Spicy Pork and Veggie Lettuce Cups

Spicy pork and veggie lettuce cups is ginger-garlic pork and lot’s of fresh veggies stuffed into lettuce leaves for a light and healthy meal.

Spring is almost here! I’m starting to hear birds chirping, the snow is starting to melt {unless you’re one of the unlucky ones who got hit with all that snow… yeah, that just missed us!} and when I stepped outside the other day I could even smell it in the air! More importantly it’s almost that time of year we can pull off those thick wool socks and slip on the ballet flats and I hear Target has some really cute ones in stores NOW!

Which leads me to my point… because believe it or not I do have one, so here it is… I’m on a mission to start eating a little better. True story! I’m starting with more water, fruits and veggies and less gummy bears. Who knows maybe I’ll go for a walk or two… that is after I head to Target and grab me a pair of flats, naturally.

So as you can clearly see, I’m starting to get that itch for spring and it all started with these lettuce cups. Who doesn’t love lettuce cups? They’re packed with goods like fresh ginger, garlic, lime and a truck load of veggies, and might I add that these are super easy to make. You could definitely have them for lunch but they also make a light and healthy dinner too which ultimately means that bowl of ice cream with double sprinkles is totally happening. Wait didn’t I say something about eating better? Shoot I must’ve forgot… again.

What I love most about these wraps or cups, whatever… is all the fresh veg. I literally felt my waistline shrink as I was popping my 4th cup into my mouth. Guilt-free WHAT!?

Start out by peeling some ginger. There’s probably an easier way of accomplishing this but I use a spoon and it works just fine for me.

Then I grate the beejesus out of it {watch your knuckles} and then I scrape about a tablespoon of  it out of my microplane and into a big-o-bowl.

Next I just minced up a whole lot of garlic, this is  what six cloves looks like. It’s serious business.

Then just throw the pound of pork in the bowl with the ginger and garlic.

And mix by hand until combined.

Let the meat sit and soak in all those flavors while you prep the heck out of the vegetables. Finely dice about a cup and a half of the cucumber, one cup of red bell pepper and a third cup of the carrot. I also finely dice up half a Serrano chile pepper, I kept the seeds in because I like the extra heat. I then roughly chopped up a quarter cup of cilantro and salted peanuts.

In a small bowl I squeezed in about three tablespoons of lime juice.

And added a teaspoon of honey.

Then a tablespoon of fish sauce.

And gave it a good stir.

Then I placed my large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat to get nice and hot. Then once it’s hot I spread out the pork mixture and let it sit there for 5 minutes so it get’s a golden, crusty sear on the bottom.

I found this gorgeous head of lettuce at the store… I thought it had the best leaves for making lettuce cups.

And it still had the roots intact to keep it fresh. Coolio! Just tear as many leafs off as you can {neatly}, give them a quick rinse and pat dry. Set those off to the side and return back to your skillet of pork.

Stir the pork around and break up any large clumps.

Once fully cooked, throw it into a large bowl.

Add in all the chopped veggies, cilantro and peanuts.

Stir and pour the lime dressing over top. Stir again and fill those lettuce cups!

These Pork and Veggie Lettuce Cups were going as fast as I was making them. They’re so incredibly flavorful and light… they almost didn’t make it to the table. Oh and IF there’s leftovers… they’re excellent the next day… or later, like at midnight.

I topped mine with more crushed peanuts and some thinly slice green onions for a little bit more freshness. As if these couldn’t be anymore FRESH,because fresh is their middle name… if they had middle names. Um.

You may want to unhinge your jaw before you inhale these Pork and Veggie Lettuce Cups, otherwise you may have some of that lime dressing dripping down the side of your hand and you might have to pull an un-ladylike maneuver and lick it up. Hey, it happens. No one judges here.

Dig in folks.

Enjoy! And if you give these Pork and Veggie Lettuce Cups a try, let me know! Snap a photo and tag me on twitter or instagram!

My cookbook Simply Scratch : 120 Wholesome Homemade Recipes Made Easy is now available! CLICK HERE for details and THANK YOU in advance! 

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Yield: 4 servings

Spicy Pork and Veggie Lettuce Cups

Ginger and garlic pork and lot's of fresh veggies stuffed into lettuce leaves for a light and healthy meal.

Prep Time: 25 minutes mins

Cook Time: 15 minutes mins

Total Time: 40 minutes mins

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 pound ground pork
• 1½ cups diced cucumber
• 1 cup diced red bell pepper
• 1/3 cup diced peeled carrot
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
• 1/4 cup roasted peanuts, roughly chopped, plus more for garnish
• 1/2 serrano chile, minced (remove ribs and seeds for less heat)
• 3 tablespoons lime juice, freshly squeezed
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 16 lettuce leaves, iceberg or Boston
• 3 green onions, sliced, for serving

Instructions 

• Start off by peeling and grating a tablespoon of fresh ginger into a large bowl. Mince the six cloves of garlic and mix those along with the pound of ground pork until combined. Let the pork sit and come up to room temperature while you prep the vegetables, cilantro and peanuts.
• Preheat a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add in the pork and spread it out, do not stir so the pork can get a golden crust on the bottom. Turn then break up any large clumps and continue to cook thoroughly.
• Remove the pork to a large bowl and add in the diced vegetables, cilantro and chopped peanuts. Stir all of those together.
• In a small bowl combine the lime juice, fish sauce and honey. Stir and pour over the pork/vegetables. Toss and spoon into lettuce leaves.

Serving: 4wraps, Calories: 410kcal, Carbohydrates: 14g, Protein: 24g, Fat: 29g, Saturated Fat: 10g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g, Monounsaturated Fat: 13g, Cholesterol: 82mg, Sodium: 497mg, Potassium: 840mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 6g, Vitamin A: 10271IU, Vitamin C: 75mg, Calcium: 92mg, Iron: 3mg

Author: Laurie McNamara

Course: Mains & Entrees

Cuisine: Asian

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