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Fresh, light and summery, these ground pork lettuce wraps are the perfect lunch or party appetizer. They are slightly salty and a little bit sweet and are sure to please all tastes.

There are three things that I adore about these ground pork lettuce wraps:

They are straightforward and quick to make.
They are light yet satisfying.
The guests do all the hard work of putting them together.

The hardest part is separating the lettuce leaves, which I show you how to do quickly in the video below.

I cannot rave about these enough, and neither can my family.

Preparing Ground Pork Lettuce Wraps

Ingredients

Ground Pork: Most often sold lean, about 70%, ground pork is a good source of protein and many vitamins and minerals. It is typically made from the shoulder, or butt, and is minced. Ground pork should always be served well done, at a minimum temperature of 165°F.

Green Onions: Also known as scallions, green onions add a fresh flavour to this dish. Use the green parts of the green onion as a topping because they have a milder flavour. Chop up the whit

es and add to the pork to cook them down a little.

Iceberg Lettuce: Iceberg lettuce is also known as crisphead lettuce. It comes in what is called a head. It is typically a vibrant green colour and although the outer leaves can be quite soft, the inside is much more crisp.

Carrots: This root vegetable is slightly sweet, bright and filled with vitamin A and fibre. It is served raw in this dish and adds the perfect crunch to the wrap.

Wonton strips: Wontons are a type of Chinese dumplings. Here we are using crispy wonton strips which are fried wonton wrappers that have been cut into strips.

Sesame seeds: Sesame seeds are oilseed crops that grow in pods. When hulled are a light beige colour that turns golden when baked. They are rich in iron, magnesium, and calcium and a good source of vitamin B6.

Hoisin sauce: Often used as a glaze in Cantonese cooking, this soybean-based sauce has an intense flavour. Slightly sweet and slightly salty this sauce is very dark in colour and is quite thick.

Soy Sauce: Made from fermented soybeans and wheat, this Chinese condiment is salty and very dark in colour. There are many different varieties of soy sauce but we use dark soy sauce for this recipe.

Sesame oil: Sesame oil is a vegetable oil made from sesame seeds. It has a nutty and earthy taste that is very strong. Its use is often limited to flavouring foods versus other oils that are milder and are used for more general cooking.

Rice vinegar: Rice vinegar is made from fermented rice. It is slightly sweet in flavour and milder than some other vinegar. It is a popular ingredient in many Asian dishes.

Corn starch: Corn starch is a flour made from corn kernels. It is a white powder, finer than other flours and is most often used as a thickening, as it is in this recipe.

How to Make Ground Pork Lettuce Wraps

Prep the Veggies

Start by prepping the lettuce. You will need to wash the leaves, so you need the cooking time to let them dry.

First, remove the outer leaves and discard them. We won’t need these.

How to Remove the Core From Iceberg Lettuce

The easiest way to remove the leaves off the iceberg lettuce is to remove the core. You can do this by simply banging the lettuce, core side down, against the counter. Give that core a couple of good whacks and it will pop right out.

Once you remove the core from the head of lettuce, use water to help loosen the leaves. While holding the lettuce in your hands, run the water into the hole that you’ve just created when you removed the core.

Use your hands to gently start separating the leaves. See the

below for a demonstration. Depending on the size of your lettuce you may need 8-10 leaves to serve two adults for lunch.

Next, wash and chop the green onions. Separate the white and green parts. You will add the whites to the meat and the greens as a topping for your wraps.

Finally, julienne the carrot. The easiest way to do this is to slice the carrot on the bias. Then lay the slices flat and slice them again into small matchsticks.

Cook the Stuffing

Now, warm up a pan and add the ground pork. Use a spatula to break up the meat into small pieces.

While the pork cooks, prepare the sauce. Combine all of the sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Whisk or stir well until fully mixed.

Once the pork is cooked, add the sauce to the pan and stir everything to combine making sure all the meat is well coated.

Add the whites of the green onions and cook for another couple of minutes until the sauce thickens. Remove from the burner.

That’s it! Now it’s time to serve.

Substitutions

Ground pork: You can use any ground meat with this recipe. Chicken and turkey are my favourite alternatives. They have a mild flavour and don’t take away from the other ingredients.

Iceberg lettuce: You can also use romaine hearts to make little lettuce boats or tacos instead of iceberg lettuce wraps. It is easier to remove the leaves off of romaine but you may not be able to get as much stuffing in each one.

Serving Ground Pork Lettuce Wraps

In addition to the fresh ingredients, I like to serve lettuce wraps with crispy wontons, sesame seeds and Thai sweet chilli sauce. This gives the wraps more texture variety and makes them even tastier.

To serve the lettuce wraps you can either make a bunch and serve them pre-made or you can serve it buffet-style. I prefer the buffet-style for a few reasons.

For one, it’s fun to make, especially for the kids. They enjoy the independence and can choose what they like in their wraps.

Secondly, it’s a lot less work for you because you just have to serve all the individual ingredients.

Lastly, everyone eats as much or as little as they need so there is less waste.

Let us know in the comments if you have any questions. And if you like this recipe be sure to leave us a five-star rating below.

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Ground Pork Lettuce Wraps