Pork Carnitas with Pineapple and Mango Salsa
Our slimming friendly Pork Carnitas are served in lettuce leaves with a cooling salsa – perfect if you're counting calories or following a diet plan like Weight Watchers.
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NutritionPer Serving
- Calories364
- Carbs22g
- Protein47g
- Fat8.7g
- Saturates0.1g
- Sugars19g
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For the full list of ingredients and comprehensive instructions, please see the recipe card below. Before you scroll, there’s important stuff in the blurb!
These Pork Carnitas with Pineapple and Mango Salsa are our take on the classic Mexican dish. The spicy pork mixture has a really nice kick to it which pairs perfectly with the fruity, cooling salsa.
We’ve used lettuce cups instead of wraps in this recipe to help keep the calories down which makes these Pork Carnitas with Pineapple and Mango Salsa a beautiful light lunch or dinner. If you want to make your meal more substantial then you could also serve your Carnitas with rice, potatoes or even some mixed veg.
You’ll have lots of cooking liquid left over once you’ve cooked your pork but don’t waste it! You can use it to make a really tasty rice side dish to serve alongside this recipe. Just add 200g of washed basmati rice to 500ml of the cooking liquid and then cook on a medium heat for 15-20 minutes or until all of the liquid has been absorbed. Serve with your Pork Carnitas with Pineapple and Mango Salsa for a total of 539 calories – delicious!
What diets are these Pork Carnitas with Pineapple and Mango Salsa suitable for?
These Pork Carnitas with Pineapple and Mango Salsa are suitable for dairy free diets.
They can be made suitable for gluten free diets by swapping the following ingredients out for gluten free alternatives:
- Chicken stock cube
Please make sure to double or triple check all of your ingredients if you’re cooking for people with allergies.
Do you need any special ingredients to make these Pork Carnitas with Pineapple and Mango Salsa?
You should be able to find all of the ingredients for this recipe in your local supermarket – nothing fancy required!
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‘Delicious with the salsa’
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You’ll need an ovenproof frying pan with a lid for this recipe, like this one from Amazon.
You’ll also need a baking tray to crisp up your shredded pork. You should be able to pick one up from the supermarket or you can also grab one online.
How many calories are in these Pork Carnitas with Pineapple and Mango Salsa?
There are 364 calories per portion in these Pork Carnitas with Pineapple and Mango Salsa, which means they fall into our Everyday Light category.
These Pork Carnitas with Pineapple and Mango Salsa are perfect if you’re following a calorie controlled diet, and fit well with any one of the major diet plans such as Weight Watchers.
As a guide, an average man needs around 2,500kcal (10,500kJ) a day to maintain a healthy body weight. For an average woman, that figure is around 2,000kcal (8,400kJ) a day. Obviously, if your goal is to lose weight then you might want to adjust these slightly! You can read more about these recommendations on the NHS website.
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 160°c and spray a large, oven proof frying pan with low calorie cooking spray.
Step 2
In a mixing bowl combine the pork, onion, garlic, oregano, paprika, cayenne pepper and cumin. Mix well then transfer to the frying pan. Cook for about 5 minutes on a medium heat until the meat has sealed all over.
Step 3
Add the orange and lime juice to the pan along with the cola, chicken stock, sweetener and bay leaves. Cover with the lid and place into the oven. Cook for 4 hours or until the pork is tender.
Step 4
Take the pan out and turn the oven up to 200°c. Transfer the cooked pork to a mixing bowl and then pull it apart with two forks.
Step 5
Add the shredded meat to a baking tray and pop back into the oven for 10-15 until the edges are crispy. Keep warm until you’re ready to serve.
Step 6
Mix the pineapple, mango, red chilli, coriander, red onion and lime juice in a bowl. Season with salt and black pepper to taste, then put to one side.
Step 7
Arrange the little gem lettuce leaves on a plate and fill with the shredded pork. Top with the salsa and serve with a wedge of fresh lime.
What could I serve with these Pork Carnitas with Pineapple and Mango Salsa?
These Pork Carnitas with Pineapple and Mango Salsa are a fantastic light dinner when served on their own, but they also work really well alongside any of the following dishes:
Can these Pork Carnitas with Pineapple and Mango Salsa be cooked any other way?
Yes they can! You could also cook your pork in an electric pressure cooker if you’d prefer. This will take around 30 minutes on the manual pressure cooking setting, and then you’ll need to allow the pressure to release naturally.
How do you know when these Pork Carnitas with Pineapple and Mango Salsa are cooked?
You’ll need to cook your pork until it’s tender which should take around 4 hours in the oven. To crisp up your pork once you’ve shredded it, you’ll need to pop it on a baking tray and bake for 10-15 minutes or until the edges are crispy.
Standard advice here in the UK is to cook food until it has reached 70°C and stayed at that temperature for 2 minutes. This is to keep your family safe.
How long can you keep these Pork Carnitas with Pineapple and Mango Salsa in the fridge?
Once you’ve put this dish out, ideally you should eat it within 4 hours.
If you have any leftovers then make sure that you store the pork separate from the lettuce cups. You can store the pork mixture and the salsa in separate containers with lids in the fridge for around 3 days or so.
Can I freeze these Pork Carnitas with Pineapple and Mango Salsa?
Yes you can! You can freeze the pork mixture for this recipe, but we don’t recommend freezing the salsa. If freezing the pork, please remember to do the following;
- Freeze it as soon as it is cold enough.
- Use a container or bag that is suitable for freezing.
Don’t forget to add a label with what it is, and on what date you put it in the freezer!
How do I reheat these Pork Carnitas with Pineapple and Mango Salsa?
From chilled: Reheat the pork mixture in a frying pan for around 5-10 minutes or until it’s piping hot.
From frozen: Defrost thoroughly and then as above.
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Pork Carnitas with Pineapple and Mango Salsa
Our slimming friendly Pork Carnitas are served in lettuce leaves with a cooling salsa - perfect if you're counting calories or following a diet plan like Weight Watchers.
-
Prep Time
15 MINS
-
Cook Time
4 HR 20
- KCals 364
- Carbs 22G
Instructions
For the pork
- Pre-heat the oven to 160°c and spray a large, oven proof frying pan with low calorie cooking spray.
- In a mixing bowl combine the pork, onion, garlic, oregano, paprika, cayenne pepper and cumin. Mix well then transfer to the frying pan. Cook for about 5 minutes on a medium heat until the meat has sealed all over.
- Add the orange and lime juice to the pan along with the cola, chicken stock, sweetener and bay leaves. Cover with the lid and place into the oven. Cook for 4 hours or until the pork is tender.
- Take the pan out and turn the oven up to 200°c. Transfer the cooked pork to a mixing bowl and then pull it apart with two forks.
- Add the shredded meat to a baking tray and pop back into the oven for 10-15 until the edges are crispy. Keep warm until you’re ready to serve.
For the salsa
- Mix the pineapple, mango, red chilli, coriander, red onion and lime juice in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then put to one side.
- Arrange the little gem lettuce leaves on a plate and fill with the shredded pork. Top with the salsa and serve with a wedge of fresh lime.
Looking for Slimming World Syns or Weight Watchers (WW) Points?
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Recipe notes
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4 comments
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TeresaTuesday 25th July 2023
I’m making this now. I chose to make it in the pressure cooker as I don’t have a full size oven and not a lot of time. I hope it turns out just as good. I might get it all pulled then put it in a skillet to brown it up some. I’m looking forward to these tacos and the salsa sounds amazing! 🤩
SharonFriday 20th October 2023
Hi Teresa, we’re so pleased you’ve made our Pork Carnitas with Pineapple and Mango Salsa and hope you enjoyed them!
AlexSunday 7th February 2021
Hi, could the pork also be cooked in a slow cooker? Thanks!
HollyMonday 8th February 2021
Hi Alex, yes the pork could be cooked in a slow cooker have a look at this article HERE for our slow cooker conversion guide, hope that helps!
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