Turkey Meatball Lettuce Cups with Honey Adobo Sauce
with pear and celery slaw
These refreshing lettuce cups, filled with warm meatballs and creamy adobo sauce, are a Cook Smarts classic. We last featured them in 2020, along with a naturally sweet slaw.
Smarts #1: This is a great meal to prep ahead so that all of the components are ready to serve whenever you are.
Smarts #2: Make a double batch of tonight's meatballs to use again on Thursday or freeze them for a future meal.
Ingredients
- Celery - 3 ribs , julienned
- Pears, Asian - 1 , julienned
- Lemon juice - 2 Tbsp
- Maple syrup - 2 tsp
- 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
- 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
- Breadcrumbs, any gluten-free - 1/4 cup (sub almond flour)
- Salt - 1/2 tsp
- Black pepper - 1/4 tsp
- Garlic powder - 1/4 tsp
- Oil, cooking - 2 Tbsp
- Stock, any type - 1/4 cup
Prep
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Make honey adobo sauce - Whisk together sour cream, vinegar, adobo sauce, honey, and paprika. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
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Make meatballs - (Double if making Thursday’s meal.) Mix ground turkey with eggs, breadcrumbs, salt, black pepper, and garlic powder. Form into 1.5" / 4 cm meatballs. (Can be done up to 2 days ahead)
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Celery / Pears / Green onions / Lettuce leaves - Prep as directed.
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Make slaw - Combine celery, pears, lemon juice, maple syrup, and some salt.
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Make
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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.)
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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).
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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.)
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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!
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