Asian Lettuce Cups with Spicy Ground Turkey – FBD
Asian Lettuce Cups with Spicy Ground Turkey are a delicious low-carb and gluten-free dinner idea that’s also fun to eat! And everyone who likes turkey lettuce wraps with Asian flavors will enjoy this recipe!
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I vividly remember when I first had lettuce wraps, at a Chinese restaurant in Salt Lake where a friend named Mike was hip enough to order them even though they weren’t on the menu. This was years ago; now lettuce wraps like these Asian Lettuce Cups with Spicy Ground Turkey are somewhat mainstream.
And when the Asian lettuce wraps are made with lean ground turkey like this, they make a wonderful low-carb, gluten-free, and dairy-free dinner option. And you can easily adapt them to use ground beef for Keto if you prefer or use gluten-free soy sauce or coconut aminos for gluten-free or Paleo.
What ingredients do you need?
(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)
Are these Lettuce Wraps or Lettuce Cups?
This type of Asian dish with spicy meat eaten inside pieces of lettuce can be called lettuce wraps or lettuce cups, but I like to pile up the lettuce cup with lots of filling rather than wrapping it, so I’m calling them lettuce cups.
What is Fish Sauce?
Just like the name says, Fish Sauce is an Asian condiment made from fermented fish. If you’re not familiar with this, don’t be put off by the smell because it adds amazing umami flavor to Asian dishes. I’m a big fan of Red Boat Fish Sauce (affiliate link) which is gluten-free and doesn’t have added ingredients.
What lettuce should you use for the Asian Lettuce Cups?
I like to use Boston Lettuce or Butter lettuce for this recipe, but you can also use Iceberg Lettuce or Green Leaf lettuce if you can’t find the other kinds of lettuce or don’t want to spend quite so much on the lettuce.
Steps for making Asian Lettuce Cups with Spicy Ground Turkey:
(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)
- Chop red onion. Measure out minced garlic and minced ginger.
- Whisk together soy sauce, Chile Garlic Sauce, and fish sauce.
- Heat oil in a large non-stick pan; add onion and cook about 2 minutes.
- Then add garlic and ginger root and cook about one minute more.
- Add ground turkey to frying pan and break apart with turner. Add the sauce mixture to the ground turkey.
- Cook until turkey is brown and crumbly, and the sauce is absorbed into the meat, about 5 minutes.
- While turkey cooks, wash and chop cilantro. Chop peanuts and put in a small bowl.
- When turkey is done, add chopped cilantro and cook 1-2 minutes more.
- Remove the core end from lettuce, separate leaves, and wash in a salad spinner and spin dry.
- Serve filling and lettuce leaves in separate bowls, with chopped peanuts in another small bowl.
- Each person takes a lettuce leaf, fills it with the turkey mixture, adds chopped peanuts, and then eats the mixture from the lettuce cup.
Make it a Low-Carb Meal:
You could make a meal out of these Asian Lettuce Cups, but if you want a heartier dinner, Chinese Cucumber Salad, Asian Green Salad, or Sugar Snap Pea Salad would be a good side dish for a low-carb meal.
More Tasty Lettuce Wraps:
Weekend Food Prep:
Asian Lettuce Cups with Spicy Ground Turkey have been added to a category called Weekend Food Prep to help you find recipes you can prep or cook on the weekend and eat during the week!
Ingredients
1 T peanut oil or vegetable oil
3 T minced red onion or shallots
2 T minced garlic (I used minced garlic from a jar but fresh garlic would be great)
2 T grated ginger root or minced ginger from a jar
1 1/2 lbs. ground turkey
4 T soy sauce (see notes)
1 T Chile Garlic Sauce (or slightly more if you like spicy foods)
1 tsp. fish sauce
1 cup chopped fresh cilantro (see notes)
1/3 cup chopped peanuts (optional, but good)
1 large head or 2 small heads lettuce (see notes)
Instructions
- Chop red onion. Measure out minced garlic and minced ginger. (You can also make this with fresh minced garlic and minced ginger root if you prefer.)
- Whisk together soy sauce, Chile Garlic Sauce, and fish sauce.
- Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan. To start, sauté onion for about 2 minutes until translucent. Then add garlic and ginger root, and cook for another minute. Next, add ground turkey to the pan with a little more oil if needed, breaking it apart with a turner. Pour in the sauce mixture and cook until the turkey is browned and the sauce is absorbed, approximately 5 minutes. Meanwhile, chop fresh cilantro to make 1 cup and prepare chopped peanuts in a small serving bowl. Once the turkey is cooked, stir in the cilantro and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes. Serve the filling and lettuce leaves separately, with chopped peanuts in a separate bowl. Each person can fill a lettuce leaf with the turkey mixture, add chopped peanuts, and enjoy the dish. Optionally, fold the lettuce cup over like a taco or wrap it around the filling. sentence: Please remember to turn off the lights before leaving the room.
Don't forget to switch off the lights when you exit the room.
