Mennonite Girls Can Cook is a collection of recipes which were posted daily for a period of ten years from 2008 to 2018. We have over 3,000 delicious recipes that we invite you to try. The recipes can be accessed in our recipe file by category or you can use the search engine.

Recipe Search

Make Ahead Meals with Shredded Pork


It's a new year and for many of us some cold winter days are still ahead of us. I thought it would be helpful to share some make ahead meal ideas with just one slow cooked meal. Take a day to cook a 4 -5 lb pork shoulder roast in the slow cooker, shred and divide into 1 1/2 - 2 cup Ziploc containers to make a quick meal any time later this month. You can use your favorite recipe or try this one here. I ended up with about 9 - 10 cups of dry shredded pork and froze the sauce separately. In the recipes below, amounts are approximate, so use as desired for the number you are cooking for. These recipes serve 4 - 5.
 
 
Meal Number One - Quick Chili
  • 1/2 onion, chopped
  • 1/2 sweet or green pepper, chopped
  • 1 garlic clove, crushed
  • 1/4 tsp chili powder, 1/4 tsp cumin, 1 tsp oregano, salt to taste*
  • 1 can chili style diced tomatoes
  • 1 can chili style beans
  • 2 cups shredded pork
*increase spices if not using chili style tomatoes and beans (not sure if they are available everywhere)
Cook onion and pepper until soft in small amount of oil. Add garlic, spices, tomatoes, beans, and pork. Bring to boil and simmer 20 minutes. Serve with cornbread. We like our chili on rice with a salad on the side.

 

 
Meal Number Two - Stuffed Yams
  • 2 cups leftover shredded pork chili OR 1 1/2 cup shredded pork and a can of no meat chili
  • 1 can corn or 1 cup frozen corn
  • grated cheese
  • chives
Wash yams. Spread with olive oil, poke once with fork and bake 45 minutes or until done.
Heat chili, shredded pork and corn. Serve over split yams with cheese and chives.
 
 

 
Meal Number Three - Pork and Mango Quesadilla
  • 4 large tortillas
  • 1 cup apple chutney
  • 1 1/2 cups shredded pork
  • 1 ripe mango, peeled and sliced thin
  • shredded Monterey Jack cheese
Spread two tortillas with chutney and pork. Lay thin slices of mango on top, cover with cheese and  top layer tortilla. Heat in large non stick pan over medium heat until brown underneath. Carefully flip over to do the other side and cook until cheese is melted. Cut into wedges with Pizza cutter.
 

 
Meal Number Four - Pulled Pork Soup
  • 1/2 onion, chopped
  • 1/2 pepper, chopped
  • 1/2 cup chopped celery
  • 1 clove garlic, crushed
  • 1 can crushed or chunky tomatoes
  • 1 can Romano or white beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 1/2 cups shredded pork
  • 1 cup frozen corn
  • 4 cups chicken broth (or 3 tsp better-than-bouillon and 4 cups water)
  • 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar (optional)
  • 1 tsp basil
  • 1 Tbsp finely chopped parsley
 
Cook onion, pepper, celery and garlic in small amount of oil. Add the rest of the ingredients. Bring to boil and simmer 30 minutes.
 



Meal Number Five - Pulled Pork Sandwiches
  • 2 cups shredded pork (approx)
  • 2 cups sauce (liquids set aside when pork was cooked)
Heat and serve on buns with coleslaw on the side. 
  
Posted by Picasa

8 comments:

  1. Now this is my kind of plan--so much from one crock pot of meat. Lovely!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I love this idea but I haven't had much luck making good shredded pork......any hints?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. For slow cooked pork roast that will fall apart and shred easily with a fork, it is recommended to use a shoulder blade
      roast. It may not look the leanest, but this cut has just the right combination of fat to meat to allow the roast to keep its flavor and become tender while cooking. Cook roast on low for about 12 hours. Lift roast onto carving board to shred.
      If you are using the liquids, skim off the fat.

      Delete
  3. These are wonderful recipe ideas, and sound so delicious. Thanks for taking the time to share them.

    ReplyDelete
  4. This is so great!!! I especially love the idea of using it as a "top a sweet potato" meal! Never would have thought of that. Thanks for these time saving nutritious meal ideas.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Do look good .. esp for our -38 temps days in Sask .. and that's not wind;chill so will have to get some warm cooking done .. performed a outdoor wedding .. today was short but truly magical .. with the beauty of nature of God;s presence ,,
    hopefully they had a warm meal waitng ,,

    ReplyDelete
  6. This is how I love to cook. Major cookfest once and eat 4-6 meals out of it. Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  7. This is exactly the kind of cooking I'm trying to do more of. Must try the baked yams.

    ReplyDelete

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.