Lettuce Wraps (Gluten Free & Dairy Free)

This recipe has been a regular in our house for as long as I can remember. I loved these lettuce wraps as a kid and I still love them just as much! When I made them last week so I could blog the recipe, I was surprised to learn how easy the recipe is. These lettuce wraps some together fairly quickly and they make the most delicious dinner. This recipe could easily be made ahead of time, then kept in a container in the fridge until you need it on a busy weeknight.This recipe also just happens to be gluten free & dairy free - score! No adjustments need to be made with this allergy friendly dinner.

Start by cooking 60g of rice noodles. Thin rice noodles only need to cook for about a minute. So cook the noodles, drain them then set them aside for later.

Then, chop up 1 onion, 1 cup of carrots and 1 cup of broccoli. The veggies should be diced pretty small. Once the onion, carrots and broccoli are chopped & ready to go, set them aside until you need them later on.

Next, you'll need to marinate and partially cook 1 pound of ground beef. Add the beef to a large stir fry pan along with 1 Tablespoons of dry sherry and 1 1/2 teaspoons of cornstarch. Let the meat cook over medium heat until it is just starting to brown.

Add the onions to the frying pan and cook over medium heat until the onions begin to go translucent.

Add the broccoli and carrots to the frying pan along with 1/2 cup of chicken stock, thickened with cornstarch, 1 teaspoon of soy sauce, 1 Tablespoon of hoisin sauce and 1 teaspoon sesame oil. Stir everything together and let it continue cooking over medium heat. The meat should be browned at this point and the veggies should be getting soft.

Chop up the cooked rice noodles (I do this with scissors; it's much easier than with a knife!) and add the to the frying pan. Continue to let everything cook until the vegetables are tender and most of the liquid is absorbed.

Remove the stir fry from the heat and mix in about 2 Tablespoons of chopped cilantro. This meat and veggies stir fry will serve as the filling for the lettuce wraps. We usually put the stir fry right on the table with a hot pad under it! If you want to transfer the lettuce wrap filling to a serving dish, you totally can, but the frying pan works too! :)

Separate 12 leaves of iceberg lettuce and put them in a serving dish. We put the iceberg lettuce and the filling on the table and everyone serves themselves. Each piece of lettuce gets filled with some filling then we top it with a little extra hoison sauce!

LETTUCE WRAPS
Gluten Free & Dairy Free
serves 4-6 people

ingredients
60g rice noodles, cooked separately
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup carrots, chopped
1 cup broccoli, chopped
1 lb ground beef
1 Tablespoon dry sherry
1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/2 cup chicken stock (thickened slightly with cornstarch)
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 Tablespoon hoisin sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 Tablespoons cilantro
12 leaves iceberg lettuce
+extra hoisin for serving

directions
1. Start by cooking the rice noodles. They should take about a minute, but check the package to be sure. When the rice noodles are cooked, drain them and set them aside.
2. Next, chop up the onion, the carrots and the broccoli. Each of these should be chopped fairy small. When the veggies are chopped, set them aside. Keep the onions separate from the broccoli & carrots - they get added first.
3. When the rice noodles and the veggies are ready, you can start the stir fry! Start by partially cooking the ground beef in the sherry and the cornstarch in a large frying pan over medium heat. The meat will cook longer later - you don't need to cook it completely in the sherry, just until it start to loose its pink-ish color.
4. Add the onions to the frying pan and continue to cook over medium heat until the onions begin to go translucent.
5. Then, add in the carrots & broccoli along with the chicken stock that has been slightly thickened with cornstarch, the soy sauce, the hoisin sauce and the sesame oil. Stir to combine everything and continue to cook over medium heat. The vegetables should begin to soften and the meat should be fully cooked at this point.
6. Lastly, chop up the rice noodles (I do this with scissors) and stir them into the frying pan. At this point, I leave everything over low heat just to let everything cook a little longer (and to give me a minute to set the table!).
7. When you take the stir fry filling off of the heat, stir in the cilantro.
7. Separate 12 leaves of iceberg lettuce. Each peace of lettuce gets filled with some of the meat & veggie filling along with a little extra hoisin sauce.

Let me know if you have questions!