We’re taking all the deliciousness of tacos al pastor and turning it into this delicious al pastor pizza with a simple plantain crust!
YOU GUYS. This al pastor pizza seriously gives me life. It is one of my favorite recipes from Cook Once, Eat All Week (which hits shelves tomorrow!) and ever since I demo’d it on Instagram a few weeks ago, you’ve been asking for the recipe! Traditionally, tacos al pastor is made with thinly sliced pork that is slowly marinaded in a mixture of dried chiles, pineapple juice, and Mexican spices. Once the marinade has had a chance to fully flavor the meat, the pork is then stacked on a skewer and grilled, then thinly sliced and served on corn tortillas with grilled pineapple, diced onion, and fresh cilantro.
As much as we love traditional tacos al pastor, we wanted to simplify it for this pizza. This recipe comes from Week 16 of Cook Once, Eat All Week where we take the basic ingredients of shredded pork shoulder, plantains, and kale and turn them into three different dinners – this pizza, green pork chili, and Caribbean plantain bowls.
In order to turn these components into three different meals, we keep the initial seasoning simple, then use the components of the individual to really amp up the flavor! To give the pork the traditional al pastor flavor, we make a sauce with mayo, lime juice, and chipotles in adobo and pour it over the pork, then we add the pineapple, bake the pizza, and top it off with traditional diced onion and fresh cilantro.
As incredible as these toppings are, the REAL star of this pizza is the crust! We first came up with this crust during our original Cook Once, Eat All Week series and y’all loved it so much that we knew we wanted to include it in the book, too. This gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free pizza crust comes together with just three ingredients – fresh plantains, coconut oil, and salt. Yep, that’s it! You blend it until smooth, spread into two pizza crusts, and bake. The result is a pizza that has a crisp outside, is light and fluffy on the inside, and holds up great to hefty toppings.
While the recipe below is for making this al pastor pizza from scratch, when using the Cook Once, Eat All Week method for this pizza you’ll already have your crusts baked, your pork shredded, your sauce made, and your toppings ready to go, so on the night you’re ready to eat all it takes is a simple assembly and a quick bake in the oven!
For a fun snacky take on plantains, check out these homemade plantain chips! They are perfectly crunchy and great for scooping up dips or eating all on their own!
Al Pastor Pizza with Plantain Crust
Ingredients
For the Pork
- 1, 2-3 pound pork shoulder
- 2 teaspoons coarse sea salt
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil or ghee
For the Crust
- 4 green plantains
- ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- ½ teaspoon coarse sea salt
For the Pizza
- 1/2 cup avocado oil mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice about 1 lime
- 2 chipotle peppers in adobo
- 1 cup pineapple tidbits drained
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 1/4 red onion finely diced
Instructions
For the Pork
- If using the Instant Pot method, cut the pork shoulder into 4 or 5 equal pieces; otherwise, leave it whole. Season the meat with the salt.
Cook the pork using one of the three methods below:
- Oven Method (Cook Time: 4½ hours)
- Preheat the oven to 325°F. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or enameled cast-iron pot with a lid over medium-high heat. Add the seasoned pork to the pot and sear for 3 to 4 minutes per side, until browned. Once browned, pour 1½ cups of water into the pot, then cover with the lid and transfer to the oven. Cook for 3½ to 4½ hours, until the pork shreds easily.
- Instant Pot Method (Cook Time: 1½ hours)
- Set the Instant Pot to Sauté mode and heat the avocado oil. Sear the pork for 2 to 3 minutes per side, working in batches. (If you are short on time, you can skip this step, though it does add more flavor to the pork!) Once seared, return all the pork to the pot, along with ½ cup of water. Put the lid on the Instant Pot, checking to make sure that the pressure valve is sealed, press Pressure Cook or Manual, and then program it to cook for 90 minutes on high pressure. Once the timer goes off, release the pressure manually by slowly turning the pressure valve from sealed to “venting.”
- Slow Cooker Method (Cook Time: 10 hours)
- Place the seasoned pork in a 6-quart slow cooker. Cook on low for 8 to 10 hours, until the pork shreds easily.
- Once cooked through, shred the meat with 2 forks, removing the excess fat.
For the Crust
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- To peel the plantains, slice off the ends, then, with a small paring knife, score the peel of each plantain lengthwise four times, along the seams. Carefully separate the peel from the plantain, then cut each plantain into thirds. Put the plantains in a food processor or blender.
- To the food processor or blender (with the plantains), add the coconut oil and salt and blend until smooth.
- Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat and spread the plantain mixture into two 8-inch circles, making the thickness as even as possible.
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the crusts are browned and no longer sticky.
For the Pizza
- Preheat the oven to 375 F.
- Blend together the mayo, lime juice, and adobo sauce until smooth.
- Spread the pork and pineapple onto the pizza crusts, then top with the adobo sauce.
- Place the pizzas directly on the oven rack (or on a preheated pizza stone) and bake for 15 minutes, until the pork is browned and the sauce is bubbling.
- Garnish with the cilantro and red onion, then slice and serve!
Hi Cassy,
I was wondering which brand of canned chipotle in adobo sauce you use?
Our daughter has Celiac disease so we can’t take any risks with hidden gluten. I’ve looked at a few brands online and have found conflicting information about whether or not they are truly gluten free. I know you have to avoid gluten as well, so if you have brand you’ve used that works for you we would give it a try.
Fyi- I live in Houston and have access to Whole Foods, H‑E‑B, Sprouts, Trader Joe’s…. you name it!
Side note- my husband gave me your cookbook a couple of years ago as a gift (Cook Once Eat all Week) and I love it! 🙂
Hi Audrey! We use the La Costena brand here. I hope that helps!
Not sure what happened— but the adobo sauce was suuuuuuuper spicy. We love spicy food with a kick but this was almost too much. We did two cans of peppers in adobo. Is that incorrect.
Hi Amy! Oh no! Two full cans is a lot! The recipe actually calls for 2 peppers (out of the can) in adobo, not the full can. I hope that helps for adjusting the heat for next time. ~Melissa
This pizza is absolutely delicious! I made one large pizza and accidentally ate half. So good! 🙂
Awesome, I’m going to give this a try! Could you use this pizza crust recipes for other more traditional type pizzas? Have you tried using a different oil like avocado, if you didn’t want the coconut taste?