January is the month of healthy recipes and I have the best one ever for you. My Thai Turkey Lettuce Wraps are easy, healthy and a flavor bomb of deliciousness!
As cliché as it is, I really do crave healthier food after indulging over the holidays. I don’t want bland and boring healthy food, though. Y’all know I have to have BOLD flavors! With flavor bomb ingredients like lime juice, soy sauce, Thai chili sauce and cilantro, this dish is anything but boring.
How to Make Thai Turkey Lettuce Wraps
First, brown one pound of ground turkey. I like the 93% lean because it still has more flavor and moisture than the fat free kind.
Once it is browned, add ground ginger, salt, red pepper flakes and one chopped red bell pepper then sauté until softened.
Then add two cups of coleslaw mix, garlic, sesame oil, soy sauce, honey, lime juice and cilantro. So much flavor!
Stir everything together well then remove from heat. The coleslaw mix doesn’t really need to cook and provides great texture. Now you’re ready to assemble!
Pickled Onions Preparation
One of the biggest flavor bombs that is a MUST for these Thai Turkey Lettuce Wraps are pickled onions. I have made this recipe many times over the years and, while it was good, it was missing something. Once I added pickled onions, it was a total game changer. They’re so easy to make and can be used on tacos too!
Slice half of a red onion into thin half circles and place in a bowl. Add vinegar, sugar and salt to a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Pour over the onions then let cool. I do this at least 15 minutes before I need them but they get better as they sit. They last up to a week in the refrigerator.
Serving and Topping the Lettuce Wraps
There’s a few more elements to these lettuce wraps and then you can devour them. For the lettuce, you can use romaine like pictured, butter lettuce, bibb lettuce or even iceberg lettuce. You just want big enough leaves to wrap like a taco or burrito.
Once you fill the lettuce with the meat mixture, top with pickled onions, chopped dry roasted peanuts, and some Thai sweet chili sauce (jarred). These are seriously so incredible you won’t even think about the fact that they are so healthy. The flavors and textures are like fireworks going off in your mouth!
I like to double this recipe and have it for lunch all week too. Great for meal prep to have a healthy start to the new year!
More Healthy Recipes To Try
Sheet Pan Greek Chicken and Green Beans
Good Things Utah TV Segment
https://www.abc4.com/gtu/gtu-recipes/healthy-doesnt-have-to-equal-bland-with-this-delicious-recipe/
Thai Turkey Lettuce Wraps
Ingredients
For the pickled onions:
- 1/2 red onion, sliced into thin half circles
- 2/3 cup red wine vinegar
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
For the wraps:
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4-1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 cups classic coleslaw mix
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 4 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons honey
- Juice of 1 lime
- 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
Additional ingredients:
- Thai Sweet Chili Sauce (bottled)
- Dry roasted salted peanuts, chopped
- Chopped cilantro
- Romaine, iceberg, or butter lettuce leaves
Instructions
- Add onions to a medium-sized bowl. In a small saucepan, add vinegar, sugar and salt. Bring to a boil then pour over the onions. Toss to combine then let sit and cool for at least 15 minutes. Store leftovers, covered, in the refrigerator for 1 week.
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add turkey then cook and crumble until browned. Add ginger, salt, crushed red pepper flakes and bell pepper. Stir and cook until bell pepper softens. Add garlic, coleslaw, sesame oil, soy sauce, honey, lime juice and cilantro. Stir until combined then remove from heat.
- Add meat mixture to lettuce leaves and garnish with pickled onions, Thai sweet chili sauce, peanuts and cilantro.
Notes
- If using extra lean ground turkey, olive oil may need to be added to keep moist while browning.
Delicious!!! This is food I love, but my kids..who knows. if they see peppers and onions, they question its goodness, yet they eat them ALL the time, when they don’t “see” them. Lol. I wrapped lettuce all around them burrito style and told them to eat. They loved them. Made exactly as outlined. Thanks Charlotte.
Best comment ever! My teens are the same! So so happy you all loved it!❤️
These are soooooo good! They’re bursting with flavor! They are now on our meal rotation. My husband liked them better than most lettuce wraps in restaurants! Charlotte, you’ve made another home run!
Awww thank you! So happy they were a hit!