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Pork lettuce wraps are perfect for your low carb, keto or weight loss meal plan. Use your leftover pork and Korean BBQ sauce to make this delicious entree in less than 30 minutes.
This recipe published March 2017 now updated with new photos, pro tips and FAQs.
Low carb pork lettuce cups are my favorite way to enjoy an Asian meal without all the carbs! I love that I can make a batch of the filling and enjoy these wraps through the week- makes a super-simple meal that you will be craving all day (and by you I mean me...) Seriously, I have been craving these lettuce wraps for like 2 weeks now- they are that good.
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Why this recipe works:
Lettuce wraps are the perfect substitute for high carb sandwiches! You get all the flavor of your sandwich filling except no high carb bread. I find butter lettuce is a great "wrapper" for most fillings. It is very pliable and wraps tightly around the filling. Try experimenting with various types of lettuce to find your favorite. Here are a few ideas- collard green leaves, kale, romaine, green leaf, etc.
Main ingredients
- Leftover pork or steak makes this recipe perfect for week nights. I find pork tenderloin works great in this recipe but really any type of steak will work well (even ground pork or chicken!)
- Uses Korean BBQ Sauce for a blast of flavor. I love the complex flavor of Korean BBQ sauce and find it brings all the wrap ingredients together.
- Pre-chopped veggies are a real time saver. You can usually find the pre-diced veggies in the produce area near the salad ingredients. I find many of these pre-chopped veggies to have a good shelf life if kept in the fridge. These are a handy way to add more healthful veggies to any meal.
Step by step how to:
The above pic shows the pork placed in the non-stick skillet for browning. Notice that there is plenty of space around the pork pieces. This will help them to brown- avoid crowding as this will cause steaming instead of stir-frying.
See how well they are browning? Remove the pieces when fully cooked and brown and continue stir frying the pork in small batches.
Above pic shows the completed filling recipe which is now ready for serving or you may allow the filling to cool and pack it into small containers for lunches through the week. Pack your lettuce leaves separately and fill them right as you are ready to eat to prevent the lettuce from becoming limp.
Expert tips:
Here are a few tips to help you make a great meal!
- Brown the meat in batches to ensure a delicious crispy coating.
- Stir fry the veggies til crisp-tender. Crispy always wins out over limp veggies!
- Be sure to include the "secret ingredient"- Korean BBQ sauce!
and finally...
You may garnish your wraps with cilantro, scallions, chopped peanuts, etc. Serve these garnishes on the side and let everyone add as they wish. I have never been a huge fan of cilantro, but this recipe changed my mind. It is over the top delicious with a touch of cilantro!
FAQs
Choose a crispy large leaf lettuce such as bibb, romaine or green leaf. Check out this article from Foods Guy "The Absolute Best Lettuce for Lettuce Wraps".
You may serve lettuce wraps alone as an appetizer or meal. Wonton or egg drop soup would be a delicious side dish. Other options include wontons, crab rangoon or egg rolls.
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Did you make this recipe? Please leave your star rating and comment below!
Low Carb Pork Lettuce Wraps
Ingredients
- 1 lb pork tenderloin
- 2 tablespoon Korean BBQ Sauce, divided
- 2 ½ teaspoon olive oil, divided
- 4 each green onions, diced
- ½ teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon ginger root, minced or ginger in tube
- ½ cup shredded carrots
- 1 each red bell pepper, chopped
- 5 medium mushrooms, diced
- bibb lettuce leaves
Garnishes (optional)
- cilantro
- chopped peanuts
- green onions, diced
Instructions
- Slice tenderloin into thin pieces and place into a bowl. (May freeze tenderloin slightly to make slicing easier.) Add 1 Tablespoon BBQ sauce to pork and stir well.
- Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a non-stick skillet, then stir fry pork in 2 batches until cooked and brown. (May use another 1 teaspoon olive oil for second batch.) Place cooked pork in a small bowl.
- When all pork is browned, add ½ teaspoon olive oil to skillet and heat. Add green onions, garlic, ginger, carrots, pepper and mushrooms to skillet and stir fry 2-3 minutes until crisp tender.
- Add pork to veggies in skillet along with remaining 1 tablespoon BBQ sauce. Stir well to combine. Serve with lettuce leaves and garnishes as desired.
Notes
Expert Tips
- Brown the meat in batches to ensure a delicious crispy coating.
- Stir fry the veggies til crisp-tender. Crispy always wins out over limp veggies!
- Be sure to include the "secret ingredient"- Korean BBQ sauce!
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