Carnitas Tostadas are a fantastic alternative to tacos. Load up a crispy tortilla shell with refried beans, chunks of tender carnitas, lettuce, tomato, and onion. Super yum!
Want to save this post?
Enter your email below and get it sent straight to your inbox. Plus, I’ll send you budget recipes and money-saving tips every week!
Ready for an easy and delicious dinner? Carnitas Tostadas are it! Bean tostadas are pretty amazing to start, but you’ll really up your game when you add tender chunks of carnitas, or “little meats” to the mix.
Whether you fry your own tortillas or just buy the packaged tostada shells, you’re in for a treat when you put tostadas on the meal plan. They are a perfect addition to a Mexican food buffet, since they share so many ingredients with your other taco night favorites, such as tacos, burritos, and taco salad.
The best thing is that the prep is super hands-free. The carnitas cooks in the slow cooker all day so that you can come home to a simple yet filling supper.
Carnitas Tostadas
Carnitas tostadas are delicious and easy to make. The filling cooks up tender and juicy in the slow cooker. Cut into chunks and browned in the oven, the meat develops crispy bits that are absolutely tasty.
Loaded on a tostada shell with beans and taco fillings, carnitas tostadas are super fun for Taco Tuesdays.
What cut of meat are carnitas?
Carnitas are made from pork shoulder, a well-marbled cut that when braised becomes tender and melt-in-your-mouth delicious.
How are carnitas served?
Carnitas are delicious served as a roast, a taco or burrito filling, or a topping for burrito bowls or tostadas. They go exceptionally well with pinto beans, guacamole, and traditional taco toppings.
How do you make carnitas?
Making carnitas taco filling is a simple process.
- Season the pork shoulder with salt, pepper, garlic, and oregano.
- Place the roast in the slow cooker. Add the chopped onion. Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours or high for 4 toto 6 hours, or until the meat is fall apart tender.
- Remove the meat from the slow cooker and cut into chunks.
- Place the meat in a baking dish and cook in the oven until browned and crispy in bits.
Are carnitas supposed to be crispy?
Carnitas should have crispy bits as well as tender chunks of meat. Honestly, little bits of fat make it super tasty!
How do you eat tostada shells?
Tostada shells can prove puzzling to some. Is it a hand-held food or one you eat with knife and fork?
It depends on what you prefer. You can do either or both.
How much does it cost to make carnitas tostadas?
Carnitas tostadas can be a very affordable meal to make, especially since pork is such an inexpensive cut of meat.
Here’s how the ingredients for this recipe pencil out when you buy them not on sale at a mid-range grocer in San Diego county. Your mileage may vary.
- tostada shells – $1.09 ($1.99/22) or you can get tortillas ($0.72 for 12) and oil ($0.33 for 1 cup) for $1.05
- refried beans – $1.86
- 4# pork shoulder roast – $7.16 ($1.79/lb)
- iceberg lettuce – $0.65 ($1.29/1 head)
- tomatoes $0.60
This prices out to be $11.36 for a dozen or 95 cents each! You’ll be hard pressed to find a meaty tostada elsewhere for less than a buck!
Do you need any special equipment to make carnitas tostadas?
You don’t need any special equipment to make this dish, other than a slow cooker and a cutting board.
If you prepare this recipe, be sure to share a picture on social media and hashtag it #GOODCHEAPEATS. I can't wait to see what you cook up!
Carnitas Tostadas
Ingredients
- 4 lb pork shoulder roast bone-in
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 onion chopped
- 1 dozen tostada shells
- 2 cup Refried Beans homemade or canned
- toppings for tostadas : shredded lettuce, guacamole, salsa, sour cream, chopped fresh cilantro
Instructions
- Place the pork shoulder in the crock of a slow cooker. Season the pork with garlic powder, oregano, salt, and pepper. Add the chopped onion and cover.
- Cook on low for 8 hours or on high for about 6. The meat should be fall-apart tender. Save the juices for chili, stew, or soup.
- Preheat the oven to 400° F.
- Remove the meat from the pot and shred it/chop it into chunks. Place it in a baking dish and bake for about ten minutes to crisp the edges just a bit and brown the meat.
- Warm the tostada shells according to package instructions.
- Heat the beans in a small sauce pot.
- Assemble tostadas by layering tostada shell, beans, carnitas, and other toppings.
Notes
Nutrition
This post was originally published on May 4, 2011. It has been updated for content and clarity.
Erin
I love a fiesta!
Joan Callaway
I just found Good Cheap Eats, but I’ve been reading Live as Mom for some time…This is one of my favorite dinners. Always looking for new ways to prepare the carnitas. Thanks.
Kristen
Yum! We love mexican food here!
Rita
I love tostadoes! My mom would make them frequently when I was growing up for a quick weeknight dinner.
Sarah @ The Pajama Chef
looks fabulous! i <3 mexican!
Polara
Mmm. i’m making carnitas later this week with some pork roast I bought on sale…my husband likes to eat it with rice, beans and pico de gallo. Now I just need to dig out my cilantro-lime rice recipe. Yum!
Carmen Erickson
Yummo! Since we eat a gluten-free diet, Mexican food makes a regular appearance in our weekly meal plans!
Dana
Those sound really good! I have never tried pork strips, just made from a pork butt.
stacy
Yum! The pictures are making me hungry!
jessie
Tostadas look delicious! We went with plain old tacos for cinco de mayo this year.
Martha Artyomenko
Looks yummy!!
Hilary Richards
Your Mexican food always looks so fresh and delicious. Thank you for all the meal ideas.
amybee
Thank you! We had black bean and spinach enchiladas last night to celebrate.
Staci A
Your recipe sounds delish! Hopefully we’ll try it out sometime soon!
Lucky
Yummy! I love Mexican food.
Nora@ The Dollar Hollering Homemaker
We enjoyed chicken tacos so yummy! Love mexican food!
Stephanie
We eat mexican the time and much to my surprise the first time I made your famous beans and rice we have not looked back. I like to make a big crock pot of beans and freeze in 2 cup porions for easy quick meals, bean burritos, or mexican lasagna, even an pintos and cheese snack can be had.
On a side note we love your pizza dough it is our friday night staple.
jenny
I had my cinco de mayo dinner all planned- but then my son’s track meet ran late and we didn’t leave there until almost 7 so my hubby picked up a couple pizzas instead…. so sad… I guess that margarita will have to be enjoyed tonight!
Lisa
Yum-o!
Monica
Yummy!!