My husband likes meat. When I asked him what he thought about me making pulled pork sandwiches for dinner he got all excited.
This one comes from my new favorite cookbook, No Whine with Dinner. I love that most of the recipes in this book are easy and have added nutrition where you wouldn’t expect it. This one is made with carrots and bell pepper for a nice dose of vitamins A and C.
This is also made in the slow cooker so it’s perfect for a workday. I served it with baked fries and some fruit. And get this. Big A, my 4-year old, ate half a sandwich! Everyone enjoyed this meal and it couldn’t be easier. (sorry for the bad picture — I realized halfway through the meal that I hadn’t taken a picture yet so this is a second serving!)
If you try it, let me know what you think.
Makes: 8 Servings
Ingredients:
-2.5 pounds pork loin, trimmed of fat and cut into 3 pieces
-1 large carrot, peeled and shredded (1 cup)
-1 large red bell pepper, cut into 1/2-inch dice (2 cups)
-1 medium onion, cut into half and sliced into 1/2-inch wedges
-12-ounce jar barbecue sauce
-8 whole wheat hamburger buns, lightly toasted
Directions:
1. Add the pork, carrots, bell pepper, onion and barbecue sauce to a 5 or 6 quart slow cooker, and stir to combine. Cover and cook on low until the pork is tender 6-8 hours.
2. When the meat is done, remove it from the slow cooker and place it on a cutting board. Use two forks to pull the meat into shredded pieces.
3. Stir the meat back into the slow cooker until it is well combined with the sauce (the veggies will disintegrate into the sauce). Divide the pork mixture evenly between the hamburger buns and serve.
Per Serving: 400 calories, 11g fat (3.5 saturated), 4g fiber, 30g protein, 60% vitamin A, 50% vitamin C, 15% iron.
I actually made this last week and it was GREAT!!! However, I didn’t add any bell peppers or carrots. Though I did use onions!!
Is this really healthy? I WANT to believe it is but … if every sandwich has 1.5 ounces of barbecue sauce, 1/8 cup shredded carrots, and 1/4 cup red bell pepper. Is that good? I guess maybe it is.
Are you sure?
Thanks Anne. I don’t think it’s meant to be a serving of vegetables but each serving does contain >50% DV for vitamins A and C — more than regular pulled pork. The BBQ sauce does have added sodium. Each sandwich contains 570mg. New guidelines recommend about 1500mg per day. I think it’s a healther version of pulled pork — not perfect but better. Many pulled pork recipes use Pork shoulder which is much higher in fat/saturated fat.
This bread doesn’t look like hamburger buns. Just curious what it is. Thanks!
Anne — good eye! I used the Orowheat thins (I think that’s the name). I don’t like sandwiches that are too bready. My husband prefers regular buns so will do that next time.
I’ve done something similar with beef…you should be able to shred the meat in the crockpot, but it may depend upon your crockpot shape and size. This looks yummy and I hope to try it soon!
This sounds wonderful. We like slaw on our pulled pork sandwiches, so that adds to the veggies a little bit too. Basic cabbage/carrot slaw with ff mayo. Add some sweet potato fries, and yum!
Great idea Jenny!
I have seen many versions on the blogosphere. I’m going to try this for something different.