Savor The Flavor: Chalupa Dinner Bowl (Crockpot)

I had a pork loin roast in the freezer that I wanted to use, so I went looking for a recipe in my Southern Living All-Time Favorites cookbook, and I was not disappointed! I actually happened to have all of the ingredients on hand to make this delicious versatile pork-and-bean mixture. This mixture could be used in a burrito, as nachos, quesadillas, or tacos. (I have made a few alterations to the original recipe.)

Ingredients

1 lb. dried pinto beans
1 (3 1/2 pound) bone-in-pork loin roast (my roast was boneless and worked very well)
2 (4-ounce) cans chopped green chiles
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 (32 ounce) container chicken broth
(I used Better Than Bouillon, which is a bit saltier than container broths. If you use a container broth, then go with 2 teaspoons of salt rather than 1 tsp.)
1 (10 ounce) can diced tomatoes and green chiles with lime juice and cilantro
(I used RO-TEL and added my own cilantro and lime juice, but you can buy the RO-TEL with the lime juice and cilantro already included.)
8 taco salad shells (I used Azteca brand shells that you form and bake in your oven)
Shredded iceberg lettuce

toppings: shredded Mexican cheese blend, or shredded Monterey Jack cheese, halved grape tomatoes, green onions, black olives, chopped avocado, sour cream...(the possibilities are endless)

Directions

1. Rinse beans and place in the bottom of a 5 to 6-quart slow cooker; add roast and next 6 ingredients. Pour chicken broth evenly over top of roast.

2. Cover and cook on HIGH for 1 hour; reduce to LOW, and cook for an additional 7 to 7 1/2 hours. The original recipe calls for an additional 9 hours, but that seemed a bit long, and I was correct. Time may vary depending on your crockpot.

3. Remove bones (if you used a bone-in roast) and fat from roast; pull roast into large pieces with two forks. Stir in diced tomatoes and green chiles. If the mixture seems to have too much liquid, cook, uncovered, on HIGH for 1 more hour to allow the mixture to thicken.

4. Heat taco salad shells according to package directions; place shredded lettuce evenly into shells. Spoon about 1 cup pork-and-bean mixture into each shell using a slotted spoon. Serve with desired toppings.