What is the best lettuce for wraps?

Butter lettuce is the classic wrap choice. As it's thin, you may want to double up the leaves before filling. Also try romaine, green leaf, or iceberg lettuce.

What are some other ways to serve lettuce wraps?

Try serving this recipe as rice bowls or as loaded salad bowls. To assemble, in individual bowls add chopped romaine or iceberg lettuce. Top with the warm rice and beef and vegetable mixture. Sprinkle with sliced green onions, pickled ginger, chopped cashews and sesame seeds. Drizzle with soy sauce and garlic chili sauce if desired.

Korean Beef and Rice Lettuce Wraps

Name: Cashew Beef and Rice Lettuce Wraps
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Asian
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons peanut oil; 1 pound lean ground beef, 93% fat free; 1 medium red pepper, diced; 1 medium zucchini, diced; 2 cups of mushrooms, diced; 2 cups of baby spinach, packed; 2 tablespoon soy sauce; 3 tablespoons hoisin sauce; 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar; 2 teaspoons chili garlic sauce or more to taste; 1 (8 ounce) can water chestnuts, drained and chopped; 12 Boston butter, romaine or green leaf lettuce leaves, washed and dried; Cooked rice, about 3 cups (use my foolproof recipe for fluffy rice); 2 green onions, thinly sliced; Pickled ginger, chopped; Roasted and salted cashews, chopped; Sesame seeds

Description

Lean ground beef and vegetables are browned and seasoned with hoisin sauce, sesame oil, and soy sauce and gets a spicy kick from pickled ginger and Asian chili garlic sauce. A crunch is added from the chopped water chestnuts and cashews. Served in cool lettuce leaves with fluffy rice, this handheld meal does not disappoint.

Ingredients

Units Scale

2 tablespoons peanut oil
1 pound lean ground beef, 93% fat free
1 medium red pepper, diced
1 medium zucchini, diced
2 cups of mushrooms, diced
2 cups of baby spinach, packed
2 tablespoon soy sauce
3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
2 teaspoons chili garlic sauce or more to taste
1 (8 ounce) can water chestnuts, drained and chopped
12 Boston butter, romaine or green leaf lettuce leaves, washed and dried
Cooked rice, about 3 cups (use my foolproof recipe for fluffy rice)
2 green onions, thinly sliced
Pickled ginger, chopped
Roasted and salted cashews, chopped
Sesame seeds

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Instructions

Brown the beef: Heat a large sauté pan to medium high heat and add 1 tablespoon oil. When the oil begins to shimmer, add the ground beef. Sauté for 4 to 6 minutes breaking the meat into small pieces. When the meat is browned, remove it from the pan to a plate. Drain off any fat.
Sauté the vegetables: In the same pan, add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil and the red pepper, zucchini, and mushrooms. Sauté for 5 to 6 minutes or until just beginning to soften and becoming golden brown. Add the spinach and sauté for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the cooked ground beef and stir to combine.
Add the seasonings: Add the soy sauce, hoisin sauce, rice wine vinegar, and chili garlic sauce. Stir to combine.
Add the water chestnuts: Stir in the water chestnuts. Continue cooking until heated through, about 2 minutes.
Serving: Arrange lettuce leaves around the outer edge of a large serving platter, and pile meat mixture in the center. To serve, spoon some of the rice and a portion of the meat into a lettuce leaf. Sprinkle with the green onions, pickled ginger, cashews and sesame seeds.

Notes

Make ahead directions ~ Brown the ground beef. Sauté the vegetables. Season with sweet and spicy hoisin sauce, soy sauce and an extra spicy kick from chili garlic sauce. Add the chopped water chestnuts. Cool all the filling and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Wash the lettuce leaves, wrap in paper towels and store in the crisper drawer. When it's dinner time (or any time you get hungry for lettuce wraps) heat the beef and veggie filling and the rice and spoon into cool lettuce leaves.

Nutritional information is an estimate and based on the ingredients and cooking methods used in this recipe.

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Category: entree
Method: saute
Cuisine: Asian

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1/4 of recipe
Calories: 562
Sugar: 7.2 g
Sodium: 489 g
Fat: 16.7 g
Saturated Fat: 4.3 g
Unsaturated Fat: 0 g
Trans Fat: 0 g
Carbohydrates: 61.1 g
Fiber: 3.1 g
Protein: 31.2 g
Cholesterol: 65 mg