Leftovers. Love ‘em or hate ‘em? I have mixed feelings. I was basically raised on leftovers, during the work week at least, because my mom was a flight attendant and away on trips Monday thru Friday. So Saturday and Sunday’s home-cooked meal always turned into over-microwaved weeknight dinners for my dad and me. I say “over-microwaved” because my dad loved to zap those leftovers for 3+ minutes and they’d come out flaming hot, dry as a cork, and infused with that distinct, less than fab, microwave-y flavor. I thought it was just my dad, but my husband’s guilty of this too. C’mon guys, 2 minutes tops!
Leftovers left a bad taste in my mouth for a long time, but I’ve learned to love them again due to the convenience factor. I’ve now made it a point, while preparing dinner, to pack up the leftovers in little Tupperware containers before we even sit down to eat the meal for the first time. And in seconds, tomorrow’s lunch is ready. Totally saves us when we’re rushed in the morning (note: every morning) from bringing out all the food from the fridge, sloppily scooping them into containers, stuffing them into our lunch bag, and racing out the door, leaving the counter an utter mess.
Besides convenience, leftovers are just fun to eat because they’re likely the result of a really tasty dish that you prepared over the weekend, which, in my case were these recent game day favorites: Pulled Pork Plantain Nachos and the Corn and Jalapeño Slaw. I had some leftover pork from the nachos and some slaw that I’d been eating on its own as well as stuffing into these Crispy Cauliflower Tacos.
And I don’t know about you, but when I have pulled pork and slaw on hand, I just HAVE to make pulled pork sandwiches. By adding BBQ sauce to the pulled pork in this recipe, these sliders are just like the classic pulled pork sandwich you know and love. But the dry rub on the pork, the jalapeño, cilantro, and lime from the slaw, and the tangy chipotle mayo really elevate the flavor in these sliders, giving them a bolder, zestier, and a teeny bit spicy kick.
I enjoyed these sliders cold and I’d highly recommend you do too not only because the distinct BBQ pork flavor really shines through with no heating, but hey, no waiting on the microwave! And no possibility of over-cooking them! Either way you have it, these Southwest Pulled Pork sliders celebrate everything I’ve learned to love about leftovers.
- 2 cups Southwest Pulled Pork
- ½ cup barbecue sauce (I used Ken Davis brand)
- 1 ½ cups or 3 servings of Corn and Jalapeño Slaw
- ⅓ cup light mayonnaise
- 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, finely chopped
- 8 slider buns
- Prepare the pulled pork according to this recipe. In a large bowl mix the pulled pork with the barbecue sauce.
- Prepare the Corn and Jalapeño Slaw according to this recipe.
- For the chipotle mayo, combine the mayo and chipotle pepper in a small bowl and stir until combined.
- To assemble the sliders, spread about ½ tablespoon of the chipotle mayo on each bun. Fill each bun with about ¼ cup of pulled pork. Top the pork with a spoonful of slaw.
Nutrition Information (per serving) from Caloriecount.about.com
Calories: 277.6 Fat: 11g Carb: 25.7g Fiber: 2.3g Protein: 22.9g Sugar 10.8g Sodium: 522mg
Hi! I'm Krista, a self-proclaimed vegetable lover who likes to put a creative spin on healthy cooking. Here you'll find a variety of lightened up recipes using fresh and wholesome ingredients! 
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