Quick 25-Minute Ground Beef Lettuce Wraps
Ingredients
- 1 tbspavocado or sesame oil
- 1onion
diced
- 1red pepper
diced
- 2 lb.lean ground beef
85% lean
- 2carrots grated
- 8 oz.can water chestnuts
roughly chopped
- ⅓ cchopped cilantro
- ⅓ csliced green onion
- 2 tspsesame seeds
- 2 headsbutter
red or green leaf lettuce
- 2 tspminced ginger
- 1 tbspminced garlic
- ⅓ cpacked coconut sugar
or brown sugar
- ½ creduced sodium soy sauce
or tamari for gluten free
- 1 tspsesame oil
- 2 tbspgochujang
or more if you want it spicy
- 2 tbspmirin
can substitute with another cooking wine or sherry if needed
- 2 tbsplime juice
Directions
- 1
Add all sauce ingredients into a medium sized bowl and whisk together. Set aside.
- 2
In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add avocado oil.
- 3
When oil is warm, add chopped pepper and onion and sauté for 3-4 minutes until starting to sear.
- 4
Add beef and brown, breaking it up with a spatula into small pieces as it cooks.
- 5
Once beef is browned, add about half of the sauce and stir in letting the beef cook another 2 minutes while you continue to break into small pieces.
- 6
Add carrot, water chestnuts, and remaining sauce. Let cook 2-3 minutes longer, stirring to mix sauce evenly in.
- 7
Remove from heat, add cilantro, green onion and stir lightly. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve with lettuce on it’s own or with rice, quinoa or cauliflower rice to make it more filling and with kimchee or any other toppings you’d like. To eat, spoon beef filling into a lettuce leaf. Add any other filling desired, fold in the edges and eat it like a taco.
Quick 25-Minute Ground Beef Lettuce Wraps
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About this Recipe
Craving a lightning-fast, flavor-packed dinner that doesn't compromise on taste? These Quick 25-Minute Ground Beef Lettuce Wraps deliver a vibrant, savory meal perfect for any weeknight.
Why You'll Love These Lettuce Wraps
What makes these ground beef lettuce wraps a standout is their incredible efficiency paired with an explosion of umami-rich flavor. In just 25 minutes, you'll transform lean ground beef and fresh vegetables into a dynamic dish, all thanks to a meticulously balanced Asian-style soy ginger sauce featuring gochujang and mirin. This recipe is designed to be both satisfying and easy, quickly becoming a go-to in your repertoire.
Expect a delightful interplay of textures and tastes: the hearty, savory ground beef filling, crunchy water chestnuts, and fresh grated carrots, all enveloped in crisp butter, red, or green leaf lettuce. The sauce provides a nuanced blend of sweet coconut sugar, salty reduced sodium soy sauce, bright lime juice, and a subtle warmth from ginger, garlic, and gochujang. It’s a wonderfully balanced dish that feels light yet incredibly satisfying, perfect for a fresh and flavorful dinner.
Customization & Variations
These versatile lettuce wraps are easily adaptable to your pantry and preferences. To make the dish gluten-free, simply swap the reduced sodium soy sauce for tamari. If you don't have mirin on hand, another cooking wine or sherry can be used as a substitute. For those who love a bit more heat, feel free to increase the amount of gochujang to your liking. You can also vary the greens, using any crisp lettuce such as butter, red, or green leaf lettuce to create your perfect wrap.
Serve these ground beef lettuce wraps as a lively appetizer, a satisfying snack, or make them a full meal by pairing them with steamed rice or your favorite grains.