Asian Turkey Lettuce Wraps are an easy one pot meal that comes together in just 25 minutes! This quick dinner is super filling and healthy, too!
During the work week it is so easy to fall into a take-out trap. It’s fast, convenient and usually pretty yummy. The problem is that eating out can easily put a strain on your budget and on your waistline. That’s why, I try to keep it simple Monday-Friday with healthy meals that require less than 10 ingredients and take under 30 minutes to prepare.
The first time I ever had lettuce wraps was at P.F. Chang’s. I know you know what I’m talking about; fresh iceberg lettuce topped with flavorful, spicy chicken and those little Styrofoam noodles. Okay, I know they aren’t Styrofoam but I never understood their purpose. Crunch, I guess? Moving on…
I wanted to recreate this dish at home using easy, healthy ingredients so I created the recipe for the Asian Turkey Lettuce Wraps. I’ve been making these almost weekly for about a year now. The sauce has evolved over many moons but I think I have finally reached prime time with this recipe and want to share it with all of you.
The best part of this dish is that it only requires one pot. Hallelujah – easy clean up! Start by sautéing onion and turkey until cooked through. Then, add ingredients for sauce and water chestnuts. Next, fold in carrots and green onion; I like to do this towards the end so the carrots stay a little crunchy. Finally, spoon the meat mixture into lettuce cups and serve with sriracha sauce and Greek yogurt. The sriracha sauce will add spice but the yogurt will cool things down. It’s a great balance.
Ingredients with a great shelf life
The great part about many of these ingredients is that once you have them in your pantry/refrigerator, they will last a long time. Soy sauce, sesame oil, chili garlic sauce and oyster sauce all have a long shelf life. Also, something else I’ve picked up over the years is to buy concentrated tomato paste in a tube rather than a can; I never use an entire can of tomato sauce so it really cuts down on waste. With all that said, any time you want Asian Turkey Lettuce Wraps, you will already have half the ingredients on hand. And trust me, you’re going to want them again… and again.
Austin and I usually eat these lettuce wraps as our entire meal (because there is only two of us) but you can certainly pair this with rice, Lo Mein or a vegetable stir-fry.
Let me know what you think about these Asian Turkey Lettuce Wraps in the comments section below. If you make them for yourself, post on Instagram and tag me @bluecheesebungalow.
Looking for another easy weeknight meal? Try my recipes for Easy Jambalaya Pasta with Sausage or Shrimp Pasta Primavera.
Kelsey Renee
Asian Turkey Lettuce Wraps
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground turkey meat
- ½ large white onion (diced)
- 1 8-ounce can diced water chestnuts (drained)
- 1 cup matchstick carrots
- 5 green onions (diced)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons concentrated tomato paste
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 1 tablespoon chili garlic sauce (optional)
- 2 heads of romaine lettuce (you can also use iceberg or bib)
Instructions
- 1. Start by preparing lettuce cups. Chop off end of head of lettuce so you are left with the leaves. Wash thoroughly and dry with paper towels. Set aside.
- 2. In a large skillet, heat one tablespoon olive oil to medium heat.
- 3. Add white onion and sauté 2-3 minutes.
- 4. Add turkey and sauté until fully cooked.
- 5. Add water chestnuts, soy sauce, sesame oil, oyster sauce and tomato paste. Stir until completely combined.
- 6. Optional: stir in chili garlic sauce for spicy lettuce wraps.
- 7. Continue to cook on medium, stirring occasionally for 3-4 minutes.
- 8. Turn heat to low. Stir in carrots. Cook for an additional 2 minutes.
- 9. Top with green onions.
- 10. Serve on lettuce cups with Sriracha sauce, Greek yogurt and additional green onions.
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