Turkey Meatball Lettuce Cups
with adobo-honey sauce
We get to reuse last night's adobo-honey sauce drizzled over tonight's lettuce cups (or seitan and corn saute). The crunchiness of the lettuce makes this a summery way to enjoy meatballs.
Smarts: Keep a bowl of water next to you when rolling meatballs. Use it to keep your hands wet, which will prevent the meatballs from sticking to your hands.
Ingredients
- Quinoa - 2/3 cup, uncooked
- Cilantro - 1/4 bunch, chopped
- Ground turkey - 1 lb
- Cumin - 1 tsp
- Garlic powder - 1 tsp
- Paprika - 1 tsp
- Salt - 1/4 tsp
- Black pepper - pinch
- Panko breadcrumbs - 1/4 cup
- Cooking oil - 2 Tbsp
- Chicken stock - 1/4 cup
- Iceberg lettuce - 8 leaves
- Homemade adobo-honey sauce - 6 Tbsp
- Apples - 1, sliced
- Celery - 3 stalks, sliced
- Green onions, green parts - 2 stalks, chopped
- Salad greens - 6 oz
- Maple syrup - 1 tsp
- Dijon mustard - 1 tsp
- Apple cider vinegar - 1 1/2 Tbsp
- Cooking oil - 2 Tbsp
Nutrition Facts
Prep
- Make meatballs - Chop cilantro. Mix ground turkey meat with chopped cilantro, cumin, garlic powder, paprika, salt, pepper, and panko. Form into 1 1/2" (3.75 cm) wide meatballs. If making ahead of time, place onto a plate and cover with plastic wrap. This should make about 8 meatballs. (Should be done up to 1 day ahead)
- Quinoa - If not made from last night, combine quinoa with 2x the amount of water (or stock if you prefer) in a saucepan. Add in some salt. Bring to a boil covered. Lower heat, keep covered, and cook until liquid is absorbed, 8 to 10 minutes. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
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Make
- Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil and then meatballs to heated oil. Sear top and bottom sides for 3 minutes each, until a golden-brown sear forms.
- Pour chicken stock into pan, lower heat to medium, and cover loosely with aluminum foil. Cook for another 8 to 12 minutes, until meatballs reach 165F (74C) degrees (you can also just slice through to make sure all the meat is cooked through).
- Meanwhile, tear off 2 iceberg lettuce leaves / person. Wash and dry as needed.
- Slice apples, celery, and green parts of green onions. If not done from last night, whisk together maple syrup, Dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar, and oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- When meatballs are done, slice each into quarters. Divide into lettuce leaves and have everyone drizzle on as much adobo-honey sauce as they want.
- Toss apples, celery, green onions, and greens with vinaigrette. Enjoy lettuce cups, salad, and quinoa.
Nutrition Facts
Reviews
Ratings
20 reviews
The meatballs are really good. We didn't eat them with the lettuce cups, just on top of the salad. Also ate leftovers for lunch the next day with quinoa. I love the apple celery salad!
0 HelpfulI had to edit it since I'm allergic to adobo sauce, but it was soooo gooood. Will be making this again and again.
0 HelpfulThis was so delicious! The meatballs were so light and flavorful and perfectly cooked. Great use of ground turkey. The salad dressing was amazing! Jess, you make the best salad dressings
0 HelpfulThe flavor palette was really delicious, and I loved the tangy salad dressing. I skipped the lettuce wraps because my lettuce head wasn't big enough, so it was just easier to eat with a fork. I gave it a 3 simply because these aren't my absolute favorite meatballs - I love the Mediterranean meatballs better. But definitely still worth making!
0 Helpful