Go Back
Print
Easy Lettuce Wraps are filled with ground turkey, shredded carrots, and teriyaki sauce, and garnished with anything you like! With 5 ingredients and 15 minutes of cook time, they're great for weeknight dinners and parties alike. #lettucewraps #5ingredients #easydinner #appetizer #asianfood

Easy Lettuce Wraps

Easy Lettuce Wraps are filled with ground turkey, shredded carrots, and teriyaki sauce, and garnished with anything you like! With 5 ingredients and less than 20 minutes of cook time, they're great for weeknight dinners and parties alike.

Course Appetizer, Dinner, lunch
Cuisine asian
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Servings 4 people
Calories 292 kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 lb lean ground turkey
  • 1 cup shredded carrots
  • 1/2-1 cup teriyaki sauce (use a sauce with lots of extra flavors, like Soy Vay Veri Veri Teriyaki, or Trader Joe's Soyaki)
  • 2 tbsp hoisin sauce (optional)
  • 1 head Bibb, Boston, or butter lettuce
  • Optional toppings: crushed peanuts, scallions, cilantro, crispy rice noodles (see recipe below), various dipping sauces

Instructions

To make the filling:

  1. Heat a large nonstick pan over high heat. Add the ground turkey and break up into small pieces. Stir occasionally until almost completely cooked through, about 5-7 minutes. 

  2. Add the shredded carrots to the turkey, stir, and cook until the turkey is cooked through. 

  3. Turn off the heat, and drain some of the excess liquid from the turkey and carrots (carefully). Add 1/2 cup of teriyaki sauce to the pan, stir, and then add more to taste. If desired, add hoisin sauce and stir well. 

To assemble the lettuce wraps:

  1. Carefully separate each leaf from the head of lettuce. Wash and dry them, then place them on a platter curved upward, like a cup. 

  2. Place a few tablespoons of the turkey/carrot filling in each lettuce leaf. Top with any optional toppings you desire (I used about 1 tbsp of crispy rice noodles per cup and cilantro). Serve!

To make crispy rice noodles

  1. In a medium-large frying pan or cast iron skillet, heat about 1 inch of canola oil over high heat to 350 F. 

  2. Carefully drop about a cup of broken vermicelli rice noodles into the oil, and they will instantly puff up and turn white and crispy. Very quickly grasp them with tongs, and flip them over if they are not completely cooked through. After another second, remove the noodles, and put them on a plate covered with a paper towel to drain. Break them up and use to top the lettuce cups. 

Recipe Notes

It is really important to use a flavorful teriyaki sauce, like Soy Vay or Trader Joy's Soyaki. If you can't find these, you can use a plain teriyaki sauce, but add minced ginger, garlic, and sesame seeds.