If you are looking for an easy, delicious, and affordable family dinner, then Sheet Pan Carnitas are just what you need! I came up with this recipe a while back and it’s been in our regular meal rotation ever since. You can serve it as tacos or rice bowls. Usually I have both options available so my family can do either or both. These people like to eat!
The star of this meal are the tender cubes of pork that you marinate in a flavorful blend of salsa verde and cumin. One great thing about this recipe is that the meat can be prepped a few hours ahead, the day before, or even frozen in the marinade weeks in advance. I like to cube the pork loin and get it marinating when I have some time to work on it and then get it in the oven later when things get busy. Most meat can be frozen in a marinade then the main flavoring and tenderizing happens as it thaws.
Frugal family meals!
Another advantage to using a pork loin is that it’s an affordable cut of meat. I can buy a 3 pound pork loin for around $8 and that is enough to feed 6 to 8 people. If you are feeding a smaller group then you will have some leftovers. When I plan my meals, I keep the per person cost in mind. For breakfast and lunch I try to keep it to $1 per person. For weeknight dinners my goal is $2 or less. This meal comes in around $2 per person depending on your toppings and if you buy rice in bulk or get a good price on tortillas.
Sheet Pan Carnitas Recipe
Pork and marinade
- 1 cup salsa verde
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 2-3 pound pork loin
To serve
- Flour tortillas
- Rice
- Queso Fresco or crumbling cheese
- Shredded cabbage
- Salsa verde or corn salsa made without black beans
- Sour cream
- Lime wedges
Marinade and prepping the pork
In a gallon size ziptop bag, combine the salsa verde, olive oil, kosher salt, and ground cumin. Stir or shake the bag to mix up the marinade. Cut the pork loin into 1 inch thick slices and trim off any fat before cutting into 1 inch wide strips. Finally cut the strips into 1 inch cubes and add to the marinade in the bag. Squeeze and shake the bag to coat all the cubes with the marinade.
Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight. To prep and freeze, lay the bag flat on a baking sheet and freeze. Freezing food flat on a baking sheet makes for easier storage and faster thawing. This recipe can be frozen for 2-3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before proceeding with the recipe.
Cooking the Sheet Pan Carnitas
When you’re ready to cook the carnitas, line a half sheet pan with parchment paper. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees with a rack near the top of the oven and one in the middle. Empty the bag onto the baking sheet and spread the cubes of pork into an even layer. It’s important to have the pork in a single even layer so it cooks and browns evenly.
Bake for 15 minutes on the middle rack. Remove from the oven and turn the pork cubes to cover them in the salsa marinade and allow all sides to cook evenly. Bake for 10 minutes more. Turn the oven to broil and move the sheet pan to the top rack. Roast for 5 minutes or until the pork starts to brown and sizzle. Keep an eye on it so it doesn’t burn. Remove from the oven.
Serving the Sheet Pan Carnitas
Serve in warmed flour tortillas or over hot rice. I set out crumbling cheese, or queso fresco, finely shredded cabbage, salsa verde or corn salsa, sour cream, and lime wedges. Sheet Pan Carnitas would also be great in a burrito or quesadilla. You could even use it as a topping for baked potatoes or sweet potatoes!
A couple of extra things I do is toss the shredded cabbage with lime juice and make the corn salsa without the black beans. You could certainly leave out the lime juice or just serve with the salsa verde left over from the marinade but I like those little extras.
Sheet Pan Pork Carnitas
Ingredients
- 1 cup salsa verde
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tbsp ground cumin
- 2-3 pound pork loin
To serve
- flour tortillas or rice
- crumbling cheese, shredded cabbage, salsa, sour cream, and lime wedges
Instructions
- Pour salsa verde, olive oil, kosher salt, and ground cumin into a gallon size ziptop bag. Stir to combine.
- Slice the pork loin into 1 inch thick slices and trim off any fat. Cut each slice into strip and then into 1 inch cubes.
- Add the cubed pork loin to the ziptop bag of marinade and mix to coat all the pork in the marinade. Marinate for 2 hours or overnight.
- Preheat oven to 425 degree, move one rack to the top of the oven and keep one half-way up the oven. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Pour pork and marinade onto the sheet pan and spread into a single layer.
- Place pan on the rack in the middle of the oven and roast for 15 minutes. Stir the pork and spread out into a single layer again. Roast for 10 more minutes.
- Turn the oven to broil and move the tray to the top rack. Roast for 5 minutes. Keep an eye on the pork so it browns but doesn't burn. Remove from oven.
- Serve in tortillas with crumbling cheese, shredded cabbage, salsa, and lime wedges for tacos or over rice for rice bowls with the same toppings.
