Turkey Lettuce Wraps
Made with fresh lettuce leaves topped with spiced ground turkey, a zesty lime sauce, crunchy vegetables, and a sprinkle of peanuts, these Thai turkey lettuce wraps are the perfect combination of simple, fresh, and fragrant. Inspired by a traditional Thai Larb Gai recipe, these lettuce wraps can be served on their own or with a side of sticky rice as a healthy and high-protein meal.
Popular in Laos and rural sections of Northeastern Thailand, Larb Gai is a light chicken salad made with fresh mint and red onion, tossed in a dressing of ground rice, lime juice, and chilies. Although a traditional Larb Gai, also spelled Laab Gai, Lahb Gai, Laap Gai, is made with ground chicken, I opted to use ground turkey in this recipe as a simple twist, and because it’s what I had in the freezer, but feel free to use whichever you have on hand. Either option will create a flavour-packed dish that works equally well as an appetizer or a light main course.
More Healthy Turkey Recipes:
Turkey Lettuce Wraps
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Main
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Thai
Description
Inspired by a traditional Thai dish called Larb Gai, these turkey lettuce wraps are delicious hot or cold and work well as a fragrant appetizer or a light main course.
Ingredients
turkey mixture:
- 1 lb. ground turkey
- 2 tablespoons white rice, dry
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 1/2 tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 limes, juiced
- 2 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons peanut or sesame oil
- 2 cloves garlic, grated or minced
- 1” ginger root, grated or minced
- 1 Thai or birds eye chilli, seeded and minced
- 1/4 cup red onion, minced
- 1/4 cup mint, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup cilantro, finely chopped
lettuce wraps:
- 1 head bibb lettuce, leaves removed
- 1 cup red cabbage, shredded or finely chopped
- 1/2 cucumber, thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup peanuts, roughly chopped
- 1 lime, cut into wedges
Instructions
- Warm a small skillet to medium heat, add rice, and cook, stirring often, until rice is well toasted and dark brown, about 3 to 4 minutes. Once toasted, transfer the rice to a pestle and mortar or a coffee grinder and grind it into a fine meal.
- Once ground, in a small bowl, combine ground rice, fish sauce, brown sugar, water, and lime juice, and mix until well combined, it will form a thick paste. Set aside.
- Warm oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat, add garlic, ginger, and chilli, and cook for about 1 minute until fragrant.
- Add ground turkey to the skillet, increase the heat slightly, and continue to cook, breaking the turkey up into small pieces with a wooden spoon or spatula.
- When the turkey is almost completely cooked, add the rice mixture, stirring to coat the turkey, and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes until everything is combined.
- Once cooked, remove skillet from the heat, add red onion, mint, and cilantro to the turkey mixture and stir until well combined.
- To serve, spoon the turkey filling into lettuce leaves and top with cabbage, cucumber, peanuts, and a squeeze of lime.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 347 calories
- Sugar: 6 grams
- Fat: 21 grams
- Carbohydrates: 17 grams
- Fiber: 5 grams
- Protein: 28 grams
Keywords: asian, thai, ground turkey, healthy
I love anything with an Asian flair to it and I’m always looking for new ideas. These were yummy and really easy to make. GREAT flavour in the meat, filling but not too filling in the lettuce wrap. I made a slaw out of the red cabbage with onion, cilantro, garlic lime juice, and S&P to put in the tacos and have some on the side (an easy way of adding more veggies to something already delicious). They are so pretty that I would even make for company (and I don’t do that!). The meat also freezes well if you make a double batch and have some another day. Thanks Red!
★★★★★