Asian Beef and Broccoli Lettuce Wraps

5 from 3 votes

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Good little girl that I was, I went grocery shopping with my mom pretty much every Sunday. Into the cart went a bunch of bananas, lunchmeat and cheese, canned corn, pudding cups, applesauce, maybe some pasta, a ring of kielbasa (yup, we’re Polish), the ubiquitous gallon of milk and loaf of bread, and always, ALWAYS, ALWAYS a pound of ground beef. Sometimes mom had a plan for it. Maybe she was making a new recipe that she found in one of her magazines, or possibly we were going to have taco night, or it was going into a meat sauce to go over those noodles we bought. Other times she didn’t really have a plan, but she had some staple recipes that used ingredients we always seemed to have around – canned potatoes or veggies, cream of whatever soup. You know, those gourmet classics from the 1980’s!

In the morning before school (she was a teacher), if she didn’t know way to make, or she wasn’t going to have much time to cook, out came that pound of ground beef, because there was always something she could whip up with it.

Well, I guess mom taught me well, because one night, in a moment of desperation and a fridge full of odds and ends, I created this Asian beef and broccoli lettuce wraps recipe.

Asian Beef and Broccoli Lettuce Wraps are now a staple in our house because not only do my boys love them, but I pretty much always have all of the ingredients in my kitchen. Or I can switch it up depending on what I do have. My [amazon_textlink asin=’B0055FSN0Y’ text=’rice cooker’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’cupkalchi-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’8d4ce5cc-e692-11e7-bf0a-6350005ab2ec’] doesn’t do well with making small batches, so I always make too much. And I always have broccoli in some form or another – still raw, leftovers, or frozen. I’m rarely without garlic or soy sauce (OK, technically [amazon_textlink asin=’B01BMYSNSS’ text=’tamari’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’cupkalchi-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’9cb1537e-e692-11e7-b85c-c9a7e3d0c6c2′], since it’s gluten free), and I usually have a few chunks of ginger hanging out in my freezer. The scallions, while they do add nice flavor, I have made it without them, and it’s fine, or you can use whatever type of onion you have on hand.

Really can use whatever leftover veggies you have hanging out, or even just thaw a frozen stir fry mix or a bag of cauliflower, broccoli and carrots, which we pretty much always have in our freezer. Don’t have any leftover rice? Take ten minutes and cook up a batch of quinoa. Heck, I bet even cauliflower rice would work if you want to keep the carbs down or add in even more vegetables. And if I don’t have nice lettuce cups like this, Romaine will work, or we just eat rice bowls. Heck, that’s all King Stuff ever does, since his four teeth don’t quite make it through lettuce just yet.

You could even set out a big bowl of the beef mixture, a bunch of lettuce cups, and some garnishes for a fun DIY party appetizer.

Whether it’s a busy weeknight or you want to cook your family or friends a special meal on the weekend, you’ll find tons of recipes inspiration on the Beef – Let’s Celebrate Pinterest Board. We’ve pinned all of the previous #SundaySupper AND #WeekdaySupper recipes there, so you’ll never be short on ideas.

Plus, the Beef Checkoff has tons of information on cuts and cooking methods, as well as plenty of recipes. Follow along on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest for even more inspiration!

And make sure you check out all of this week’s simple and fast #WeekdaySupper recipes highlighting the versatility of beef at the bottom of this post.

A couple of things to help you make the Asian Beef and Broccoli Lettuce Wraps recipe:

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5 from 3 votes

Asian Beef and Broccoli Lettuce Wraps

Less than thirty minutes and basic ingredients for a healthy dinner (or fun appetizer) with bold flavors.

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Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon coconut olive, or vegetable oil
• 2 scallions white portion thinly sliced, green portion reserved for garnish, if desired
• 1 clove garlic crushed or minced
• 1 Tablespoon grated fresh ginger
• 1-1 ¼ lbs lean ground beef
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• pinch of salt and pepper
• 1 cup leftover cooked brown or white rice
• 2 cups cooked broccoli cut into small florets
• ¼ cup soy sauce or tamari for gluten free
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• Leaves of Butter Boston or Bibb lettuce
• Optional shredded or julienned carrot for garnish

Instructions

• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
• Add the scallion and saute for 2-3 minutes until starting to soften. Add the garlic and ginger, and saute for another for 30 second to 1 minute, or until fragrant.
• Add the ground beef, red pepper, and salt and pepper. Break up beef while cooking, and cook until browned and cooked through. Drain any excess grease.
• Add the rice and broccoli, heat through, then add the soy sauce. Cook for 5-8 minutes, stirring only occasionally to allow the rice and broccoli to crisp up a bit in spots.
• Serve in lettuce cups, garnishing with green portions of the scallions and carrots, if desired.

Author: Brianne @ Cupcakes & Kale Chips

Course: Appetizer, Beef, Dinner

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Enjoy!

Here are a few more of my favorites featuring ground beef:

• Beef & Potato Skillet Supper
• Slow Cooker Aloha Chili
• Worstershire Blue Cheese Volcano Burgers

Plus here is the entire #WeekdaySupper menu for the week:

Monday – Harvest Chili Bowls by The Messy Baker
Tuesday – Balsamic Glazed Filet Mignon by Alida’s Kitchen
Wednesday – Slow Cooker Cola Barbecue Beef by Melanie Makes
Thursday – Asian Beef & Broccoli Lettuce Wraps by Cupcakes & Kale Chips
Friday – Frikadellen {German Meat Patties} by The Not So Cheesy Kitchen