It’s SPRING and that means I’m craving all the fresh and healthy things! And cocktails… but they cancel each other out, right? Coming it at dinner recipe #13 out of my 52 week dinner recipe share challenge, this one is light, healthy, fresh, and so very delicious! I’d like to say you’ll have leftovers for days but we never do… it is that good! Introducing a PF Chang’s inspired dish and one of Matt’s favorite, my Asian Turkey Lettuce Wraps!
Asian Turkey Lettuce Wraps – Ready in Under 30 Minutes
We’ve all had days where 5 o’clock hits and we realize we’ve not given dinner any thought. You’ve had a long day and then all those eyes in your home are looking at you wondering what’s for dinner… as if you didn’t just feed them all yesterday, they need to eat AGAIN??? Well lucky for you, this meal is the kind that you can pull out of your rear with nothing planned and throw it together in 30 minutes with random things in your freezer. I’ve needed those… and this meal has provided some much needed relief many times!
As a busy mom of two littles and a husband without a cooking bone in his body (except he magically becomes a chef when he pulls out his Traeger…), I’m always looking for ways to simplify dinner. Usually that means a crockpot meal I can prep while my babies nap during the day. But if I’ve missed that window, I’ll need a simple meal I can whip up in no time – preferably one with very little cleanup! Because I’m already doing a heck of a lot of that by the time I get my tornado’s to bed…
And It’s Healthy??
That’s right! Well, by my standards. And my standards are actually pretty low… so to me this is VERY healthy. The recipe calls for cauliflower rice, but you can use jasmine rice or brown rice if you’d rather add a little more substance to it. Along with the lean turkey and cauli rice, this meal contains a variety of veggies and edamame, so you get some power with each bite!
Serving the Asian Turkey Lettuce Wraps – Can you omit the lettuce wraps?
Absolutely! Especially if you are in fact whipping this up as a last minute meal, chances are you may not have a head of lettuce on hand. I actually typically serve this meal in “bowl” form sprinkled with some fresh parsley, green onion, and sesame seeds! It tastes like a powerful bowl of fried rice or stir fry – and it’s so tasty it’ll go down real quick!
However, if you do have a head of lettuce or romaine on hand, this is my preferred wat to enjoy this delicious meal! Prepare a “lettuce wrap bar” with all the fixins, similar to a taco bar with an Asian spin! Set out the sesame seeds, garnishes, and a few fun Asian sauces for people to top it with! I’m partial to a general tso’s or soy sauce, but no sauce needed for this flavorful filling!
A One-Pan Dish
Always a must for a busy weeknight. All you need to bring this delicious dinner to your table is a skillet. You already know I’m partial to a cast iron skillet, but any kind will do the job!
Begin by browning the turkey in the skillet with chopped red onion and a splash of soy sauce. Like the P.F. Chang’s variety, you can sub chicken for turkey if you prefer! Once the turkey is cooked through, drain and set aside on a plate – you will reincorporate this at the end.
Perfecting the MVP of this recipe – the Cauli Fried Rice
Unlike traditional Asian lettuce wraps, I like to bulk mine up with some cauliflower fried rice and added veggies! This adds a bit more substance to it, which is exactly what I’m going for (always trying to hit all my food groups)! This is also why I remove the turkey after cooking it – the perfect “fried rice” texture is achieved when it has plenty of space to sizzle on the pan free from obstruction. For this reason, I save the sauce for the end – I don’t want anything to interfere with my ability to achieve that crispy texture.
Before you begin the rice, sauté the carrots and celery since these take a little longer than the rice itself. Once they’re nearly tender, add the rice along with the butter. Toss while the butter melts, and then spread it out on the pan to let it sit and sizzle. If you continuously toss the rice, you wont have much luck with achieving a crispy browned texture to the rice, so be sure to let it sit and sizzle for a moment before tossing! Think: Spread – Set – Sizzle – Stir (and repeat that a handful of times until your rice is done). If your rice seems to be burning as it cooks or is sticking too much to the pan, simple add a bit more olive oil!
Can I use Jasmin rice?
Yes! In fact, this is my preference for flavor – I use cauliflower rice as my healthy alternative, but I always love a traditional fried rice! If you are using Jasmin rice instead of cauliflower rice, you can follow the same procedure outlined above. You will want to make sure your rice is cooked beforehand – I recommend a microwaveable bag of frozen rice that you can quickly prep before throwing on the skillet to fry (my favorite are from Trader Joe’s).
Finishing Touches
Once you’ve cooked both the turkey and the rice, you’ll need to add the flavor! Throw in your soy sauce, honey, ginger, garlic, and edamame/corn (optional but recommended). Continue to toss your rice and veggies with these flavors as the mixture sweats over medium high heat. When it seems the flavors have been evenly distributed and the edamame and corn are warm, it’s time to reincorporate your turkey! Put it all together, toss it up, and give it a little taste to see if it needs anything! If it feels like something is missing, go ahead and add a splash more soy sauce and honey!
Asian Turkey Lettuce Wraps Without Hoisin Sauce?
That’s right. Hoisin sauce is a thick, flavorful sauce commonly used in Asian dishes – particularly dishes like this one. Using Hoisin sauce would eliminate a need for as much soy sauce and the honey, but I purposely left it out of my recipe. The night’s that I’ve wanted to whip these up as a healthy and delicious meal in a bind, I’ve not had Hoisin sauce on hand. Soy sauce and honey are always a staple in my pantry, but hoisin sauce is not. It is for this very reason that I curated this recipe to reflect the simple ingredients I typically can find in my pantry – all in the name of convenience!Â
More Asian Inspired Dinners the Family will Love!
Alright, I’ve chatted enough! Find my Asian Turkey Lettuce Wraps below! And for more delicious Asian inspired dinners, try out my Honey Sriracha Chicken and my Thai Peach Chicken and Broccoli! Both of these recipes are simple crockpot recipes that your whole family will certainly love! And as always, I would love to see your creations! Tag me on instagram (@kelsiebrownblog) so I can see how it turned out!
Asian Turkey Lettuce Wraps – One-Pan Recipe
Asian Turkey Lettuce Wraps
Equipment
- Medium skillet (preferably cast iron)
Ingredients
- 1 lb lean ground turkey
- 1/4 red onion
- 2 stalks celery chopped
- 1 whole carrot chopped and halved
- 1 C edamame frozen
- 1/2 C corn frozen
- 1 package frozen cauliflower rice about 2 cups
- 1/4 C soy sauce
- 2 Tbsp butter can sub olive oil
- 3 Tbsp honey
- 1/4 tsp ginger
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- garnish sesame seeds parsley
Instructions
- In a skillet, cook the turkey over medium heat with a splash of soy sauce and 1/4 chopped red onion. As turkey cooks, chop your celery and carrot. Once cooked through, drain excess fat and set turkey aside on a plate.
- In the same pan that you prepared the turkey, add a splash of olive oil and your celery/carrots. Sauté over medium high heat until they are nearly tender - about 5 minutes.
- Add the butter and cauliflower rice into the pan. Allow to sizzle for a minute or so, then toss and repeat. This will create a nice cauli rice texture that mimics traditional fried rice. Repeat for about 3-5 minutes, until rice begins to brown. If the rice is sticking to the bottom of the pan too much, add a bit more olive oil.
- Add frozen corn, edamame, soy sauce, honey, garlic, and ginger. Toss while it cooks to disperse flavors. Do this for a few minutes.
- Reincorporate turkey back into the pan along with any extra sauce/seasoning to taste. Toss as the mixture continues to sweat for a few more minutes. Then, remove from heat and serve as lettuce wraps or in bowls! Garnish with parsley, sesame seeds, green onion, and/or any of your favorite Asian dipping sauces!
