Spicy Turkey Lettuce Wraps

I love to serve these with all sorts of green veggies on the side. Dinner is served.

Inspiration:

I won’t tell you how great this dish is — or how much we eat it as a midweek dinner at our house. Just know, it’s too much. The short version: it’s ridiculously easy to make (30 minutes or less), full of flavors, and makes for great leftovers (ahem, add a fried egg).

Also. Let’s talk spicy. I love spicy food - so this dish is a no-brainer for me. It’s also not that spicy, so don’t be intimidated. Think: flavorful. For my friends that are into spicy, you can definitely kick this up a notch (or three!).

The combo of these spicy turkey lettuce wraps, served with a cool cucumber side salad and steamed rice on the side make for a perfect dinner in my opinion.

Ingredients:

Serves 2-4

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound dark ground turkey (or a combination of light and dark)
⅓ cup chicken stock
½ cup cilantro, roughly chopped
½ cup mint, roughly chopped
1 Serrano pepper or 2 Thai Bird chilis, sliced
1 shallots, sliced
2 stalks lemongrass, bottom ⅓ of stalk thinly sliced
1 ½ tablespoons fish sauce
1 ½ limes, juiced

To Serve:

Lettuce, cabbage, endive leaves
½ cucumber, sliced Handful of cilantro, leaves and stems

Instructions:

Heat oil over medium-high heat in a skillet and add turkey. Season with salt and cook until brown and crispy, about 8-10 minutes. Turn the heat down to medium. Add the stock and lemongrass and allow to simmer for a few minutes until the stock reduces a bit and the lemongrass starts to soften. Set aside to cool slightly.

In a medium bowl, mix the turkey, cilantro, mint, peppers, and shallot. Add the fish sauce and lime juice and taste for seasoning. If it needs more salt, add a few more dashes of fish sauce, and if it needs acidity, add more lime juice or rice wine vinegar.

Serve with lettuce leaves, sliced cucumber, and cilantro.

A few quick notes:

How do I serve mine? Always include steamed rice & this salad from Alison Roman.

Leftovers? Add a fried egg on top — you’re welcome.

Feeling fancy? I haven’t tried it to vouch for it, but I think you could easily add shiitakes, shredded carrots or other veggies of your choice to this if you’re feeling like you want a bit more.