Slow Cooker Carnitas Tacos + Spanish Rice (Macro Friendly, High Protein)
If you want a dinner that tastes awesome, supports your training, and doesn’t require you to spend your whole night cooking… this is it.
These slow cooker carnitas tacos are easy, high-protein, and perfect for meal prep because you can portion everything out based on your calories and macros without overthinking it.
No complicated marinade. No long prep list. Just a simple setup that delivers every time.
And if you want that real carnitas texture, you can crisp your serving in a pan before assembling the tacos.
Why this is a great macro-friendly meal
Most people don’t struggle because they don’t know what healthy food is.
They struggle because the “healthy option” they’re choosing is too annoying to repeat consistently.
This meal works because it’s built around:
a high protein base
a carb source you can easily scale up or down
a cooking method that saves time and effort
So you can stay consistent while still enjoying what you’re eating.
Ingredients
Slow Cooker Carnitas
3 pounds boneless center-cut loin pork chops
Spanish Rice
2 cups uncooked white rice
1 cup water (or enough water to cover the rice)
Tortillas
Garnish (optional but worth it)
Diced white onion
Sliced jalapeño
Hot sauce (optional)
Salt to taste
Instructions
Step 1: Slow cooker carnitas
Add 3 pounds of pork chops to the slow cooker.
Pour in the entire jar of Cookwell & Company Green Chile Stew.
Cook on low for 8 hours.
Right before serving, shred the pork with forks directly in the slow cooker.
Optional crisp-up step:
If you want crispy edges like traditional carnitas, take your serving size and sear it in a hot pan for 2 to 4 minutes until it browns and crisps up.
Step 2: Spanish rice (rice cooker method)
Add 2 cups of uncooked white rice into your rice cooker.
Add the entire 14 oz can of diced roasted tomatoes.
Add 1 cup of water or enough water to fully cover the rice.
Cook until done.
No extra steps needed.
Step 3: Assemble the tacos
Divide your carnitas evenly into the tortillas.
Garnish with diced onion and jalapeño.
Add hot sauce if you want more heat.
Plate your rice portion based on your macros.
Enjoy.
Example macro friendly portion (what I ate)
You can portion this meal however you want based on your goals.
My serving size:
8 oz carnitas total
Split across 4 Mission Zero Net Carbs street taco tortillas
200g cooked Spanish rice
Macros for my serving:
735 calories
66g protein
22g fat
100g carbs
200g cooked rice in cups (approximate)
200g cooked white rice is roughly 1 to 1¼ cups, depending on how the rice cooks and how tightly it’s packed.
A good real-world estimate is about 1 cup.
How to adjust this meal to fit your macros
To reduce calories or carbs
Use less rice
Or use fewer tortillas (2 to 3 instead of 4)
To increase carbs for training performance
Keep the protein the same
Add more rice
Or add another tortilla
To increase volume without adding many calories
Add more onion and jalapeño
Add shredded lettuce or a veggie side
Add salsa or a low-calorie hot sauce
Products used
If you want to link the exact items I used, here they are:
The point of meals like this
Simple meals win because they’re repeatable.
You don’t need perfect food. You need food you can make again next week without it feeling like a project.
This recipe hits that balance: great flavor, high protein, macro-flexible, and easy enough to keep in your weekly rotation.
Ryan Padilla
Apogee Fitness Training
