Description
Learn how to make delicious, family-friendly Instant Pot pork and rice casserole inspired by the pork al pastor tacos. Featuring beans, corn and cheese, this pork al pastor dish is hearty, healthy and a great twist on the Mexican classic.
Ingredients
FOR COOKING PORK AL PASTOR
2 lb / 900 g pork shoulder, cut into large cubes/chunks
0.5 lb / 250 g ripe pineapple cubes (1/4 of pineapple)
1.5 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp oregano leaves
1 tsp paprika
3 garlic cloves, roughly cut or crushed
3 tbsp chipotle chili in adobo (pureed or chopped)
1 cup chicken stock
FOR RICE CASSEROLE
3–4 cups pre-cooked white rice (see notes)
1 can (14-16oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
1 small can of sweet corn (about 4-5oz)
1.5 cups shredded cheese (Mozzarella, Cheddar, Tasty)
About 1 cup cubed pineapple (about 1/4 of pineapple)
CONDIMENTS/TOPPINGS
1/2 white onion, diced finely
1 medium tomato, seeds out and diced into small cubes
1/3–1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Juice of 1/2 lime
A good pinch of salt
1/2 cup sour cream
Instructions
- Prep. Remove any thick layers of fat or skin from the pork shoulder (a little bit of fat here and there is fine). Cut into large cubes or chunks, about 2 inches. Set aside.
- Make the al pastor marinade. Puree the pineapple chunks with an immersion blender stick or a food processor until smooth-ish. Transfer to a mixing bowl. Add salt, pepper, spices, garlic and chipotle peppers and mix.
- Add the pork chunks and mix with the marinade. Cover the bowl with Clingwrap and marinate for at least 1 hour (overnight is ideal).
- Cooking the pork. Add 1 cup of chicken stock to the Instant Pot. Transfer the pork and all of the marinade to the pot, don’t need to stir. Secure and lock the lid. Press Meat/Poultry Button or Pressure Cook and change the time to 35 minutes on high pressure. It will take about 10-15 minutes to come to pressure. Once done, release the pressure naturally (if in a rush, release manually after 10 minutes).
- Finish the meat. Remove pork pieces with a slotted spoon to a bowl and shred with a fork and spoon. Set aside. Reserve the cooking broth as we will need it for later.
- Preheat the oven to 430 F / 220 C.
- Assemble the casserole: Spread pre-cooked rice on the bottom of a deep casserole dish or baking tray. Evenly pour about a cup of the pork cooking broth over the rice, this will flavor it. Scatter sweet corn and black beans on top of the rice.
- Top the casserole with shredded pork and pour another 1/2 – 2/3 cup of the broth over the top. Then top with grated cheese (as much as you like) and pineapple cubes (press them into the pork a little). Pop in the preheated oven, middle shelf, for about 30-35 minutes until cheese is melted and golden and the pineapple looks slightly caramelised. Bits of meat sticking through should look a little browned.
- Make the condiments. In the meantime, combine diced white onion, cilantro and tomato with lime juice and a little salt and set aside. Serve the casserole with some of the fresh salsa scattered over the top and the rest on the side along with some sour cream.
Notes
- Rice – you can cook the rice ahead of time or use leftover white rice from the day before (not earlier, rice doesn’t keep well). 2-Minute rice packets are super convenient for this dish as well. White rice of any kind or brown rice can be used here. You can also add quinoa or any other pre-cooked grains.
- You can use chicken or beef meat in this recipe!
- Canned pineapple can be used, make sure it’s unsweetened ideally. Pineapple juice can also be used in the marinade.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/5 of the casserole with the salsa and 1-2 tbsp sour cream
- Calories: 621
- Sugar: 9.9 g
- Sodium: 1442.9 mg
- Fat: 14.7 g
- Saturated Fat: 6.9 g
- Carbohydrates: 63.1 g
- Fiber: 6.5 g
- Protein: 55.2 g
- Cholesterol: 145.6 mg
Keywords: Instant Pot, Pork, Chipotle, Mexican, Al Pastor, Pineapple, Rice, Beans, Dinner, Tex Mex, Gluten-Free