Lightened Up Asian-Inspired Beef Lettuce Wraps

These lightened up Asian-inspired beef lettuce wraps taste like a restaurant-quality appetizer, but made right at home. Flavored with ginger, garlic and hoisin sauce, these lettuce wraps are a combination of sweet, spicy and savory flavors.  These lettuce wraps are easy to prepare, and are on the table in under thirty minutes.  They make a great appetizer, or a full meal for lunch or dinner alongside your favorite side dishes, like green beans or a fresh cucumber salad. Add these lightened up Asian-inspired beef lettuce wraps to your meal plan!

What you will need to make Lightened Up Asian-Inspired Beef Lettuce Wraps

• fresh garlic
• fresh ginger
• scallions
• cooking spray
• 96/4 extra lean ground beef
  • You can find 96/4 extra lean ground beef at Trader Joe’s or Aldi, or you can also find this brand at Target.
• one 8-oz bag of shredded cabbage
  • I used red cabbage for some color, but any will do. 
• one 8-oz can of water chestnuts
  • These add that signature crisp crunch to these lettuce wraps!  They are absolutely delicious.
• hoisin sauce
  • Hoisin sauce is a thick sauce, dark in color, made with fermented soy beans and spices.
  • It has a sweet and savory flavor profile.
• reduced sodium soy sauce
• rice wine vinegar
• sriracha
• sesame oil
• sesame seeds
• lettuce leaves: either butter lettuce, iceberg leaves, romaine leaves, or any other lettuce 

What makes these lettuce wraps healthy?

As with most of my recipes, this recipe is made with all real ingredients, but just modified quantities of them. For instance, hoisin sauce can be high in calories, but I only use 1/4 cup here, and stretch it with the use of soy sauce and rice wine vinegar, which compliment the flavor.  I also use extra lean ground beef here; it is real ground beef, but very lean and has less fat than other traditional cuts, like 80/20. These lettuce wraps are also bulked up with the use of other vegetables, like cabbage, which help make the beef filling more voluminous.

I have not tried this recipe using ground turkey or chicken.  I encourage you to try this recipe using the lean ground beef, because it is delicious and surprisingly light. 

How to make these healthy lettuce wraps

To make these lettuce wraps, you will only need one cooking tool: a frying pan! This couldn’t be easier when it comes to prep and cleanup.  Spray a non-stick cooking spray and preheat the pan over medium heat.  Chop the scallions and separate the white parts from the green parts of the scallions.  Peel and mince the ginger, and mince the garlic.

Add the white parts of the scallions along with the garlic and ginger to the pan with the cooking spray.  Cook them for about 5 minutes or until just fragrant.  Next, add the beef to the pan and break it apart with a spoon.  Cook the beef until it is no longer pink.  Next, add  the shredded cabbage to the pan and cover the pan with a lid for the cabbage to steam and begin to cook down.

Once the cabbage is wilted and cooked down, make the sauce: add the hoisin sauce, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil and sriracha to a bowl and whisk together.  Next, add the sauce to the pan with the beef and cabbage. Stir the ingredients thoroughly for the sauce to coat. Add the green parts of the scallions to the pan along with a sprinkle of sesame seeds.

Serve in lettuce wraps with extra sriracha on top.

Lightened Up Asian-Inspired Beef Lettuce Wraps

These lightened up Asian-inspired beef lettuce wraps taste like a restaurant-quality appetizer, but made right at home. Flavored with ginger, garlic and hoisin sauce, these lettuce wraps are a combination of sweet, spicy and savory flavors.  These lettuce wraps are easy to prepare, and are on the table in under thirty minutes.  They make a great appetizer, or a full meal for lunch or dinner alongside your favorite side dishes, like green beans or a fresh cucumber salad. Add these lightened up Asian-inspired beef lettuce wraps to your meal plan!

5 from 16 votes

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course: appetizer,main course

cuisine: asian

keyword: lettuce wraps

prep time: 5 minutes minutes

cook time: 15 minutes minutes

servings: 4 cups

calories: 252kcal

author: Steph

cook modeprevent your screen from going dark

Equipment

• frying pan

Ingredients

• 1 bunch scallions
• 1 tbsp ginger root, peeled and minced
• 1.5 tbsp garlic, minced
• cooking spray
• 1 lb 96/4 extra lean ground beef
• 8 oz shredded cabbage
• 8 oz water chestnuts, canned
• 1/4 cup hoisin sauce
• 3 tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce
• 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 2 tsp sriracha
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp sesame seeds
• lettuce leaves, recommended: 3-4 leaves per serving

Instructions

• Add cooking spray to a frying pan and preheat over medium heat.
• Chop the scallions and separate the white parts and greens.
• Peel and mince the ginger root, and mince the garlic.
• Add the white parts of the scallions and the minced garlic and ginger to the pan. (Reserve the green parts of the scallions for later).
• Cook for 5 minutes or until fragrant, then add the ground beef to the pan.
• Break the beef apart with a wooden spoon, and cook until it is no longer pink (about 5 minutes).
• Add the cabbage to the pan, and cover with a lid to allow it to steam.
• Chop the water chestnuts and add them to the pan with the cabbage.
• Create the sauce: combine the hoisin, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, sriracha, and sesame oil.
• Once the cabbage is wilted, add the sauce to the pan. Stir to combine.
• Simmer the sauce with the other ingredients to ensure it is evenly distributed.
• Add the green parts of the scallions and the sesame seeds.
• Serve in lettuce wraps with more sriracha on top, if desired.

Notes

WW Points:

• 6 WW points 

Click here to track this recipe in the WW app.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cup filling | Calories: 252kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 867mg | Potassium: 302mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 120IU | Vitamin C: 26mg | Calcium: 46mg | Iron: 2mg

Tried this recipe?Mention @sweetsavoryandsteph or tag #sweetsavoryandsteph!

You might also enjoy these other recipes with similar flavor profiles:

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Easy Healthy One Pan Mongolian Beef

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