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Grilling 24x7 » Recipes » Cast Iron Cuban Casserole – Leftover Pulled Pork Recipe

Cast Iron Cuban Casserole – Leftover Pulled Pork Recipe

by Frank Campanella 61 Comments

Turn your leftover pulled pork into a delicious low carb Cuban Casserole. This healthy dinner is ready in no time using the leftovers out of your fridge.

low carb cuban casserole toped with chopped ham sliced pickles and Swiss cheese

All of the flavors of the classic pressed sandwich reimagined in a one skillet recipe that the whole family will love.

Looking for more Pork Recipes checkout:Cast Iron Smoked Baked Beans w/ Sausage, Bacon Inception- Pork Belly Burnt Ends, How to Smoke Perfect Pork Ribs for Beginners

cast Iron skillet cuban casserole

Leftover Pulled Pork Turned into Cuban Casserole Magic!!

Every time I smoke a Pork shoulder I’m thinking about what to do with the leftovers. Cuban sandwiches are one of my all time favorites but I didn’t have any rolls at the time.

Instead I just loaded all the ingredients into a cast iron skillet and made this delicious Cuban Casserole.

I was in heaven with the combination of smoky pork, pickles, ham and Swiss simmered in a Dijon cream sauce.

You won’t even miss the roll and for me it’s all about the toppings anyway.

leftover pulled pork cuban casserole

Ingredient List for Cuban Casserole

  • 2 lbs Cooked Pulled Pork
  • ½ Cup Heavy Cream
  • 1 Cup Shredded Swiss
  • 5 oz Sliced Dill Pickles
  • 4 oz Cream Cheese
  • 3 tbsp Dijon Mustard or Yellow Mustard if you prefer 
  • 6 oz Thinly sliced Ham or Canadian Bacon

Cuban Casserole in a cast iron skillet with a slice cut out

A perfect combination of flavor and texture.

Cuban sandwiches are traditionally made with sliced Pork loin but using leftover pulled pork is a fantastic substitute.

You get the added smoky fatty pork that is tender and melts in your mouth. Even if your Pork was a little dry the Dijon cream will bring it back to life.

The richness of the pork is balanced by the crunchy tangy pickles perfectly. Then to take it over the top the salty ham and nutty Swiss round out this simple one pan recipe.

Cuban Casserole in a cast iron skillet with a slice cut out

You Won’t Miss The Bread With this Cuban Casserole

If you do want to make a sandwich I still recommend reheating the pulled pork in the Dijon cream.

You can then top with ham and Swiss and press the sandwich on the grill. Either way the combination of ingredients are a perfect blend of flavors.

Traditional Cuban sandwiches are either pressed using a brick wrapped in foil or grilled on a panini press. The roll tends to be a softer hoagie roll rather than a crusty baguette.

serving of cuban casserole

A brief History of the Cuban Sandwich

From what I’ve read via Wikipedia the Cuban sandwich originated in Key West and Miami in the late 1800s.

It was a quick and easy sandwich created by the cigar factory workers with ingredients they had available. Later the sandwiches popularity grew up the Florida coast to Tampa.

The high population of Italian immigrants started substituting salami instead of ham. I will definitely have to give that a try next time.

serving of cuban casserole

Cast Iron Recipes are great for Leftovers

I’m always a fan of cast iron cooking because of how well it conducts heat. You can use a Classic cast iron skillet or an enameled cast iron pan.

Either one will work fine and if you’re in a pinch you can even put this together in a rectangular casserole dish. As long as you can get the ingredients in the oven or set on your pit you’ll have a tasty meal in no time.

cuban casserole made with leftover pulled pork

Need Some More Leftover Recipe Ideas

  • Southwest Smoked Pork Dip
  • Pork Tonkostu Ramen
  • Pulled Pork Soft Tacos With Sriracha Coleslaw
  • Pulled Pork Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
  • Smoked Queso Dip Leftover Brisket Recipe

Cuban Casserole in a cast iron skillet with a slice cut out
Print Pin
4.78 from 18 votes

Cast Iron Cuban Casserole

Turn your leftover pulled pork into a delicious low carb Cuban Casserole. This healthy dinner is ready in no time using the leftovers out of your fridge.
Course Main Course
Cuisine American, Cuban
Keyword Cast Iron, Cuban, Cuban Casserole, Pulled Pork
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Servings 8
Calories 413kcal

Equipment

  • 12" Cast Iron Skillet

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs Cooked Pulled Pork
  • ¾ Cup Heavy Cream
  • 1 Cup Shredded Swiss
  • 5 oz Sliced Dill Pickles
  • 4 oz Cream Cheese
  • 3 tbsp Dijon Mustard or Yellow Mustard if you prefer
  • 6 oz Thinly sliced Ham or Canadian Bacon

Instructions

  • Shred pork into bite size pieces and simmer in a cast iron skillet with cream cheese, Dijon and heavy cream


  • Once the cream cheese has melted and mixed in with the pork add half of the sliced pickles. Continue to simmer until sauce has thickened.


  • Top the pork mixture with sliced ham, Swiss cheese and remaining sliced pickles


  • Bake at 400 degrees F for about 15-20 minutes until cheese is golden and bubbly.


Notes

Portion size will vary. I recommend about a 6-8oz portion per serving.

Nutrition

Calories: 413kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 41g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 166mg | Sodium: 652mg | Potassium: 702mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 554IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 166mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutrition Facts
Cast Iron Cuban Casserole
Amount Per Serving
Calories 413 Calories from Fat 234
% Daily Value*
Fat 26g40%
Saturated Fat 12g75%
Cholesterol 166mg55%
Sodium 652mg28%
Potassium 702mg20%
Carbohydrates 2g1%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 1g1%
Protein 41g82%
Vitamin A 554IU11%
Vitamin C 5mg6%
Calcium 166mg17%
Iron 2mg11%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Tim Guenther

    June 04, 2019 at 8:27 pm

    You don’t say how much sliced ham to include – it is missing from the ingredients list!

    Reply
    • Culinarylion

      June 04, 2019 at 9:26 pm

      Thanks for the heads up, Don’t Know how i missed that ingredient from my list. Its updated Now. Thanks for checking out the recipe!!!

      Reply
  2. Geoff

    June 05, 2019 at 4:12 pm

    I dont care for pickles..any thoughts on a substitute?

    Reply
    • Culinarylion

      June 05, 2019 at 4:48 pm

      You could alway just leave them out or maybe substitute some of those crispy onions or sautéed mushrooms. those both sound good to me!! thanks for checking out the recipe. leave a rating at the bottom if you like the recipe. have a great day!!

      Reply
  3. Jajajules9

    June 07, 2019 at 12:27 pm

    5 stars
    Tastes like a Cuban! Really enjoyed the creaminess of the Dijon sauce and the pickles are what gave it ‘authenticity’ , lol. Was easy to put together, and my leftover, killer roast pork was not wasted. Very nice comfort food, middle of the week dinner, thanks.

    Reply
    • Culinarylion

      June 07, 2019 at 12:46 pm

      That’s fantastic!! I never want to waste a drop of pork!! Cuban gives it new life. So glad you enjoyed the recipe and I appreciate the support!!

      Reply
  4. Embeya

    December 12, 2019 at 10:07 am

    5 stars
    Woooow…..Homemade!!! It’s the only thing that taste good!

    I think I will look for these and try your recipe this weekend. Thank you for sharing!

    Dang Thai from Embeya!

    Reply
    • Culinary Lion

      December 13, 2019 at 5:29 pm

      awesome!!! so glad you enjoyed it!! such a good leftovers recipe!!!

      Reply
  5. Boner

    January 27, 2020 at 3:36 pm

    Confused-recipes mentions Dijon & yellow mustard. Making this for super bowl. definitely

    Reply
    • Culinary Lion

      January 30, 2020 at 11:30 am

      You can use either one depending on what you prefer, I have made it both ways and both are tasty. I did fix the instructions to clear up any confusion. thanks for the heads up. Let me know how you like the recipe. Thank you!!

      Reply
  6. Margaret

    March 08, 2020 at 10:30 am

    Great post – I love that you include the history. Slight correction – the sandwich is from the late 1800’s not 1900’s. Thanks

    Reply
    • Culinary Lion

      March 09, 2020 at 12:46 pm

      thanks for catching that. I just updated the post. Thanks for checking out the recipe!!

      Reply
      • Diane Deal

        January 11, 2022 at 2:07 am

        Also, it was originated in Tampa. Although Miami disagrees. Lol

        Reply
        • Frank Campanella

          January 12, 2022 at 3:07 pm

          everyone I talked to gave me a different answer. I’ve got friends in the restaurant biz in Miami, Tampa, and the keys. everyone wants to claim it

          Reply
  7. Sharon LaFleur

    June 03, 2020 at 6:19 am

    5 stars
    Delicious! Made this tonight with leftover Tuscan ribs.

    Reply
    • Culinary Lion

      June 03, 2020 at 1:50 pm

      Fantastic, So glad you enjoyed it!! the tuscan ribs sound awesome too!!!

      Reply
  8. Fred

    July 09, 2020 at 12:58 am

    Dude! This is awesome. I had too much jus from the original pork so it wasn’t much of a casserole, but still awesome. I added mushrooms thinking they would soak up some of the jus. I also added pickled banana peppers just because.
    For years I’ve made a mustard cream sauce for pork. This was a no brainier. Thanks

    Reply
    • Culinary Lion

      July 10, 2020 at 2:36 pm

      Thank you so much!! I’m glad you enjoyed the Recipe!!

      Reply
  9. R and R

    August 03, 2020 at 11:25 pm

    5 stars
    Delish dish and great use of leftovers. Best part are the crunchy edges.

    Reply
    • Culinary Lion

      August 04, 2020 at 5:16 pm

      So glad you enjoyed the recipe!! its one of my favorites for sure!!

      Reply
  10. Nichole

    August 26, 2020 at 3:02 pm

    5 stars
    This recipe is amazing! I will make this many, many times. I can’t stop thinking about all the flavor. So sad when it was all eaten.

    Reply
    • Culinary Lion

      August 27, 2020 at 4:11 pm

      Love to hear this!!! Thank you so much for sharing!!

      Reply
  11. Jason pettit

    October 10, 2020 at 1:56 am

    5 stars
    Another hit! My wife sent me this today and i knew I had to make it! Very easy, and delicious. I didn’t have any leftover pork so i pressure cooked a roast just for this!

    Reply
    • Culinary Lion

      October 11, 2020 at 2:28 pm

      Thank you so Much that recipe is a favorite in my family and on this page!! you guys rock!!!

      Reply
  12. Selabby Monson

    October 21, 2020 at 12:03 am

    5 stars
    Love love love it. I made 2 batches different ways (as is and another with some kick) and both were excellent. Thank you.

    Reply
    • Culinary Lion

      October 22, 2020 at 4:46 pm

      Love to hear it!!! Im so glad you enjoyed the recipe and thank you for the review!!

      Reply
  13. Katie

    November 10, 2020 at 4:23 pm

    I think I’ll make this tonight, but only have bread and butter pickles. I think that will work nicely!

    Reply
    • Culinary Lion

      November 13, 2020 at 6:47 pm

      any pickles you like will work great in this recipe.

      Reply
  14. Rob

    December 15, 2020 at 10:56 pm

    14 inch skillet 1.5lb pork. 3/4 cup cream. Add 3tbl pickle juice. 3lb of pulled pork does not fit in a 14inch cast iron skillet…

    Reply
    • Culinary Lion

      December 19, 2020 at 6:42 pm

      I don’t but you have inspired me so I will work on that recipe very soon, thank you!!!

      Reply
  15. Stephanie

    February 21, 2021 at 2:30 pm

    5 stars
    Love this use of leftover pulled pork!

    Reply
    • Culinary Lion

      February 23, 2021 at 2:14 am

      awesome, so glad to hear you enjoyed the recipe!!

      Reply
  16. Bejal Mehta

    February 24, 2021 at 6:39 pm

    5 stars
    I don’t have a cast iron how can I do this? Also I only have 2 pounds of pulled meat can someone help me adjust

    Reply
    • Culinary Lion

      February 24, 2021 at 7:03 pm

      you can make this in any oven safe pan or even a crockpot if you needed to. Just mix the pork with all the liquid ingredients and then top it with the ham, pickles and Swiss. You can just use a little less mustard and cream if you only have 2 pounds of pork, some people like it to have more sauce so you can just make the recipe as is with 2 pounds

      Reply
      • Nicole

        March 26, 2022 at 11:10 am

        5 stars
        This was so delicious and a great way to use leftover pork roast! I made a small batch for dinner one night because I was scared and didn’t want to waste the pork if it wasn’t great but BOY WAS I WRONG! Made another batch the next day for lunch! So easy and so good!

        Reply
        • Frank Campanella

          March 27, 2022 at 2:52 am

          always love hearing this! glad you tried it out and enjoyed it

          Reply
  17. Tom Allmond

    March 21, 2021 at 8:50 pm

    5 stars
    This was great. Smoked a butt yesterday, made this today with leftovers. We are not sure what we liked best.

    Reply
    • Culinary Lion

      March 21, 2021 at 9:35 pm

      Makes me so happy to hear that. I feel the same way. sometimes we smoke an extra pork butt just to make sure we have leftovers!!

      Reply
  18. Ben

    May 02, 2021 at 11:32 pm

    5 stars
    Not gonna lie, I thought this was an odd recipe but boy was I wrong. Delicious!!! The cream cheese and heavy cream make just a few bites seem like you ate an entire sandwich! I’m glad I saw it on Facebook

    Reply
    • Culinary Lion

      May 03, 2021 at 2:14 pm

      Thank you, I was basically wanting it to be a creamy mustard sauce. Its one of my favorites for sure!!

      Reply
  19. Maria

    May 13, 2021 at 4:33 am

    5 stars
    Thank you for sharing this recipe. What a clever idea. Will be trying it out this weekend.

    Reply
    • Culinary Lion

      May 13, 2021 at 10:04 am

      Thank you so much!! please keep me posted!!!

      Reply
  20. Steven

    May 29, 2021 at 10:33 pm

    4 stars
    The Cuban originally came from Tampa, not Miami

    Reply
    • Culinary Lion

      May 30, 2021 at 2:56 am

      Ive talked to a lot of folks and done a fair amount of research on the origins and It seems like it started in the south and moved its way up to Tampa later. Please drop a link so I can see your sources. Id love to learn more.

      Reply
  21. Mary Jo

    July 16, 2021 at 11:12 pm

    4 stars
    Very good and flavorful ! Easy to cut recipe in half. May keep all portions the same except pork next time.

    Reply
    • Culinary Lion

      July 17, 2021 at 3:10 pm

      awesome thank you fore sharing, its one of my favorite leftover pulled pork recipes

      Reply
  22. Bob B.

    October 07, 2021 at 1:47 pm

    3 stars
    I made the recipe exactly as written and we both thought it was a little bland and underseasoned. I immediately thought of some tweaks that could help. I think the pork mixture needs salt, pepper and some cayenne and at least one more TBSP of mustard. For the two pounds of pork, I think it also needs more pickles and more ham. I do enjoy Cuban sandwiches, so I will work on perfecting this for our taste.

    Reply
    • Frank Campanella

      October 08, 2021 at 2:01 pm

      That is fair, I didn’t want to tell you to add a lot of seasoning because the pulled pork should already be seasoned and flavorful. As far as the amount of meats and pickles you can always add more to your liking. Thanks for the feedback. Hopefully I can get 5 stars next time.

      Reply
  23. Bridget

    February 17, 2022 at 4:49 pm

    5 stars
    My husband and I loved this recipe. It was really tasty. A great way to use leftover pork. The pickles which I was hesitant about were genius. I did add sautéed onions too.

    Reply
  24. Patti

    February 22, 2022 at 2:20 am

    5 stars
    Great recipe! Had a chunk of smoked pork in my freezer waiting for inspiration😁 I had saved this recipe awhile back and finally decided to try it. Love how easy it was to put together; my husband was a little hesitant when he saw the pickles on top, but couldn’t stop raving about how good it was once he started eating! I made it as written, but thought it could use a bit more seasoning as well. I will tweak a bit next time; maybe my pork wasn’t seasoned enough.. Anyway, thanks for inspiration!

    Reply
    • Frank Campanella

      February 23, 2022 at 12:29 pm

      Yes, the recipe doesn’t call for a lot of seasoning because I don’t want it to be to salty with the rub for the pork along with the mustard and pickles but you can always season as needed to preference. Im so glad you enjoyed the recipe!! thanks for sharing.

      Reply
  25. Britt

    June 06, 2022 at 11:44 pm

    5 stars
    This recipe is a staple in my house whenever I have leftover pulled pork. My absolute favorite! Thank you. 🙂

    Reply
    • Frank Campanella

      June 07, 2022 at 10:17 pm

      thank you so much!!! so glad you enjoyed this one!!!

      Reply
  26. Kelly

    September 01, 2022 at 1:57 pm

    Can this be made a day ahead of time, and then baked right before serving?

    Reply
    • Frank Campanella

      September 13, 2022 at 10:04 pm

      yes, I prep it the night before all the time

      Reply
  27. Texas TLC

    January 21, 2023 at 3:25 pm

    Love your Damascus steel knife! Can’t wait to try this!

    Reply
    • Frank Campanella

      January 22, 2023 at 2:57 am

      Thank you!!! you will love it!!

      Reply
  28. Leslie Van Trump

    February 13, 2023 at 6:56 pm

    Tampa is the original Cuban Sandwich from Ybor City. Miami tries to claim it.

    Reply
    • Frank Campanella

      February 15, 2023 at 3:18 pm

      that seems to be highly contested on both sides. Tampa seems to be the ones to add salami which I think is fantastic

      Reply
  29. Culinary Lion

    March 20, 2020 at 4:10 pm

    So glad you enjoyed the recipe!! definitely a tasty one!!

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Keto Cuban Casserole – My Keto meals says:
    March 19, 2020 at 10:59 pm

    […] decided to go with a Cast Iron Cuban Casserole from Grilling24x7.  It looked amazing!  One of my favourite, pre-keto, sandwiches from a local restaurant was their […]

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