These thai ground turkey lettuce wraps are the perfect flavor-packed quick dinner recipe!
A few weeks ago, I spent part of my Saturday helping out at an “Eating Healthy with Diabetes” grocery store tour. I love grocery store tours because they lend themselves to interaction and Q&A much more than a traditional healthy eating seminar.
I was leading the tour along with two pharmacists, and one of them had made a thai lettuce wrap dish to share with the participants on the tour. It got me thinking – I’ve never made thai lettuce wraps before but they sounded amazing!
Without knowing exactly what such a wrap would consist of (and without tasting hers at the store because I didn’t want to be trying to speak and eat at the same time) I decided to just throw together a recipe myself and give it a shot at home. I’m not always successful with a complete shot in the dark like this but I was this time.
These thai ground turkey lettuce wraps are SO good. Plus – less than 10 ingredients and less than 30 minutes from start to finish. This is my kinda recipe.
Seriously – it’s so quick to make! If you buy the cabbage and carrots pre-shredded (huge time savor), you’ve really only got a few things to chop up. The slaw comes together fast, and the ground turkey does not take long at all to brown in the pan. From the time I started making this to the time we were eating it off our plates took less than 30 minutes (and that included the time photographing it outside).
The hubby and little one were both fans. My one year old had his sans lettuce wrap, but still enjoyed the filling and slaw – though I think he kept getting confused about which pieces of slaw were cabbage and which were apple, haha!
And for anyone watching their weight or anyone eating a lower carb meal plan, these are a great choice – two small lettuce wraps clock in at less than 300 calories and only 13 grams of carbohydrate, yet still pack in 21 grams of protein. If you’re an athlete currently training, these could be a good option on rest days or light days, but I’d recommend adding in a carb-rich side if you’ve got a heavy training day.
Give ‘em a try and let me know what you think!
These thai ground turkey lettuce wraps with cabbage apple slaw are a quick, nutritious meal!
- 1.5 cups shredded cabbage (I used a blend of green and red)
- 0.5 cups shredded or grated carrots
- 1 apple julienned
- 2 green onions chopped thinly
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 lb lean ground turkey (if you like it a bit heavier on meat, use 1.5 lbs)
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tbsp hoisin sauce
- 1 tsp rice wine vinegar
- 8 large leaves Boston or Butter Lettuce
-
Prepare slaw first – mix shredded cabbage, carrots, apple, and green onions in a large bowl. Toss with sesame oil and rice wine vinegar. Set aside.
-
Heat 1 tbsp sesame oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add ground turkey and cook until almost browned. Add garlic and continue cooking until ground turkey is fully browned and garlic is fragrant.
-
Add hoisin sauce and rice wine vinegar; stir to combine well. Cook for 1-2 more minutes then remove from heat.
-
Set lettuce leaves on plates and fill with ground turkey mixture. Top with cabbage apple slaw and enjoy!
Nutrition Analysis (per serving):
287 calories, 17 g fat (4 g sat fat), 253 mg sodium, 13 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 8 g sugar, 21 g protein, Vitamin A: 68%, Vitamin C: 25%, Calcium: 5%, Iron: 12%
These look delicious! I absolutely love lettuce wraps and these are great for summer.
Yes! Perfect for a light summer meal.
Usually I’m not a slaw fan but I recently discovered that it really isn’t that bad! (Picky eater over here…) I’ll definitely give this a try. Love that it’s a wrap!
I don’t like coleslaw when it’s made with mayo but I really like other kinds of slaws on burgers or in wraps. Maybe the type of dish would make a difference for you too?
YUM!! I am a huge lettuce wrap fan and this looks awesome!! Love that it is so easy to make too! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Yay, glad to hear you think you’ll enjoy them Natalie! Let me know how you (and the kiddos) like them after you give ’em a try.
Interesting spin on Thai lettuce wraps. I’m a big fan of Thai lettuce wraps! They’re so delicious without making you feel guilty! Thanks for sharing!
You’re welcome Lex! I love foods that are tasty and healthy at the same time 🙂
I’ve had a lettuce wrap before when forgetting to bring my bread to work. It all depends upon the ingredients whether it works out or not.
Haha! I think lettuce works perfectly for this one – I actually can’t imagine this recipe in a bread based wrap because I think it’d take away from that nice crunch of the lettuce on the outside along with the slaw.