Healthy Ground Turkey Lettuce Wraps
Below: Learn how to make these delicious and healthy ground turkey lettuce wraps which are perfect when you are looking for a light, low-carb meal!
Lettuce wraps have become very popular as of late because they replace the complex carbohydrates from normal wraps like tortillas or bread with lettuce leaves, which is much lighter and better for you.
I love this recipe, especially on warm summer days because of how fresh they are. They also can help you increase your energy levels so you can enjoy your daily activities. Lettuce wrap recipes are great because you can modify them to meet your own personal healthy eating goals by switching up the ingredients.
How do you make healthy lettuce wraps with ground turkey?
The basic idea of lettuce wraps is to take crisp lettuce leaves, and fill them with other healthy ingredients. They can be compared to tacos, sandwiches, or regular wraps that use tortillas. However, tjeu are much more fresh and better for you. You can make them with different types of protein, like ground beef, lean ground chicken, chicken breasts, or without any meat at all.
My personal favorite way to make them is with organic ground turkey which has a lot of protein. When we add more fresh vegetables, this easy recipe will provide even more vitamins and minerals.
To make this recipe, you will need the following simple ingredients:
- Organic Ground Turkey (can be replaced with fresh ground chicken if you prefer)
- Diced red onion
- Diced carrots
- Chopped cilantro
- Diced tomatoes
- Diced jalapenos
- Butter lettuce leaves or romaine lettuce (I prefer these over iceberg lettuce since they make for better crisp lettuce cups)
- Smoked salsa roja
- Liquid cocoaminos (this replaces soy sauce or hoisin sauce and gives it a slight sweetness)
- Coconut oil
- Salt, Pepper, Paprika, Cumin.
All you need to do is heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add two tablespoons of your favorite anti-inflammatory oil, such as coconut oil, olive oil, or avocado oil. Add all of the veggies and season with salt and pepper and then add the ground turkey, add the rest of the spices and cook fully.
Once the turkey is cooked through, add a couple of tablespoons of the cocoaminos (sometimes found as coconut aminos), stir well and let the mixture cook for another three minutes.
Prepare the lettuce cups by washing the lettuce that you choose well and then adding the turkey mixture and topping with the smoked salsa roja. That is all you need for these easy lettuce wraps to have a quick nutritious meal.
Why are lettuce wraps good for an anti-inflammatory diet?
Like I mentioned above, these ground turkey lettuce wraps, which can also be called turkey taco lettuce wraps, are similar to tacos but without the heavy carbs that come with tacos. These low carb recipes are perfect for an anti-inflammatory diet.
Ground turkey is a great source of protein and is very nutritious. It falls within the category of white meat like chicken and fish and it contains vitamins B6, B12, niacin, iron, phosphorus, potassium and a special nutrien called choline.
Choline is good for the brain and nervous system and helps regulate memory and your mood. Another good thing about turkey is that is much lower in satured fat than beef and it also has less calories if you are trying to watch your weight.
White meat is easier to digest as well which is good for people with autoimmune diseases since it causes less stress on your body when digesting your food. Tender ground chicken also has many of these same benefits, so feel free to replace the ground turkey with that to make healthy chicken lettuce wraps if you prefer the taste.
Why should you use lettuce in wraps instead of tortillas?
Usually, when people eat wraps it is because they are a lighter, healthier meal. Even though there are healthy tortillas, like these grain free ones made from cassava flour, they still include a complex carbohydrate which are more difficult to digest and keep us full longer.
Replacing the tortilla with fresh lettuce is a great way to still enjoy wraps and to add protein to your diet without too many carbs.
These are great during the summer time because they add a lot of freshness to our diet with the lettuce leaves and other fresh healthy veggies.
Next time you are looking for options for a healthy lunch or healthy dinner, or even just a great appetizer, give this recipe a chance. You will love the great flavor that it has and you can fell good about it too. I hope that you like this and that it shows you that healthy recipes can be delicious too!
Let me know in the comments below how this turns out for you.
Healthy Ground Turkey Lettuce Wraps
Ingredients
- 1 head Butter Lettuce or Romaine
- 1 Lb Organic Ground Turkey
- 1/4 Red Onion Diced
- 1/4 bunch Cilantro Chopped
- 1 Carrot Diced
- 1 Roma Tomato Diced
- 1/2 Jalapeno Diced (optional)
- 3 Tbsp Cocoaminos
- 2 Tbsp Coconut Oil
- 1 Tsp Salt
- 1 Tsp Pepper
- 1 Tsp Paprika
- 1 Tsp Cumin
- Smoked Salsa Roja
Instructions
- Wash the lettuce well and divide into 4 lettuce cups
- Heat the coconut oil in a large skillet over medium heat and sautee the veggies for about 5 minutes.
- Add the ground turkey and spices, and cook until the turkey is cooked through.
- When cooked, add the cocoaminos and let cook for 5 more minutes.
- Fill the lettuce wraps with the turkey mixture and top with the smoked salsa roja.
Nutrition
Hi, I’m Charbel!
I am a child of a loving Heavenly Father. A mother to four and wife to a marvelous husband. I am also a Lupus Fighter. I Love to cook. I love inspirational podcasts. I am also lover of all things creative and a fearless DIY-er. A Homebody. A wellness and Relaxation lover. Welcome to The Healing Cookbook! Read more...
