Teriyaki Lettuce Wraps

I was trying to decide what to make for dinner on Monday during a particularly boring class. Then I remembered the cubed pork in our freezer, the teriyaki in our pantry, and all the veggies in our fridge. I suddenly had an answer. Lettuce wraps! All I had to do was go buy lettuce and bean sprouts.

Is anyone else as obsessed with bean sprouts as I am? They're so crunchy!

This recipe came together very quickly. It would be great for a weeknight. You could even make a double recipe and turn the leftovers into pork fried rice the next night!

You will need: 1 head of butter lettuce, 1/4 of a red onion, 1 medium sweet bell pepper (or several small ones), 1 large carrot (or several baby carrots), bean sprouts, 1/4 cup garlic teriyaki sauce, 1 Tbsp butter, 1 Tbsp sesame oil, 4 cups of cooked rice, and 1 1/2 lbs ground pork.

My roommate's awesome parents were kind enough to give us these pork cubed steaks. I just chopped them up instead of using ground pork.

Thanks again for all the food Mr. and Mrs. Bonecutter!

Over medium high heat, add 1 Tbsp butter to a large skillet...

And 1 Tbsp sesame oil.

Add in the 1 1/2 lbs ground pork.

Season with salt...

And some fresh ground pepper.

We just bought a pepper grinder. I'm embarrassingly excited about it.

Stir the meat around and allow it to cook through.

While the pork is cooking, get your veggies ready! Chop up the 1/4 red onion...

The bell pepper...

And the carrots.

 

At this point the pork should be cooked through. Isn't it a pretty color?

Not.

Pour in 1/4 cup of the garlic teriyaki sauce.

If you can't find garlic flavored teriyaki, just use regular teriyaki and throw some garlic in there.

Stir it around and allow it to simmer for 5 minutes or so. You want the meat to absorb that flavor and turn a more appetizing color.

Once the pork had absorbed the sauce, throw in the vegetables...

And stir them around. Only allow them to cook for a few minutes. You want them to retain their crunch.

 

Tear a bunch of leaves off the head of lettuce, give them a good rinse, and dry them.

To assemble your wrap, grab a piece of lettuce...

Put some rice in the middle...

Topped with the pork mixture...

And place lots of crunchy bean sprouts on top...

Then roll it up and tada! Lettuce wrap.

 

Serve with extra lettuce, rice, pork, and sprouts on the side to make more!

Teriyaki Lettuce Wraps

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

• 1 head of butter lettuce, washed and leaves separated
• 1/4 of a red onion, chopped
• 1 medium sweet bell pepper (or several small ones), chopped
• 1 large carrot (or several baby carrots), julienned
• 2 cups bean sprouts
• 1/4 cup garlic teriyaki sauce
• 1 Tbsp butter
• 1 Tbsp sesame oil
• 4 cups of cooked rice
• 1 1/2 lbs ground pork.
• salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions:

1. In a large skillet over medium high heat, add the butter and sesame oil. Once the butter has melted, add in the ground pork. crumble and brown until fully cooked.
2. Add the teriyaki sauce to the pan and allow to simmer for about 5 minutes.
3. Stir in the bell pepper, carrot, and onion and cook for just a few minutes. Remove from heat.
4. To serve: layer rice, pork mixture, and sprouts in a lettuce leaf, roll, and enjoy!