Korean Beef Lettuce Wraps - Grain-free, Dairy-free, Low-Carb, Paleo
Monday, April 17, 2017
Of all the ethnic and International cuisines, Korean might be my favorite. I love the strong flavors, from the tangy and spicy fermented vegetables and copious amounts of garlic to the savory and sweet Korean barbeque. I could eat Korean all day long!
I was pretty surprised when I came across this recipe for Korean beef on Pinterest. The ingredients looked similar to authentic Korean barbeque recipes and it looked easy, which I strive for with a two year old and four year old. I tried it and loved it. Jamie at Love Bakes Good Cakes really knocked it out of the park!
I only made a few changes to Jamie's original recipe. Korean barbeque recipes tend to have a lot of sugar, so I cut it way back by using honey instead (which is sweeter than sugar). I also added arrowroot or cornstarch to thicken the sauce. I added sesame seeds as a garnish, but the most significant change I made was to serve it in a lettuce wrap instead of over rice. The result is an easy meal that is bursting with flavor but also healthy, gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free, low-carb and Paleo. And this delicious meal can be made in 30 minutes or less!
I like to serve this with a carrot, cucumber and radish salad made with rice wine vinegar and toasted sesame oil (recipe will be on my blog soon). However, serving it with an authentic Korean side dish like kimchi would also be awesome!
Just a reminder that if you have an allergy or intolerance to gluten, be sure to use gluten-free soy sauce to make these Korean Beef Lettuce Wraps. My favorite brand is San-J, partly because it is affordable and readily available. Coconut aminos can be used instead of soy sauce to make this recipe Paleo.
With that, let's get on with the recipe!
Korean Beef Lettuce
wraps with cucumber, radish and carrot salad
Grain-free | Gluten-free | Dairy-free | Egg-free | Nightshade-free | Nut-free | Low-Carb | Paleo
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Makes about 12 lettuce wraps
Ingredients:
-
2 ½ lbs ground beef
-
½ cup gluten-free soy sauce (or coconut aminos for the Paleo version)
-
2 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
-
¼ cup honey
-
4 cloves garlic
-
½ tsp ground ginger
-
3 Tbsp arrowroot or cornstarch
-
1+ head of butter lettuce
- 1 bunch scallions
-
About 2 Tbsp of sesame seeds for garnish
In a small mixing bowl, wisk together the soy sauce (or coconut aminos), sesame
oil, honey, ginger, and arrowroot or cornstarch.
Heat a pan to medium heat. Add the ground beef and cook
until almost browned. Mince the garlic with a knife or garlic press and stir
it into the ground beef. Add the sauce and stir well. Turn the heat down to
low and let it simmer for about 5 minutes or until the sauce thickens.
While it is cooking, slice the scallions and pull the head
of butter lettuce apart into individual leaves.
Remove the beef from the heat and let cool for a few minutes
before serving.
Top each lettuce wrap with sliced scallions and sesame seeds. Enjoy!
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