Recipes

Recipe Of The Day: Asian Steak Lettuce Wraps

asian lettuce wrap
Diamond Bridges|

When you have a busy schedule, the last thing you want to think about is what to make for dinner. And if you have kids, it's probably very draining to even make breakfast on hectic school day mornings, let alone additional meals and snack. But don't worry! We have an easy, healthy steak lettuce wrap recipe that will change your life.

Our 50 Best Salad and Salad Dressing Recipes

This lettuce wrap recipe is the perfect meal for weeknights because it takes less than one hour to make. In fact, it takes less than half an hour to make. This dish is also great to use for meal prepping at the beginning of the week. You can prepare the steak and vegetables ahead of time and then keep them in the fridge or freezer until you're ready to assemble the wrap for lunch or dinner throughout the week.

You can definitely swap the meat in this recipe for a different cut of steak, chicken or ground beef. You can also try shrimp if you're pescatarian or just stuff this delicious low-carb meal with more veggies like sauteed peppers or pickled vegetables. But for the original version, it calls for you to use skirt steak because you don't have to marinate the meat for a long period of time for it to absorb flavor and get tender. You can cook skirt steak in less than 30 minutes, and it's a great option if you want a quick and easy dinner.

This dish is simple to assemble. While your steak is marinating, cook the rice noodles and chop carrots, cucumbers and scallions. After you cook the steak, gather all of your ingredients and layer everything on top of a leaf of lettuce. There you go! A scrumptious dinner that you and your family won't be able to get enough of. And if you have leftovers, make these wraps again for lunch. You can also use the fillings in this recipe and wrap them in a tortilla, serve them over rice or incorporate them into a salad. This endlessly versatile recipe is just one of the abolute best meal prep recipes for busy weekdays.

Asian Steak Lettuce Wraps

Recipe courtesy of Emily Paster, West of the Loop.

Ingredients:

  • 1 pound skirt steak

  • 1 head butter or other flat-leaf lettuce

  • 1 bunch carrots

  • 1 seedless cucumber or 1 package mini cucumbers

  • 2 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced

  • 1 bunch scallions

  • 4 limes

  • 2 cloves of garlic, minced

  • 1 teaspoon mustard

  • 2 teaspoons honey

  • 1/3 cup plus 3 tablespoons soy sauce

  • 3 teaspoons chile paste, such as sambal oelek

  • 2 tablespoons fish sauce

  • 4 tablespoons sesame oil

  • 1 package rice noodles

Directions:

Step 1: To prepare the marinade for 1 pound of steak, combine 2 tablespoons minced ginger, 2 cloves minced garlic, 3 chopped scallions, the juice and zest of 2 limes, ⅓ cup soy sauce, 1 teaspoon each of mustard and honey and 2 teaspoons chile paste in a small bowl.

Step 2: Slowly pour 3 tablespoons sesame oil into the bowl while whisking to create an emulsion. Place the skirt steak in a gallon-size plastic bag and pour the marinade over it. Refrigerate.

Step 3: To make the dressing for the noodles, whisk together the juice of 2 limes, 1 teaspoon chile paste, 1 teaspoon honey, 3 tablespoons soy sauce, 2 tablespoons fish sauce and 1 tablespoon sesame oil.

Step 4: Cook 1 package of rice noodles according to the package directions, drain and then toss with the dressing.

Step 5: Peel 1 bunch of carrots and chop them into matchstick-size pieces (also known as a julienne), slice 1 cucumber lengthwise into thin slices and chop the remaining scallions.

Step 6: To cook the skirt steak, heat a heavy skillet over high heat, or prepare your grill. Cook the steak on medium-high heat for four minutes per side for medium-rare. Allow to rest for 10 minutes.

Step 7: To slice the steak, first cut with the grain into two or three pieces, depending on the length of the steak. Then carve the steak against the grain into thin slices.

Step 8: To assemble lettuce wraps, take a leaf of lettuce and line with two slices of cucumber. Top the cucumber with two or three pieces of steak and a small serving of noodles. Garnish with carrot and scallions and enjoy!

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