Delicious Asian lettuce wraps that are crisp, refreshing and actually filling! An easy last minute dinner option.
RECIPE INDEX
- About this recipe
- Alternatives
- Planet friendly points
- Recipe steps explained
- More fun recipes to try
- Expiration & Storage
ABOUT THIS Easy Asian Lettuce Wrap Recipe
I love lettuce wraps! Typically, I struggle to stay full whenever I eat them. This recipe is satisfying and won’t leave you needing a pre bed time snack. The carrot slaw touch is the touch of acid, vinegar, onion dimension you need with all the health benefits too. You’ll please everyone in the family with this super easy zero planning required dinner. Yes, it makes a great last minute dinner plan! A toss in the pan minimal prep time meal.
ALTERNATIVES
Rice vinegar.
If you don’t have rice vinegar for the slaw, white wine vinegar is a great substitute. You can also use apple cider vinegar.
Eel sauce or sweet soy glaze.
You’ll be able to find this at most grocery stores in their Asian food section. Specifically, i’ve been able to find it at Publix’s Sprouts and Walmart online. If you can’t find it or don’t have it, substitute with 3 tablespoons of mirin, 2 tablespoons brown sugar and 1/4c soy sauce instead as it’s a sweetened soy sauce essentially anyways! I recommend mixing it together in a separate cup or bowl to create the quick “eel sauce” mixture prior to adding to your pan. You don’t need to, but it will preserve the flavor of the sauce a bit more mixing it first. You can also taste test it to make sure it tastes right first doing it this way!
Olive oil.
Avocado oil is a great healthy substitute for this recipe!
Water chestnuts.
I’ve been able to find these on Amazon and at my local grocery store Publix. Just omit them if you don’t have or can’t find them.
Romaine lettuce.
I love using butter lettuce as another option for lettuce wraps. They’re nice smooth and create a perfect lettuce, wrap, cub shape. The reason I suggest remain is because I’m obsessed with the nice crunch that it gives. They also create a nice boat cove for all of your filling ingredients.
PLANET FRIENDLY POINTS
By choosing lettuce over bread, tortillas or let’s say maybe pita bread. You’re choosing a not only healthier option, but one that isn’t processed and closer to natures natural ways such as gardening and growing (the lettuce) as opposed to processing the grains or bread in a factory. Especially since a lot of products contain ingredients that are not biodegradable or compostable. Which makes me wonder what those processed ingredients are doing to our bodies if the earth can’t process them… Can we!?
RECIPE STEPS EXPLAINED
1 Prep your vermicelli rice noodle pan.
If you’re frying the vermicelli rice noodle topping: Get out a small frying pan. Add 1/4-1/2in full of oil. Olive, avocado, peanut, canola or vegetable oil will work too! Set aside for now
2 Prep your main meat pan
Get out a large pan. Add a tablespoon of olive oil and Turn on the large pan burner to medium to medium low heat.
3 Dice and add onion to the pan
Get out a knife and cutting board and. dice the onion. Add it to the large pan as you cut.. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the onion. Stir the onions occasionally so they don’t burn. Cook till translucent. While they cook continue on to prepping the sauce.
4 Prep sauce
Whisk together in a separate medium sized bowl:
Sauce ingredients:
- 1/2c eel sauce or sweet soy glaze (3 tablespoons of mirin, 2 tablespoons brown sugar and 1/4c soy sauce)
- 5 tablespoons honey (tip: keep it out for the carrot slaw!)
- 3/4c soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 2 teaspoons powdered garlic
Set aside.
5 Add ground chicken and beef
Once onions start to loose color and begin to look translucent, add ground chicken and beef in the pan. Mix and chop every so often. If the onions start to loose color and begin to become translucent and finish cooking in the middle of making your sauce, take a break from making your sauce and add the ground chicken and beef. Time efficiency at its finest!
6 Water chestnuts prep
Do a rough chop on the water chestnuts
7 Small pan heat on
Turn the small pan burner to medium heat. (Where your vermicelli noodles will fry)
8 Add sauce
Once the meat is half pink aka half way cooked, pour in your sauce and add in the water chestnuts. Mix it into the meat. I put my ground meat in frozen since I usually am busy during the day. It’s nice to throw it straight in without needing to defrost. If you freeze your meats and forget to take it out to defrost in time, a recipe like this with ground meat is a great back up since it cooks from frozen great in a pan. Only difference is it will take a little bit longer, but not by too much!
9 Make carrot slaw
While your meat mixture cooks in your sauce. Occasionally mix it while make your carrot slaw:
Carrot slaw ingredients:
- 1 1/2 carrots
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 Pinch pepper
- The Reserved 2 tablespoons of diced onion
Add all the above carrot slaw ingredients to a blender or food processor. Blend till combined and grated in appearance
10 Cook vermicelli rice noodles & prepping other toppings
Continue to cook off some of the sauce while you chop the romaine and prep your toppings. Now is the time to cook our vermicelli rice noodles. Toss small chunks of the noodles into your small pan with the oil. They will puff up within one literal second. You’ll take them out almost immediately. It’s super fun to watch!
Chop any other toppings now too.
11 Turn off heat
Cut stove heat when most, but not all of your sauce is cooked out. We still want a nice layer coating the meat.
12 Prep lettuce
Chop ends off romaine lettuce heads before using as wraps for your Asian lettuce wraps.
13 Assemble and enjoy!
PREP TIPS
Feel free to break out the ground beef and chicken early if you freeze it like me to give time to defrost so it cooks quicker than please do! It’s not required at all. Just helps it cooks quicker than quicker. It’s all up to you!
OTHER FUN RECIPES
A nice low waste dinner option are my Pink Trout Tacos
If you enjoy lasagna, you might want to check out my super easy healthy spin: Easy Zucchini Lasagna
EXPIRATION & STORAGE
Store in the fridge for up to about five days in an airtight container. I recommend microwaving the filling when it comes to reheating. It makes for a great lunch!!
Easy Asian Lettuce Wraps
Description
Delicious Asian lettuce wraps that are crisp, refreshing and actually filling! An easy last minute dinner option.
Ingredients
Meat mix
Carrot slaw
Sauce
The optional toppings:
Instructions
1 Prep your vermicelli rice noodle pan.
-
If you’re frying the vermicelli rice noodle topping: Get out a small frying pan. Add 1/4-1/2in full of oil. Olive, avocado, peanut, canola or vegetable oil will work too! Set aside for now
2 Prep your main meat pan
-
Get out a large pan. Add a tablespoon of olive oil and Turn on the large pan burner to medium to medium low heat.
3 Dice and add onion to the pan
-
Get out a knife and cutting board and. dice the onion. Add it to the large pan as you cut.. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the onion. Stir the onions occasionally so they don’t burn. Cook till translucent. While they cook continue on to prepping the sauce.
4 Prep sauce
-
Whisk together in a separate medium sized bowl:
-
Sauce ingredients:
-
* 1/2c eel sauce or sweet soy glaze (3 tablespoons of mirin, 2 tablespoons brown sugar and 1/4c soy sauce)
-
* 5 tablespoons honey (tip: keep it out for the carrot slaw!)
-
* 3/4c soy sauce
-
* 2 teaspoons ground ginger
-
* 2 teaspoons powdered garlic
-
Set aside.
5 Add ground chicken and beef
-
Once onions start to loose color and begin to look translucent, add ground chicken and beef in the pan. Mix and chop every so often. If the onions start to loose color and begin to become translucent and finish cooking in the middle of making your sauce, take a break from making your sauce and add the ground chicken and beef. Time efficiency at its finest!
6 Water chestnuts prep
-
Do a rough chop on the water chestnuts
7 Small pan heat on
-
Turn the small pan burner to medium heat. (Where your vermicelli noodles will fry)
8 Add sauce
-
Once the meat is half pink aka half way cooked, pour in your sauce and add in the water chestnuts. Mix it into the meat. I put my ground meat in frozen since I usually am busy during the day. It’s nice to throw it straight in without needing to defrost. If you freeze your meats and forget to take it out to defrost in time, a recipe like this with ground meat is a great back up since it cooks from frozen great in a pan. Only difference is it will take a little bit longer, but not by too much!
9 Make carrot slaw
-
While your meat mixture cooks in your sauce. Occasionally mix it while make your carrot slaw:
-
Carrot slaw ingredients:
-
* 1 1/2 carrots
-
* 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
-
* 1 tablespoon honey
-
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
-
* 2 Pinch pepper
-
* The Reserved 2 tablespoons of diced onion
-
Add all the above carrot slaw ingredients to a blender or food processor. Blend till combined and grated in appearance
10 Cook vermicelli rice noodles & prepping other toppings
-
Continue to cook off some of the sauce while you chop the romaine and prep your toppings. Now is the time to cook our vermicelli rice noodles. Toss small chunks of the noodles into your small pan with the oil. They will puff up within one literal second. You’ll take them out almost immediately. It’s super fun to watch!
-
Chop any other toppings now too.
11 Turn off heat
-
Cut stove heat when most, but not all of your sauce is cooked out. We still want a nice layer coating the meat.
12 Prep lettuce
-
Chop ends off romaine lettuce heads before using as wraps for your Asian lettuce wraps.
