Pork lettuce wraps are a delightful Asian-inspired dish that combines the savory goodness of seasoned ground pork with the refreshing crunch of lettuce leaves.
Paleo Pork Lettuce Wraps are a healthy and flavorful option for those looking for a low-carb or gluten-free meal, and they are high in protein. Pork lettuce wraps are not only delicious but also customizable, allowing you to add toppings like green onions or cilantro for an extra burst of flavor and freshness.
As a Health Coach, I love helping clients out with simple meals, whether its breakfast, lunch, or dinner. And, these Paleo Pork Lettuce wraps are simple and veggie packed!
Why You'll Love This Recipe
Minimal ingredients: This recipe has less than 15 ingredients, many of which you likely already have on hand!
Meal prep: These Whole30 friendly pork lettuce wraps are great for meal prep and perfect for packed lunches. The meat will stay good all week long.
Customizable: You can easily add or subtract different veggies and spices to make these to your liking. I know how hard it can be to please everyone, so you can always cook the veggies separate if you have picky eaters at home. Then, they can build their own wraps.
Ingredients You'll Need
Ground Pork: Pork is high in protein and a great source of selenium, zinc, and iron! Pork, specifically, is a meat that it is really important to buy organic because of the heavy use of antibiotics in conventional farming of pigs. I love using it in this recipe because of all the extra flavor!
Avocado Oil: Avocado oil is another super healthy cooking fat! It's known for heart health, has a neutral flavor and is especially good if you're cooking at high heat because it has a high smoke point.
Yellow Onion: Onions are full of antioxidants which help fight inflammation. They also have folate, manganese, and some vitamin C. They are antibacterial, help digestion (for some), and can help reduce your risk of cancer.
Baby Bella Mushrooms: Mushrooms are one of very few foods that are a good source of Vitamin D, which helps with bone health and immune function. They are also known to reduce risk of chronic disease. I love adding them to ground meat as a hidden veggie because they have similar texture and don't add any flavor, so you can make your meat go further without too much added cost.
Zucchini: Zucchinis are a summer squash that have tons of health benefits. They are loaded with nutrients that aid in digestion, immune function, and so much more. Zucchinis are high in antioxidants, potassium, B vitamins and much more. They're a low carb squash and pair well with so many things.
Shredded Carrots: Another way to add some sweetness and crunch to these wraps. Carrots are full of vitamin A, biotin and beta carotene. They aid in eye health, lowering cholesterol, and weight loss.
Green Onions: These onions are very small, but are packed full of nutrients! They are an excellent source of Vitamin K which is essential for blood clotting, heart health and longevity.
Creamy Sesame: This sauce is from Side Dish and it is DELISH. Use the code HAYLEY10 for 10% off your order.
Coconut Aminos: A much healthier alternative to soy sauce. It's made by fermenting coconut sap with salt. It's also completely soy free and is slightly sweeter than soy sauce.
Rice Vinegar: Rice vinegar is known for its mild, slightly sweet flavor and mild acidity.
Savoy Cabbage: One of the most nutrient dense vegetables, cabbage is often overlooked! It is full of fiber, vitamin C, iron, folate and so much more. Because of this it has many health benefits too! From helping fight inflammation, to aiding in digestion and everything in between, cabbage is a super star for our bodies.This is a curly edged cabbage that is not as fibrous as red or green cabbage and is a bit crunchier than bib lettuce.
Ground Ginger: This is a spice that is known for being anti-inflammatory and really good for our guts. It can help ease numerous gut issues such as nausea, diarrhea, and also helps decrease inflammation all throughout the body. The warm spice is a favorite of mine to use in Asian inspired dishes.
Garlic Powder: Garlic is known for its anti inflammatory and antibacterial properties. It helps fight many diseases like the common cold, heart disease, and others.
Salt and pepper.
Instructions
Brown the ground pork. Heat a pan to medium heat and add 1 tablespoon avocado oil and ground pork. Brown the pork for 5 minutes.
Finely chop yellow onion, mushrooms, and zucchini. To expedite the chopping, you can use the food processor for the onion and mushrooms.
Add the chopped yellow onion, mushrooms, zucchini, ground ginger, garlic powder, salt and pepper to the pork. Continue to sauté for 5 minutes.
Make the sauce. Combine the Side Dish Creamy Sesame sauce, rice vinegar, and coconut aminos in a bowl and whisk until smooth. Add this sauce to the pan along with the shredded carrots and continue to saute for 5 minutes.
Wash and Rinse Cabbage. While the meat is finishing cooking, pull apart the cabbage (or lettuce) leaves and rinse them. Dry them with a paper towel, being careful not to rip the leaves.
Serve ½ cup of meat and veggie mixture into each cup of lettuce and top with green onions. Enjoy!
Recipe Variations and Substitutions
Meat: Paleo Pork Lettuce Wraps are easily customizable. You can use your favorite ground meat (chicken, turkey, beef) instead of just ground pork.
Veggies: You can also swap out veggies you might not like, for example add cauliflower rice to the mix might be really delicious.
Cabbage: If you're unable to find savoy cabbage or are leaving that family of veggies out for digestive issues, you can always use bib lettuce or romaine lettuce.
Storage Tips
These Paleo Pork Lettuce Wraps are great for meal prep if you store it properly! Store the meat and veggie mixture in an airtight container and store the cabbage leaves in a gallon size bag with a paper towel, if washed. You can also just store the cabbage head in the fridge and pull off leaves as needed. The meat will stay good for up to 5 days.
FAQs
Which lettuce is best for lettuce wraps?
Most people prefer bibb lettuce for lettuce wraps because it has large leaves and is crisp. I like to use cabbage or savoy cabbage best because it is crunchier and more sturdy and I can fit more filling into each cup. It's often much cheaper than bibb lettuce. You can interchange them as you like for this recipe.
How to prepare lettuce for lettuce wraps?
Use a very sharp knife to cut around the core at an angle. Once you cut all the way around, the core should come out. This video give a great demonstration! Wash and be sure to thoroughly air dry the lettuce before eating.
How to keep lettuce crisp for lettuce wraps?
This is why I like to use cabbage for lettuce wraps because it is much crisper than regular lettuce. However, to keep both lettuce and cabbage fresh and crisp, after I wash them, I let them dry completely before eating. If you're storing lettuce in the fridge, always store it with a few paper towels and in an airtight container.
Pork Lettuce Wraps
Ingredients
- 1 lb Ground Pork
- 1 tablespoon Avocado Oil
- ½ Yellow Onion finely chopped
- 1 cup Baby Bella Mushrooms chopped can use any type of mushroom you have on hand
- 1 cup Zucchini finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon Ground Ginger
- 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
- ¼ cup Side Dish Creamy Sesame
- 1 tablespoon Rice Vinegar
- 2 tablespoon Coconut Aminos
- 1 cup Carrots shredded
- 3 Green Onion sliced
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- 1 head Savoy Cabbage can also use bib lettuce
Instructions
- Heat a pan to medium heat and add 1 tablespoon avocado oil and ground pork. Brown the pork for 5 minutes.
- Finely chop yellow onion, mushrooms, and zucchini. To expedite the chopping, you can use a food processor for the onion and mushrooms.
- Add the chopped yellow onion, mushrooms, zucchini, ground ginger, garlic powder, salt and pepper to the pork. Continue to sauté for 5 minutes.
- Next, combine the Side Dish Creamy Sesame sauce, rice vinegar, and coconut aminos in a bowl and whisk until smooth. Add this sauce to the pan along with the shredded carrots and continue to saute for 5 minutes.
- While the meat is finishing cooking, pull apart the cabbage (or lettuce) leaves and rinse them. Dry them with a paper towel, being careful not to rip the leaves.
- Scoop about ½ cups of the meat and veggie mixture into each cabbage cup and top with green onions. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
If you like this recipe be sure to rate and comment below! You might also like these Teriyaki Chicken Burgers.
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