Plant-Based Jackfruit Carnitas Tacos Recipe

As more and more people embrace a plant-based lifestyle, new and creative ways to mimic meat-based dishes are emerging. Jackfruit is one of the ingredients that's getting a lot of attention for its ability to replace omnivore dishes like barbecued pulled pork sandwiches, shredded chicken burritos, and our featured recipe, carnitas tacos. Even though you instantly think "sweet" when you hear the word jackfruit, the type we're using, which is not yet ripe, is not sweet. It has a briny taste that is neutral enough to take on the flavors of whatever it's cooked with. The stringy nature of unripe jackfruit has the texture of meat, and not only looks like meat but tastes like it too.

Wellness coach and recipe developer Miriam Hahn brings us this recipe and says, "I used to love making shredded meats for my family before we transitioned to eating a more plant-based diet. Over the years I have learned how to make all of our favorite dishes without meat, and this has become a staple recipe that's on our monthly rotation."

To make this recipe, start by hitting up the produce aisle and grabbing oranges, onion, garlic, limes, avocado, cilantro, and tomato. Then you'll want to pick up 3 cans of jackfruit, vegetable broth, and small soft tortillas. There are 2 types of canned jackfruit, green young jackfruit in brine and ripe jackfruit in syrup. You want to buy the type that is packaged in brine for this recipe and for other meat replacement recipes. You can use corn or flour soft tortillas, or go for hard taco shells.Check your pantry for avocado oil, salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder, oregano, bay leaves, and coconut sugar.

Remove the jackfruit from the can and rinse it well with cold water

Cut off the point of each jackfruit piece and discard.

With your hands, shred the jackfruit and set it aside.

Juice the oranges.

Add the oil to a large pan and bring the heat to medium.

Add the onion, garlic, ½ teaspoon of salt, and pepper and cook for 5 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400 F.

Add the jackfruit, 1 teaspoon of cumin, chili powder, oregano, bay leaves, sugar, orange juice, 2 tablespoons of lime juice, and broth to the frying pan. Cook on medium heat for about 20 minutes stirring frequently till most of the liquid has cooked off.

Remove the bay leaves and spread the jackfruit on a sheet pan. Bake for 30 minutes, stirring halfway.

While it's cooking combine the avocado, cilantro, remaining teaspoon of cumin, ½ cup water, remaining 3 tablespoons lime juice, and remaining teaspoon of salt to a blender and blend until smooth.

Warm up the tortillas.

To assemble, layer the cooked jackfruit, tomatoes, and sauce into the tortillas. Garnish with avocado slices, and cilantro if desired.

Jackfruit grows in tropical regions around the world like India, Indonesia, Thailand, and the Philippines. In appearance, it's very different from the fruit we commonly see at the grocery store. The size is probably the most noticeable difference, with the average jackfruit weighing in at 1 to 25 pounds and measuring 1 to 2 feet in length. It has a dark green outer skin color that is rough and spiky. For convenience, the fruit is commonly sold cleaned and in cans, because for most recipes only a portion of the jackfruit is needed, and the process of preparing the fruit can be labor intensive. You can buy cans of mature fruit in syrup or of unripe fruit in brine, and that's the kind we call for here and that is used in most meat-replacement recipes.

There are many health benefits of jackfruit. Along with fiber, it is loaded with vitamins and minerals like Vitamin C, Vitamin A, magnesium, potassium, and manganese. It also provides many antioxidants that help protect our cells and reduce inflammation. When you eat jackfruit as a substitute for meat, you can get the same great taste as meat with so many more nutritious components.

This is an extremely versatile dish, and there are many different ways to serve the carnitas jackfruit. To start, instead of using a soft wheat tortilla, you can use a tostada shell. Try layering a warm tostada shell with refried beans, top with a layer of jackfruit, shredded lettuce, tomatoes, and black olives, or make some homemade pico de gallo.

Enchiladas are another easy way to serve cooked jackfruit. Coat both sides of large tortillas with enchilada sauce and fill them with jackfruit. Roll up the tortillas and place them in a baking dish. Top with more enchilada sauce and bake, or top with regular or plant-based cheese before baking.

Create a delicious burrito bowl by combining the jackfruit carnitas meat with black beans, Spanish rice, corn, lettuce, and salsa. To dress it up further, make some crave-worthy guacamole or mango salsa. Piling the carnitas jackfruit onto a whole-grain bun is also a great way to enjoy it. Add some coleslaw, and you've got a quick lunch or dinner. For a lighter option, serve the jackfruit in lettuce cups. Drizzle on some ranch dressing and fresh avocado.