Seasoned pulled pork paired with fresh pineapple slices offer the sweet taste of a tropical getaway. Then two kinds of healthy greens–spinach and cabbage–add a punch of color and crunch, while letting the warm spices and tangy fruit work their magic.
If you were given a challenge to use pineapple and leafy greens in one recipe, what would you try first? I love a good recipe challenge, and after mulling over several options, I chose tacos for my first entry. Pork and pineapple mingle together with the Mexican carne asada seasoning in such a sweet, satisfying way. You can find the other entries in the Fiesta Friday Healthy Recipe Challenge by clicking on the badge below:
For this recipe I took the opportunity to roll out the spinach tortillas from scratch, which always delivers superior results. The green color raised skepticism from my four children, but after one bite, they cast their doubts aside and devoured them as usual. If you’d like to see videos of my exact techniques for making tortillas from scratch, I invite you to enroll in my culinary class on Skillshare through my class referral link here. If you are short on time, however, feel free to substitute plain flour tortillas or spinach wraps from the grocery store.
And while occasional substitutions are acceptable, it is essential to use only fresh pineapple in this recipe. The fresh flavor truly makes the taco. In Vietnamese the word for pineapple means “aroma,” and you definitely want the aroma of fresh pineapple wafting through your head as you savor each bite.
Pork and Pineapple Tacos with Spinach Tortillas
Seasoned Pulled Pork Ingredients:
- 1 to 2 pounds boneless pork loin chops
- garlic salt, to taste
- carne asada spice blend or taco seasoning, to taste
- 1 Tablespoon cooking oil, such as coconut oil or avocado oil
Topping Ingredients:
- 1 to 2 cups fresh pineapple, cored and cut into thin bite-sized slices
- 1/2 of a orange, yellow, or red sweet bell pepper (capsicum), diced
- 1/4 to 1/3 cup green onion, diced
- fresh lemon or lime juice, to taste
- fresh cilantro, chopped, optional
- 4 to 6 radishes, julienned
- 4 to 6 Napa or Savoy cabbage leaves, chopped into thin strips
Spinach Tortilla Ingredients:
- 3/4 cup packed fresh spinach or baby spinach leaves
- 3/4 cup water
- 6 Tablespoons oil
- 1 + 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3 cups all purpose unbleached flour
Directions:
- To make the pulled pork, season pork chops well with garlic salt and carne asada spice blend.
- Heat cooking oil in a large pot or saucepan over medium high heat with the lid removed. Add pork and sear each side for 2 to 4 minutes, depending on thickness. Add 3/4 cup water (or broth) and bring to a boil. Immediately reduce heat, cover, and let simmer for about 1 hour. Alternatively, transfer seared chops and liquid to a slow cooker and simmer for 4 to 5 hours on low. After pork is tender, use two forks to pull meat apart into bite sized pieces. Add more garlic salt and/or spice blend to taste.
- To make the spinach tortillas, whisk together flour and salt with a fork and then add oil, stirring with the fork until crumbs form.
- Blend spinach and water in a blender to make a purée. Add 3/4 cup of the purée to the flour mixture and stir to mix. Continue adding spinach purée by tablespoons until a soft, pliable dough forms. There may be some unused spinach puree leftover which may be used in a smoothie or frozen for future use. Knead the tortilla dough for about 6 to 8 minutes until it is smooth. Cover and let rest for 15 minutes or longer.
- To finish rolling and cooking the tortillas, follow the instructions in my basic flour tortillas recipe here on Swirls and Spice or see my video class on Skillshare (referral link).
- For the taco filling, toss together pineapple, bell pepper, onions, radish, and cabbage with the lemon or lime juice. Assemble tacos by placing cooked pork, followed by the fresh filling, inside each tortilla. Garnish with fresh cilantro if desired.
I’m bringing this dish to Fiesta Friday this week.
Swirls and Spice 
A beautiful bright dish that is a feast for the eyes. Great work!
Thanks so much! It’s fun when inspiration strikes and the results are good. 😊
Wow so delightful and yummy 😋
Thanks!
Looks yummy
Thanks! It was the first time I have made pork this way.
Julia, great minds think alike! I just came from the kitchen, finally done with my FF Healthy Challenge entry… and I made something similar! Yay! 😉 I was aiming for tortillas, but I think it came out something like flatbreads, haha! And this one sounds fab – your tortillas are greener than me and I love them! Thanks for sharing and happy FF! x
I’ll be curious to see how your recipe turns out! Delicious I am sure! Aren’t recipe challenges so fun?
They look delicious! I’ve only ever made plain tortillas, never spinach. I’ll have to give this a try once I’m done with the Whole30 😉
Happy Fiesta Friday!
I hope you do! Bravo for sticking to the Whole30 in the mean time!
Wait, you make your own tortillas?? I am impressed! Love this combo, a taco joint near me serves pork and pineapple tacos and it’s a winning combo. – Kat
Yes, I make them, but it’s a bit dangerous to do so. Because they taste so good I can hardly stand to buy packaged tortillas anymore. So if I want tortillas, I have to plan ahead! 🙂
Oh, this is so very awesome!! I can’t believe that you made your own tortillas! I will really have to give your recipe a try, because it has all of the flavours that I just love! Wonderful entry! 😀
Thank you for your kind words! I think you’ll really enjoy the tacos 🌮! You can also customize them to your taste.
Whoa Julia, homemade tortillas! That’s impressive! I have a friend who used to make fresh tortillas for her husband in the morning. She was my role model, lol. I would have been happy with just a spinach tortilla by itself but then you have it filled with pineapple and pulled pork, wow! If I had come over for lunch, I would have never left 😂😂
Thanks, Angie! I’d love to host you. We’re not far from Chicago.🏙
Wow looks so good…I imagine the combination of flavors is absolutely delicious.
It’s the best looking tortillas I’ve seen! 🙂
I love the look of your green tortillas! I tried to make some once and the whole kitchen was covered in flour and pieces of dough and I never plucked up the courage to do it again! It looks very fresh and vibrant 🙂
These will be on the dinner rotation. Our meats in Mexico are very lean so braising and stewing pork works really well. I’m not sure I’m ready for making tortillas but yours look fabulous.
Tracey