Pulled pork and rice is such a yummy combination, especially when paired with lots of colourful, tasty toppings. If you’re looking for a satisfying, filling and delicious meal, these pulled pork rice bowls are just the thing! They’re incredibly easy to make and such a fabulous way to use leftover pulled pork!
I promise, there is rice under all that pulled pork and toppings.
Classic Dawn. I get so exciting with bowl meals. I want all the toppings, know what I mean?
That’s why I recommended using large, wide bowls so you can nicely assemble them.
Bowl meals or recipes seem to be pretty popular these days at restaurants. And for good reason! There are usually so many delicious things packed into, well, one bowl.
So, it probably goes without saying, these pulled pork and rice bowls are super tasty. Not only are they colourful, but they also have all kinds of flavours and textures going on. Once you give this bowl recipe a try, there’s no way you’ll want to get them at a restaurant — they’re so much better homemade!
Assembling the Pulled Pork Rice Bowls
Get your roasted sweet potato and rice going. While that’s cooking, you can prep your rice bowl toppings.
Once the rice and sweet potato chunks are cooked, then it’s time to assemble. All you gotta do is layer some rice into each bowl, then generously pile on the pulled pork and toppings to your heart’s content.
I like to drizzle the bowls with barbecue sauce, but you can use your favourite condiment. Hot sauce also works great or even the delicious broth (that has been reduced down) from cooking the pulled pork.
What Can I Use Instead of Rice?
Mix things up with pulled pork salads! Instead of rice, try a base of Romaine, red or green leaf lettuce, baby spinach, baby arugula or a mixture of your favourite salad greens.
Alternatively, cook some quinoa or cauliflower rice.
The Toppings
There is no right or wrong way to top your pulled pork rice bowls. Honestly, use your favourite rice bowl toppings. And, if you particularly enjoy an ingredient, feel free to add more. Conversely, not a fan of something, omit it.
Speaking of toppings, you can totally use substitute some of them for things you may enjoy more or have on hand. For example, dollop your bowl with a big scoop of guacamole instead of avocado, try salsa instead of tomatoes, use refried beans instead of black beans, or generously crumble over cotija cheese instead of shredded cheddar.
Other delicious topping ideas are pickled sliced jalapeno peppers (or thinly sliced fresh jalapeno peppers), shredded iceberg lettuce, shredded cabbage and cilantro.
To save some time, you could omit the roasted sweet potato chunks and use some diced bell pepper. You get the drift!
More Easy Rice Bowl Recipes
If you make these pulled pork rice bowls, be sure to leave a comment below!
Pulled Pork Rice Bowls
Ingredients
Roasted Sweet Potato
- 1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1.5-inch chunks
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ tablespoon taco seasoning, or you can simply season with salt and pepper to taste
Rice
- ⅔ cup uncooked rice, you'll need about 2 cups of cooked rice for these bowls (I particularly enjoy Jasmine rice, but you can use your favourite variety)
Other Rice Bowl Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked pulled pork, See "Notes" below
- 1 avocado, halved, pitted, peeled and diced or sliced
- ½ cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
- ½ cup canned corn kernels
- ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
- ½ cup grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
- ½ cup crispy tortilla strips, or crushed tortilla chips
- ¼ cup pickled red onion
- Barbecue sauce, to taste
Instructions
Roasted Sweet Potato
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Place sweet potato chunks into a large bowl and add olive oil and taco seasoning. Stir well so that the sweet potato chunks are coated in the oil and taco seasoning. Place the sweet potato chunks onto a large sheet pan and spread them out in a single layer. Roast for 30 to 40 minutes or until tender, stirring halfway through cooking.Note: To save time, you can skip roasting the sweet potato chunks and use about 1 cup of diced bell pepper instead.
Rice
- While the sweet potato chunks are roasting, cook rice according to package instructions. Then divide the cooked rice between two large bowls (I like to use bowls that are wide, so I can pile lots of toppings on there).
Assemble the Pulled Pork Rice Bowls
- Divide the cooked pulled pork, roasted sweet potato chunks, avocado, black beans, corn, cheddar cheese, tomatoes, tortilla strips and pickled red onion between the two bowls, then drizzle with your favourite barbecue sauce. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- If you are using leftover pulled pork (that is, it’s not freshly made and warm), then reheat it before using in this recipe so it’s loose, juicy and, well, warming. I like to reheat the pulled pork in a frying pan on the stovetop over medium heat with a splash of chicken broth (or, even better, the cooking juices from the pulled pork), stirring occasionally, until it’s heated through.
- Prep and cook time does not include preparing and cooking the pulled pork.
A note on times provided: appliances vary, any prep and/or cook times provided are estimates only.
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Tried this recipe?
If you do make this recipe, thank you!! It would mean so much if you could leave a comment below. Love to know how you enjoyed it, and it helps other readers too!
Michelle says
Love turning pulled pork leftovers into a new meal with these rice bowls! Delicious!
Valentina says
I love having pulled pork and other proteins at the ready for recipes like this one. We love “bowl meals” in my house. 🙂 ~Valentina
David @ Spiced says
Oooo…what a great idea! I always keep pulled pork in the freezer, so that means I’m always looking for fun ways to use it. This sounds fantastic…and those sweet potatoes with BBQ sauce!? That could be a side dish by itself!!