Chinese Lettuce Wraps

Chinese lettuce wraps are a quick, easy, and healthy, weeknight dinner. Ground turkey is stir-fried with fresh Asian vegetables, and served in lettuce leaves. 

What to do with ground meat.

Ground meat is a great way to stretch a dollar, but it doesn’t have to be boring! I usually have a pound or two of ground turkey, pork, or beef in the freezer for a quick weeknight meal. I can change the ingredients, and take a virtual and culinary trip “around the world”, just by changing the spices and vegetables. Here are some Mediterranean, Cuban and English recipes using ground meat. We try and eat a lot of meals that use meat as a “condiment” rather than as the star of the meal. (This post was originally published on July 22nd, 2011 and has been updated to contain nutritional information. As an Amazon Affiliate, I earn commission on qualifying purchases)

Budget friendly and healthy

In place of the pork, I’ve substituted ground turkey. In place of the scallion pancakes, are tender leaves of lettuce. Hoisin sauce is usually served with mu shu pancakes, it’s somewhat sweet, not gluten free, nor is it low-carb. Since it’s always served on the side, anyone sensitive to gluten, or just avoiding sugar, can easily skip it.  Adding lots of vegetables to the meat means I can stretch a 20 ounce package to feed the four of us for dinner, with enough leftovers for a couple of lunches the following day.

There is a small amount of honey in the marinade, as well as a small amount of sugar in the stir-fry sauce, but it’s just over 2 tablespoons for all six servings, which makes it still relatively low-carb and healthy. If you’re concerned about any sugar at all, you can always substitute monk fruit sweetener or Swerve,  or just skip it altogether.

How to make Chinese Lettuce Wraps

The most time consuming part of making stir fry is the prep work. Measuring out everything in advance is crucial, since the actual cooking takes just minutes.

I have lots of ramekins and small glass dishes that I use just for mise en place (prep). Because I keep a lot of spices and condiments in my pantry, they need to be organized so I can quickly access them. I alphabetize my spices and keep all the condiments grouped together by region, so I can quickly grab anything I need.

Most of these spices and condiments can be found in a regular grocery store, but I usually visit my local Asian store where the “second” language is English. If I don’t know what something is, I ask questions. The produce is cheap, the fish is fresh, and the variety of noodles is amazing! Feel free to add more vegetables or vary what you add. This would also work with baby bok choy, thinly sliced white onions or finely shredded cabbage.

Stir fry the ground meat quickly over a medium high heat. Stir to break up lumps, about 4-6 minutes, remove with a slotted spoon to another bowl.

Wipe out the wok. Add 1 Tablespoon oil and reheat pan over a medium high heat. Stir fry the mushrooms and snow peas, about 1  or 2 minutes.

Add the bean sprouts, stir fry just another minute more.

How to serve Chinese Lettuce Wraps

The best type of lettuce for these wraps is either butter or iceberg. The leaves tend to be smaller and more “cup like”. Romaine doesn’t fold as easily. To serve lettuce wraps, just set up the fillings as you would a taco bar, with lettuce, extra bean sprouts, cilantro, mint, hoisin sauce and chili oil. Everyone can make their own wraps to suit their taste. Serve it with instant pot coconut rice, jasmine rice with ginger and lemongrass or cauliflower rice on the side.

Some of the items used in this post are available at my Amazon Affiliate Store

Looking for another recipe to stretch ground meat? How about Filipino Lumpia?