to boil.
  4. Once the pot is boiling leave lid on, reduce heat to low, and cook for 10 minutes (do not open lid or stir during this time). 
  5. Check the rice, if it seems watery, let cook 2-3 more minutes. Once all the liquid has been absorbed, remove from heat. Fluff rice and serve immediately.

Notes

*This may be left out or substituted with a dash of cumin and coriander. I have not had trouble finding it at the store (it can be found at Walmart), there is a picture above in the post to help you out. 

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

  • Sazon Goya Con Culantro Y Achiote
    Sazon Goya Con Culantro Y Achiote

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1/4 of the dish

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 78Total Fat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 154mgCarbohydrates: 15gFiber: 1gSugar: 2gProtein: 2g

Nutritional data is automated, final nutritional information will depend on ingredients used and any changes made.

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment below on the blog or share a photo with me tag @the_schmidty_wife! Can't wait to see what you made!

© Lauren Schmidt
Cuisine: Mexican / Category: Side Dishes

And make sure you are following me on TikTok, Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook for all the latest recipes!

Peace & Love

Lauren, The Schmidty Wife

Original Post:

A quick sauté of onions and garlic, and everything else is put into the pot and cooked into a delicious side dish your whole family will enjoy! Well most of your family anyway 😉

So this is probably the first recipe on The Schmidty Wife in which I am not the biggest fan of… say what?!? I am not a fan of Mexican Rice in general, never have been probably never will be, I never eat the rice at Mexican Restaurants, it either goes not eaten or my husband/son will gobble it down. So if I don’t like Mexican Rice why on earth would I make it? Because Matt and Archie absolutely love the stuff, they gobble it down. So I developed a recipe that is made easy from pantry items.

i’m lauren

Welcome to my food blog, The Schmidty Wife. I’m all about making Real Fresh Food for Real Fun Families. Here you can find delicious recipes to bring the family together at the table. My recipes are for any home cook, they focus on real ingredients that people are familiar with. From crockpot meals, to easy chicken recipes, fun pizzas, and drinks everyone will find something to love!

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