Jump to RecipeTurn you 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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You don't say how much sliced ham to include - it is missing from the ingredients list!
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!!!
I dont care for pickles..any thoughts on a substitute?
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!!
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.
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!!
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!
awesome!!! so glad you enjoyed it!! such a good leftovers recipe!!!
Confused-recipes mentions Dijon & yellow mustard. Making this for super bowl. definitely
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!!
Great post - I love that you include the history. Slight correction - the sandwich is from the late 1800’s not 1900’s. Thanks
thanks for catching that. I just updated the post. Thanks for checking out the recipe!!
[…] 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 […]
So glad you enjoyed the recipe!! definitely a tasty one!!
Delicious! Made this tonight with leftover Tuscan ribs.
Fantastic, So glad you enjoyed it!! the tuscan ribs sound awesome too!!!
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
Thank you so much!! I'm glad you enjoyed the Recipe!!
Delish dish and great use of leftovers. Best part are the crunchy edges.
So glad you enjoyed the recipe!! its one of my favorites for sure!!
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.
Love to hear this!!! Thank you so much for sharing!!
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!
Thank you so Much that recipe is a favorite in my family and on this page!! you guys rock!!!
Love love love it. I made 2 batches different ways (as is and another with some kick) and both were excellent. Thank you.
Love to hear it!!! Im so glad you enjoyed the recipe and thank you for the review!!
I think I'll make this tonight, but only have bread and butter pickles. I think that will work nicely!
any pickles you like will work great in this recipe.
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...
I don't but you have inspired me so I will work on that recipe very soon, thank you!!!
Love this use of leftover pulled pork!
awesome, so glad to hear you enjoyed the recipe!!
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
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
This was great. Smoked a butt yesterday, made this today with leftovers. We are not sure what we liked best.
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!!