Five-spice turkey lettuce wraps have the perfect combination of spices, with a little added crunch, and an amazing sauce, all wrapped up in lettuce for a delicious and healthy meal!
I’ve been on a bit of a lettuce wrap kick lately. Meaning, I’ve made two versions in the last few weeks. And before that it’d been years. So, that constitutes a “kick” in my book. But can you blame me?? Asian flavors at their best, wrapped up in a crisp lettuce leaf and drizzled (or soaked) in an amazing spicy citrus sauce. What’s not to love???
Besides all the amazing flavors, it has a great texture profile. The rice and meat are tender, but you get a nice crunch for the carrots, peppers, and water chestnuts. And did I mention the sauce?
The biggest problem I have is wanting over-fill the poor lettuce leaves and then losing half my filling to the plate. But hey, that’s what forks are for! Or, bigger lettuce leaves, perhaps.
All-in-all this is just a great meal for this dreadfully hot summer. Something about lettuce wraps just says “light and refreshing”, doesn’t it? Especially when it’s 106 degrees outside. I am a Texas girl, through and through, but when did I sign up to live in a volcano?!? If I’m complaining about the heat, you know it’s hot. Because I’d take heat over wintry cold pretty much any day. But maybe not this heat. Is it October yet?? Haha. I know, I know.
In the meantime, I’ll try to distract myself from the heat by planning my baby girl’s 1st birthday party. Yes, you read that right…my baby is going to be ONE in less than a month. HOW?!? I just can’t even…
But I do love to party plan, and there’s nothing like waiting until the last minute, right??
Don’t wait until the last minute to make these lettuce wraps though. But if you do, they’re pretty easy to put together! Cooking the rice is what takes the longest, so just plan for that and you’ll be good to go!
Five-Spice Turkey Lettuce Wraps
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup brown rice
- 1 cup chicken broth or water
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- 1 lb 93%-lean ground turkey
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1 large red bell pepper , finely diced
- 1 8- oz can water chestnuts , rinsed and chopped
- 1/2 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
- 2 Tbsp hoisin sauce
- 1 tsp five-spice powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 heads Boston lettuce , leaves separated
- 1/2 cup shredded carrot
For the sauce:
- 1/2 cup Ponzu*
- 1/4 cup Sriracha (you can use less if you don't like things too spicy)
- 1/4 cup Sesame Oil
Instructions
- Place rice and broth or water in a medium sauce pan, bring to a boil, reduce to simmer and cook for about 45 minutes or until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender.
- Heat oil in a large nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Add turkey and ginger; cook, crumbling with a wooden spoon, until the turkey is cooked through, about 6 minutes. Stir in the cooked rice, bell pepper, water chestnuts, broth, hoisin sauce, five-spice powder and salt; cook until heated through, about 1 minute.
- To prepare the sauce, just whisk the ingredients together in a bowl until well combined. If you don't like things too spicy, add just a little Sriracha at a time (with equal parts of sesame oil) until it's reached your desired heat level.
- To serve, spoon portions of the turkey mixture into lettuce leaves, top with carrot and sauce, and enjoy!
Notes
Source: Eating Well
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