These delicious Meal Prep Carnitas Stuffed Peppers are a perfectly balanced meal of plantains, red bell pepper, carnitas, and a flavorful citrus mojo sauce. These are great to make in bulk and freeze for the future!
I just adore all stuffed peppers. They’re handy little meals in such a great container! Once filled with a starch (plantains here) and a protein (the carnitas), you’ve got a complete meal with the cooked pepper. I like to enjoy them by placing a piping hot pepper on my plate and then cutting the whole thing up, enjoying a bit of everything in each bite. These carnitas stuffed peppers are no exception to my obsession! The perfect vessels for my meat and sauce.
What really makes these meal prep carnitas stuffed peppers sing is the mojo sauce!! It’s a delicious citrus sauce that brings the pork and plantains to life. Spoon liberally and don’t be afraid to add more while you’re digging in!
Cook Once, Eat All Week Meal Prep Plan
If you’re new here, THIS POST is a great introduction to our Cook Once, Eat All Week healthy meal prep series!
Here are the other recipes in our COEAW: Week 3 meal prep series:
- Base Recipes of bulk-prepared pulled pork, plantains, and red bell peppers: click HERE!
- Cuban Pork Casserole Recipe: click HERE!
- BBQ Pork Plantain Pizza Recipe: click HERE!
Note: if you’ve enjoyed the Cook Once, Eat All Week series, we’ve created an entire book with 26 week’s worth of healthy meal prep recipes. You can click here to purchase your copy today!
Pork and Plantain Stuffed Peppers
Ingredients
- 4 red bell peppers hollowed out and top removed
For the Pork :
- 1, 3 pound pork shoulder
- 1/2 tablespoon coarse sea salt
For the Plantains:
- 2 plantains cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt
For the Mojo Sauce:
- 1/4 cup lime juice
- 1/4 cup orange juice
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Season pork shoulder with 1/2 tablespoon coarse sea salt. Place in the slow cooker. Cook on low for 8 hours on low, or about 6 hours on high, until pork easily shreds apart. See here for Instant Pot method.
- Preheat oven to 400 F. While pork shoulder is cooking, toss the plantains with olive oil and salt and spread onto a rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 20-25 minutes until slightly crisp and browned.
- Reduce heat to 350 F.
- Divide roasted plantains evenly among the four peppers and place in the bottom of each pepper. Combine 1.5 cups shredded pork with salt to taste, then layer pork on top of the plantains.
- Mix up the ingredients for the mojo sauce in a small bowl, then spoon over the pork and plantain mixture in the peppers, using all of the sauce.
- Place peppers in an 8×8 baking dish and bake for 45 minutes, until outside skin is wrinkled and slightly browned.
- Let peppers cool 3-5 minutes, garnish with cilantro, and serve.
Recipe Notes
- 4 red bell peppers, hollowed out and top removed
- 1.5 cups pre-made shredded pork
- 3/4 cup pre-made roasted plantains
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- Divide roasted plantains evenly among the four peppers and place in the bottom of each pepper. Combine shredded pork with salt, then layer pork on top of the plantains.
- Mix up the ingredients for the mojo sauce in a small bowl, then spoon over the pork and plantain mixture in the peppers, using all of the sauce.
- Place peppers in an 8×8 baking dish and bake for 45 minutes, until outside skin is wrinkled and slightly browned.
- Let peppers cool 3-5 minutes, garnish with cilantro, and serve.
Nutrition
If freezing the stuffed peppers, would you recommend freezing after baking?
Do these work best with green or yellow plantains?
Either will work, but I prefer yellow here!