Asian Lettuce Cups with Spicy Ground Turkey

Name: Asian Lettuce Cups with Spicy Ground Turkey
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 1 lb package ground turkey breast; 1 tablespoon sesame oil; 2/3 cup diced red bell pepper; 3 tablespoons maggi sauce; 2 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar; 1 Sambal Oelek; 2 tbsp Swerve Brown

Have these Keto Friendly Asian Lettuce Cups filled with Spicy Ground Turkey on your table tonight and in less than 20 minutes!

Asian Lettuce Cups with Spicy Ground Turkey are a quick and easy meal that is Keto friendly. In just 20 minutes, you can have a slightly sweet and savory easy lettuce wraps on your dinner table that is delicious and filling!

Making this recipe keto friendly was not hard to do. It already used lettuce wraps as the serving vessel. After replacing the sugar and bean paste in the recipe, this already low carb recipe became keto!

Why I took a low carb recipe and made more changes to it

Because Grumpy is diabetic, I really try to use ingredients that I know are not going to mess with his sugar levels. The original recipe for Asian Lettuce Cups had brown sugar and soy sauce in it. Two things we try to stay away from.

I easily got rid of the brown sugar and substituted Swerve Brown. And, instead of soy sauce, I went with coconut aminos.

I also made sure to buy ground turkey that was not considered lean, and I added sesame oil to the skillet that I cooked the turkey in to up the fats more. All in all, I was very happy with the results of this spicy ground turkey recipe and it can now be a regular rotation on our dinner table.

What ingredients did I use to convert Asian Lettuce Cups to Keto?

What type of lettuce do you use for the wraps?

I like to use Buttercup Lettuce. It is a short and rounded leaf that works perfect for holding any type of filling. You can usually find it as a whole head of lettuce and it will be labeled as such. If you can't find buttercup lettuce, then you can easily substitute romaine leaves. They will just be a different shape.

Can I use cabbage leaves instead of lettuce?

Yes, you can substitute cabbage leaves. However, if doing so, realize that the cabbage will have a tougher texture and crisper bite to it than lettuce.

What is the best sugar substitute to use when converting a recipe for Keto?

I like to use Swerve Brown. I have also used Monkfruit Golden. Both will work in this recipe. I do not recommend leaving the sweetener out of the recipe. It balances the saltiness from the Tamari.

Why did you add extra fat to this recipe?

If you are Keto, you need the fat in your diet. Because Keto is a high fat diet, I felt that the original recipe needed a little bit of a boost in fats. So, I added some sesame oil to give it a fat boost as well as flavor.

How to make Asian Lettuce Cups with Spicy Ground Turkey

In just under 20 minutes, you can have a delicious, filling keto dinner for you and your loved ones!

The turkey mixture is made with red bell pepper, onion, and ground turkey. I prep the veggies, and then I make the sauce that will go on the cooked turkey while the meat is cooking.

sliced red pepper, onion, and ground turkey in package

For the sauce, mix together the Chili Paste, Swerve Brown, Maggi Sauce, and Rice Vinegar and stir until the Swerve Brown has dissolved.

a small bowl with Maggi sauce and rice vinegar and chili paste with swerve brown in the background

Saute your ground turkey, red pepper, and onions with sesame oil until browned. Once browned, add the sauce to the pan and simmer 1-2 minutes.

pouring sauce into skillet of browned ground turkey

Simmer the ground turkey and sauce mixture for 3-4 minutes. The sauce will evaporate some while it simmers and infuse spicy flavor into the ground turkey.

Once the turkey has simmered, turn off the heat and set the pan aside. Prepare your lettuce cups and arrange them on a serving tray. I love these Acacia Wood serving trays from Pacific Merchants!

Butter Cup Lettuce leaves on serving tray

These Asian Lettuce Cups make for tasty appetizers or a main dish meal! Serve them with a little extra maggi sauce to add as desired!

You may need

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I absolutely love Pacific Merchant products. These Acacia Wood Serving trays are the perfect size for these Turkey Lettuce Cups!

What to serve with Keto Asian Lettuce Cups

If you want to offer a variety to your dinner table in appetizer form, try these General Tso's Meatballs! I like to have a sweet treat after the meal to serve and these Keto Coconut Cupcakes make the perfect ending to your meal!

📖 Recipe