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Food you can feel good about

Carnitas Bowls

dinner, Mains / by

Photography and Styling by Elisha Sewell

I love a good carnitas bowl. I especially love these carnitas bowls. Tender, juicy carnitas meat atop citrusy cauliflower rice and finished off with intensely flavorful fajita veggies and guacamole makes the best burrito bowl you ever had.

The carnitas meat is roasted low and slow in the oven. It cooks all day and produces a juicy and tender pork roast that is packed with flavor. The fajita veggies, cauliflower rice, and guacamole can all be made about 30 minutes right before you eat. I like to add a spoonful of salsa verde for a little hit of spice. 

Citrusy drinks pair especially well with these Carnitas Bowls since the citrus cuts through the richness of the pork.

Carnitas

  • 3-5 lb. Boston butt
    (*See the note at the end to substitute chicken for the pork. Cooking temp and time will be different so, read all of the cooking directions before beginning.)
  • 1 Tbsp sea salt
  • 1 Tbsp granulated garlic 
  • 1 Tbsp granulated onion
  • 1 Tbsp onion flakes
  • 1 Tbsp cumin
  • 2 1/2 tsp smoked paprika 
  • 1 tsp white pepper 
  • 1/2 tsp dried oregano 
  • 1/2 tsp chili powder 
  • 1/4 tsp chipotle powder 
  • 1/8 tsp powdered clove
  • 1/3 cup (76 grams) freshly squeezed juice from 1-2 large oranges
  • 1/4 cup (60 grams) white vinegar 
  • 1 red onion, quartered
  • 3 cloves of garlic, smashed

Directions for the Carnitas:

  1. Preheat the oven to 475F.
  2. Mix all the seasoning together into a paste. Coat the pork roast in the seasoning and put it on a foil lined baking sheet. 
  3. Cook the pork roast for 10-15 minutes to sear the outside of the meat. 
  4. Reduce the oven temperature to 200F. Cover the pork roast in foil and cook it for 8-10 hours, until the roast is tender. 
  5. Remove from the oven and allow the roast to rest for 10-30 minutes. 
  6. Make the Fajitas Veggies, Cauli Rice, and Guacamole while the roast rest.
  7. Once the roast has rested, chop the pork roast into 1/2 inch chunks and assemble your Carnitas Bowls.

Fajita Veggies

  • 1 red bell pepper
  • 1 orange bell pepper
  • 1 yellow bell pepper
  • 1 red onion
  • 4 cloves of garlic
  • Avocado oil
  • Sea salt
  • Black pepper
  • Garlic powder
  • Onion powder

Directions for the Fajita Veggies:

  1. Preheat the oven to 450F. Line a baking sheet with foil and set aside. 
  2. Cut the peppers and onions into 1/4-1/2 inch wide strips. Smash the cloves of garlic using the side of a chef’s knife. 
  3. Put the veggies on the baking sheet and spread them out evenly. 
  4. Drizzle avocado oil over the veggies. Season them with sea salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. 
  5. Cook the veggies for 20-25 minutes, until tender and browned. (Broil the veggies for 3-5 minutes if you want more of a char on the veggies.)

Lime & Cilantro Cauli Rice

  • 16 oz. Cauliflower “rice”
  • 3 cloves of garlic, minced 
  • Avocado oil
  • Sea salt
  • Black pepper
  • Garlic powder
  • Onion powder
  • Juice of 2 limes
  • 1/4 cup of cilantro, roughly chopped

Directions for the Cauli Rice:

  1. Drizzle avocado oil over the bottom of a 12-14 inch skillet and turn the heat to medium-low.
  2. Once the oil is hot add the minced garlic and sauté it for 2-3 minutes. 
  3. Add the cauliflower rice and stir until it is lightly coated with the oil. 
  4. Sprinkle sea salt, fresh cracked black pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder all over the cauliflower. Stir to combine. Taste and add additional spices if desired. 
  5. Cook for 7-10 minutes (until the cauliflower becomes tender, but not soft or mushy.)
  6. Once the cauliflower rice is cooked add the lime juice and cilantro. Stir to combine. Taste and add additional spices if desired. 

If you don’t like cauli rice— I’m sorry for you. But really, just make some Jasmine rice instead. You can use the same seasonings. 

Guacamole

  • 4 avocados 
  • 4 cloves of garlic
  • juice of 2 limes
  • sea salt to taste 

Directions for the guacamole:

  1. Slice open the avocados, remove the pit, and place the avocado flesh in a medium bowl.
  2. Smash the avocados with a large fork until the avocados are chunky.
  3. Mince the garlic cloves and add to the avocados.
  4. Add the lime juice and salt. Smash and mix everything together until the guacamole is the consistency you like.
  5. Taste and add more salt as you like.

You can scale this recipe up or down using the following ratio for each avocado: 

  • juice from 1/2 a lime
  • 1 clove of garlic
  • Sea salt to taste

To assemble the Carnitas Bowls

  1. Place a couple of large spoonfuls of Cauli Rice in a bowl.
  2. Top the Cauli Rice with Carnitas, Fajita Veggies, salsa (if desired), and Guacamole. Sprinkle with fresh cilantro.
  3. Serve with an acidic beverage to cut through the richness of the carnitas. Enjoy!

*You can substitute the pork roast with 3 pounds of boneless and skinless chicken thighs if you prefer to not eat pork. Keep the spices the same. Cook as follows.

Directions for cooking chicken instead of pork:

  1. Preheat the oven to 450F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place a baking rack on the baking sheet. 
  2. In a small bowl, mix all the seasoning together into a paste.
  3. Add the chicken thighs to a large mixing bowl and pour the spice marinade on top. Toss with tongs to evenly coat. 
  4. Put the chicken thighs on the baking rack and spread them out in an even layer. Top with the onion and garlic.
  5. “Grill” the chicken for 25-35 minutes, until it reaches an internal temperature of 165F. 
  6. Chop the chicken into 1/2 inch chunks and assemble your Carnitas Bowls.