Turkey Meatball Lettuce Cups with Honey Adobo Sauce
with pear and celery slaw
We're giving one of our favorite classic recipes a makeover! We took these refreshing lettuce cups and added a crunchy, naturally sweet slaw and an even creamier sauce. The original version of this meal can be found here.
Smarts: This is a great meal to prep ahead so that all of the components are ready to serve whenever you are.
Ingredients
- Celery - 3 ribs, julienned
- Pears, Asian - 1, julienned
- Lemon juice - 2 Tbsp
- Maple syrup - 2 tsp
- Green onions - 2 stalks, chopped, green and white parts combined
- Lettuce, romaine - 12 leaves
- Turkey meatballs (ingredients listed separately) - ~12, halved
- Turkey, ground - 1 lb (look for ground dark meat turkey if available)
- Eggs - 1
- Panko breadcrumbs - 1/4 cup
- Salt - 1/2 tsp
- Black pepper - 1/4 tsp
- Garlic powder - 1/4 tsp
- Oil, cooking - 2 Tbsp
- Stock, any type - 1/4 cup
- Sour cream - 1/2 cup (sub plain or Greek yogurt)
- Vinegar, red wine - 4 tsp
- Adobo sauce - 2 tsp (from a can of chipotle peppers in adobo)
- Honey - 2 tsp
- Paprika, smoked - 1/2 tsp
Nutrition Facts
Prep
- Make honey adobo sauce - Whisk together sour cream, vinegar, adobo sauce, honey, and paprika. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
- Make meatballs - (If making Thursday’s meal, double the meatballs.) Mix ground turkey with eggs, panko, salt, black pepper, and garlic powder. Form into 1.5" / 4 cm meatballs. (Can be done up to 2 days ahead)
- Celery / Pears / Green onions / Lettuce leaves - Prep as directed.
- Make slaw - Combine celery, pears, lemon juice, maple syrup, and some salt.
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Make
- Heat a large skillet with oil over medium heat. Add meatballs and sear until golden brown on a few sides, ~5 minutes. (Note: If making Thursday’s meal, cook those at the same time. If the pan is not big enough to cook all of the meatballs at once, do this in batches.)
- Pour stock into pan with meatballs. Lower heat to medium-low and cover with a lid. Cook, covered, for another 6 to 8 minutes until meatballs are cooked through (internal temperature should be 165F / 74C; or slice into one to be sure).
- Remove meatballs from pan and allow to cool slightly. Slice meatballs in half. (You can slice the meatballs for Thursday at the same time, remembering to reserve them for that meal.)
- Set out lettuce leaves, meatballs, sauce, green onions, and slaw. Fill lettuce wraps with meatballs, sauce, and green onions at the table. You can add some slaw to lettuce wraps or have it on the side. Enjoy!
Nutrition Facts
Reviews
Ratings
20 reviews
Loved it! Made it as lunch, because i thought it wouldn’t be filling enough, but it was very filling and sooo good. Made the sauce with apple cider vinegar (3 ts) because that’s what I had.
0 HelpfulThe meatballs and sauce were great. I roasted some vegetables that needed to be used up instead of making the slaw, and based on the comments it sounds like this meal benefited from the more substantial side.
0 HelpfulMeatballs and sauce were awesome. Unfortunately the side wasn't filling enough so we ended up eating all of the meatballs so we won't be making the wedding soup.
0 HelpfulA touch low cal so some in the house added toast. I would probably serve a side of rice next time.
0 Helpful