Spicy Turkey Lettuce Wraps

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I had plans to do a new recipe today, but turns out the universe also had other plans. Guys, this is the never-ending summer and I don’t know how to function anymore when I have to actually do stuff. ???? So I wanted to share updates of one of my favorite recipes that is packed with protein, flavor, and tons of veggies–these  are awesome for meal prepping or when you feel like you need a little detox, but they’re also freaking delicious whether you’re trying to make healthier eating choices or not.

spicy turkey lettuce wraps from our best bites

Spicy Turkey Lettuce Wraps

These Spicy Turkey Lettuce Wraps are packed with lean protein, tons of veggies, and taste AMAZING!
Servings6

Ingredients

  • 20 ounces super-lean ground turkey
  • 1/4 cup chopped green onions
  • 6 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 tablespoon minced ginger
  • 1 1/2 cups seeded and diced cucumber
  • 1 medium red bell pepper seeded and chopped
  • 1/2 cup shredded carrot
  • 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
  • 1/4 cup chopped cashews
  • 1/2 jalapeno seeded and diced OR Sriracha sauce to taste
  • Juice of 2 limes about 4 tablespoons
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 16 lettuce leaves butter lettuce or trimmed iceberg lettuce leaves work great

Instructions

  • In a medium bowl, combine the ground turkey, green onions, garlic, and ginger. Cover and refrigerate until dinner time or allow to stand at room temperature for 15 minutes.
  • When ready to cook, heat about 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the turkey mixture until it’s browning and crumbly.
  • While the turkey is cooking, combine the limes, soy sauce, brown sugar, and, if using it, Sriracha to taste. Set aside.
  • Place the remaining ingredients  in a large bowl. When the turkey is done cooking, add it to the vegetable mixture. Drizzle with the sauce and toss to combine. Serve immediately in leaves of lettuce. Makes 4 large servings.

Notes

Nutritional Information (for 4 servings):
Calories: 243.5
Fat: 6.5
Carbs: 14.1
Protein: 35.5
Fiber: 2.1

note

This recipe cooks very quickly, but the chopping can take some time. I recommend chopping ahead of time when you have a few extra minutes and then throwing it all together at dinnertime!
Author: kate jones
Did You Make This Recipe?Snap a picture, and hashtag it #ourbestbites. We love to see your creations on our Instagram @ourbestbites!

let’s time travel to 2013…

So you know how when you start eating healthy, all you can think about is food? Yeah. If you’ve got an extra 4 1/2 minutes (and really, even if you don’t), you need to watch this clip. It will make your Friday. It is how I feel at least once a day around 2:32 pm when I want to lay down on the couch and take a nap snuggled up to a bowl of linguine.

So anyway. These Spicy Turkey Lettuce Wraps aren’t pasta. But they are one of my new favorite meals and are so delicious that it helps remind me that really great food doesn’t have to be bad for me (not that pasta is bad, but, kind of like Oreos and Friday Night Lights, I can’t do it in moderation).

One thing about this recipe is that it cooks super quick, but there’s some prep work involved that can suck up your time. My trick is to do all the chopping and prep work earlier in the day when my older kids are at school and my wee one is napping so when I have five-million things going on in the afternoon and the thought of making dinner makes me want to curl up in my closet and sob, I don’t have to because all the hard stuff is done and dinner is ready in, like, 10 minutes tops.

how to make these spicy turkey lettuce wraps

You’re going to need super-lean ground turkey, your favorite lettuce leaves (I really like the living lettuce you can get at many supermarkets), green onions, cilantro, fresh ginger, lots and lots of garlic, shredded carrots (I just buy a bag of pre-shredded carrots), cucumbers (I love the mini English cucumbers that don’t need to be peeled), chopped red bell pepper, and chopped cashews. You can also add in half of a seeded, chopped jalapeno (I actually prefer adding Sriracha to the sauce because it’s easier to control the heat whilst feeding the kidlets).

turkey lettuce wraps ingredients

For the sauce, you’re going to need (in addition to the Sriracha, if you’re using it) soy sauce, brown sugar, and lime juice. No, your eyes are not deceiving you, I forgot the limes in this picture.

smaller1

In a medium bowl, combine the turkey, green onion, garlic, and ginger. Cover and refrigerate until dinner time or let it stand at room temperature for 15 minutes.

When ready to cook, heat about a tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the turkey and cook until done.

While the turkey is cooking, whisk together 1 tablespoon soy sauce, the juice of 2 limes, a tablespoon of brown sugar, and Sriracha to taste (if you’re using it). Keep in mind that what’s a little spicy in the sauce will be not spicy at all once you mix it all together.

In a large bowl, combine the remaining ingredients. Add the cooked turkey mixture.

turkey lettuce wrap filling ingredients mixed

Drizzle with the sauce and toss to combine. Spoon the mixture into lettuce leaves and eat like a taco. This makes 4 generous servings–it could conceivably serve 5-6, though.

spicy turkey lettuce wraps from our best bites

 

Nutritional Information (for 4 servings):

Calories: 243.5
Fat: 6.5
Carbs: 14.1
Protein: 35.5
Fiber: 2.1

 

woman in denim shirt holding a salad bowl
Meet The Author

Sara Wells

Sara Wells co-founded Our Best Bites in 2008. She is the author of three Bestselling Cook Books, Best Bites: 150 Family Favorite Recipes, Savoring the Seasons with Our Best Bites, and 400 Calories or Less from Our Best Bites. Sara’s work has been featured in many local and national news outlets and publications such as Parenting Magazine, Better Homes & Gardens, Fine Cooking, The Rachel Ray Show and the New York Times.

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Questions & Reviews

  1. We make these all the time. I add a package of of cooked soba noodles and add it in with the rest of the ingredients. What can I say… I love me some pasta ?

  2. These were especially tasty for a summer night. Tried them after you posted them on FB. My husband wasn’t crazy about the lettuce wrap idea but agreed that the filling was delicious. I will make them again!

  3. OH MY GOSH!! I made these this weekend and they are AMAZING!!! I LOOOOVE them. Found out last week that my cholesterol is high (and I am quite young for that) so I have been trying to find healthy recipes that taste good. I am a foodie at heart and I love “taste” and texture and flavors so typical diets do not appeal to me in the long run. I get bored. I am also a fan of PF Changs lettuce wraps and have a copycate recipe that has been in my “waiting to try this recipe someday when I have fee time” pile. It has a really long ingredient list and the steps took up a whole page so it is rather daunting looking. When I found this, I thought I would give it a try even though it is not much the same as Chang’s. Result: I love this probably even MORE than the restaurant version!! And, it is healthy on top of that, so double BONUS! Thanks again! Love you girls and your site.

  4. Just an FYI, I love that you have a Gluten Free category now, it is so fun to browse and get more ideas. I just wanted to mention, if you didn’t already know, that soy sauce is an ingredient that is wheat based and is not gluten-free. There are gluten free soy sauces out there to use as a substitute, so if you put recipes containing soy sauce in the “gluten free” category, you may want to specify “substitute gluten free soy sauce.” That’s all. Thanks, you ladies do a terrific job!

  5. Love this recipe! But since it makes so much and my family is small, the second time I made it I used zucchini instead of the cucumber because it tastes better rewarmed as leftovers.

  6. Looks good! Would this still taste good with chicken breast? And how many servings does this recipe cover?