Ground Beef & Quinoa Lettuce Wraps

My husband's absolute favorite restaurant is P.F. Chang's.  He would eat there every day if he could.  Actually, there was a time when he DID eat there every day!  Several months ago, we were there eating, and he (reluctantly) got me to try their Lettuce Wraps.  I had always heard about how good they were, but they just didn't appeal to me.  OH MY.... they were fabulous!!!



So, one day I was really craving lettuce wraps.  I wasn't going to try to recreate Chang's wraps... I just wanted to make some with some of the food I already had on hand.  Before I served them, I warned my husband that these were not going to taste like P.F. Chang's Lettuce Wraps, so not to have it set in his head what they were going to taste like.  We both took a bite into these and were completely shocked to discover that they taste VERY similar to P.F. Chang's Lettuce Wraps!!! 

I am pretty sure Chang's doesn't use quinoa in their wraps... that is just an added bonus of healthiness.  (By the way if you are looking for more quinoa recipes, check out this and this).  I am also pretty sure that the cost of making these lettuce wraps is about 1/8 the cost of P.F. Chang's.  Also, we are using ground beef instead of chicken, although you could easily use chicken or ground turkey if you prefer.  Feel free to use any combination of veggies for the topping!  You can add as little or as much as you prefer!  They are also excellent with just the meat mixture and the lettuce!  Oh and don't forget to pick up some fortune cookies for dessert!

Ground Beef & Quinoa Lettuce Wraps Recipe

Prep Time: 10 min
Cook Time: 15 min
Total Time: 25 min     

Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground beef
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tablespoons ketchup
• 2 tablespoons water
• Sea salt and pepper to taste
• 1 head iceberg lettuce, cored
• 3 cups chopped veggies (I used carrots, cabbage, and green onions)

Directions  

1. In a small bowl, stir together garlic, soy sauce, Worcestershire, and ketchup and set aside.
2. Cook ground beef in a large skillet over medium heat for 5 minutes.
3. Add water and couscous and stir.  Cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
4. Add sauce mixture and stir.  Add salt and pepper to taste.
5. Spoon beef mixture onto individual lettuce leaves, top with veggies, and serve!

To Freeze:
Let beef mixture cool completely.  Spoon beef mixture into freezer bag or container and freeze.

To Thaw:
Remove beef mixture from freezer the night before you wish to use it.  Heat over stove top or in microwave and serve with fresh lettuce and veggies.