Go Back

Asian Lettuce Wraps with Ground Turkey (GF, Soy-Free)

Steph @ Good Food Better Mood
This savory, one pot meal is the perfect gluten free, asian inspired dish to whip up on a weeknight and is sure to be a crowd pleaser.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Chinese
Servings 4

Equipment

  • 1 salad spinner
  • 1 large skillet something that has tall sides

Ingredients
  

  • 2 tablespoons sesame oil
  • 1 pound ground turkey I prefer 93% lean but 99% lean works as well
  • 6 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 bunch green onions sliced, both green and white section
  • 1 ½ cups celery chopped
  • 16 ounce coleslaw mix prepackaged
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger spice
  • 5 tablespoons coconut aminos
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder spice
  • 1 head living lettuce or bibb lettuce washed and dried
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 dash sriracha optional

Toppings

  • sesame seeds black or white
  • lightly salted peanuts crushed
  • sesame ginger salad dressing optional

Instructions
 

  • Brown ground turkey. Heat 1 tablespoon of sesame oil in a skillet over medium heat. Once the pan is warm, place the ground turkey in the pan and break up into small crumbles. Cook for about 10 minutes or until the turkey is no longer pink. Transfer the meat to a plate.
  • Saute garlic, green onions, and celery. Heat 1 tablespoon of sesame oil in the same pan you cooked the ground turkey in over medium heat. Add the 6 cloves of minced garlic to the pan and saute for 30 seconds or until fragrant. Then add in most of the green onion (whites and greens) leaving a few green pieces for toppings later. Add in the chopped celery and 1 teaspoon of ground ginger. Mix together all ingredients in the pan until well combined.
  • Add cabbage and saute. Add the entire bag of cabbage into the pan. Mix all ingredients together and let the cabbage, green onions, celery, and garlic saute until softened, about 10 to 15 minutes.
  • Add ground turkey, coconut aminos, and garlic powder. Add the ground turkey back to the pan, add 5 tablespoons of coconut aminos, and add 1 teaspoon of garlic powder to the pan. Stir to combine and let simmer for 5 minutes to allow for the flavors to develop. Because the coconut aminos have sodium, I don’t like to add salt and pepper until the end and only if needed. Try the filling and add salt and pepper to taste.
  • (Optional): Add sriracha. For a little heat, add a dash of sriracha to the pan and stir to combine.
  • Spoon mixture into lettuce cups. Place lettuce cups on your plate and spoon in the ground turkey mixture on top of the lettuce cup.
  • Top lettuce cups. Add crushed peanuts, sesame seeds, and leftover green onions on top of the ground turkey mixture. For an optional added flavor kick, top your cups with a dash of sesame ginger salad dressing. I prefer the primal kitchen brand that is made with avocado oil. Enjoy!

Notes

  • I like to buy celery hearts for this recipe and cut it in half lengthwise and then chop it across so the celery pieces aren’t too large. You could also use a chopper to speed up the process if you don't want to use a knife! 
  • Because the living lettuce or bibb lettuce is delicate, some of your leaves might be broken or have tears in them. When this happens, I stack the torn leaf on top of a leaf that isn’t torn as a reinforcement to hold in the filling.
  • When purchasing peanuts, I like to go for options that don't have inflammatory oils and minimal ingredients. I buy peanuts that only have two ingredients 1) peanuts 2) sea salt.
  • When washing the lettuce cups I like to take each lettuce cup apart, wash them individually, and then lay them flat on paper towels to dry. I will also take a paper towel and gently pat them down to remove excess water. 
Keyword Gluten-Free, Lettuce Wraps, One Pot Meal, Soy-Free