These Taco Lettuce Wraps with Turkey & Quinoa make a hearty, healthy, protein packed meal that’s amazingly delicious and quick and easy to prepare. They’re perfect for meal prep too.
If you’ve been following along with me for a while, you probably know that I’m all about the quick and easy recipes. Most weeknights, you’ll find me cooking an “all-in-one” dish like these Chicken Gyro Quinoa Bowls or Thai Beef Salad – Dishes where you don’t need to think about a side dish, or vegetable. Instead, you get everything in one – A grain, protein and your veggies.
Enter my most recent “all-in-one” creation – Taco Quinoa & Turkey Lettuce Wraps.
These were inspired by one of the most popular recipes on my blog – Southwest Beef & Quinoa Stuffed Peppers. But instead of stuffing peppers, we’re stuffing leaves of butter lettuce and eating these up taco style – loaded with all your favorite toppings.
I love the fact that you get an extra dose of protein, iron and amino acids from the quinoa, but you barely notice it’s there. It’s also a great way to stretch your budget because quinoa is much cheaper than turkey. This makes a big batch of the turkey-quinoa mixture, which makes it perfect for meal prep too! You can have these turkey lettuce wraps for dinner one night, and then pack along the leftovers for lunches throughout the week.
Tips for Making Taco Lettuce Wraps:
- Cook your quinoa in the Instant Pot. It’s my favorite method for making perfect, fluffy quinoa.
- As your turkey browns, use a potato masher to break it up. I can’t remember where I learned this tip, but it works so well.
I like to load the turkey-quinoa mixture up into the lettuce wraps and then top them with guacamole, cilantro lime crema or sour cream, quick pickled onions, cilantro, tomatoes and shredded cheese. I like mine extra spicy, which is why I’m obsessed with Cabot’s Fiery Jack Shredded Cheese, a blend of their Hot Habanero Cheddar mixed with just the right amount of mild Monterey Jack. Not only is it spicy, but it’s got great flavor too. So perfect for topping these taco lettuce wraps… I may even try swapping it into my Instant Pot Cheesy Southwestern Lentils & Brown Rice for an extra kick.
Rick on the other hand is not so into the heat, so he’ll normally top his lettuce wraps with black olives, sour cream and a bit of Cabot’s 4-Cheese Mexican Shredded Cheddar. That’s another great thing about this recipe – Everyone can customize their dinner to suit their tastes. Kids love the assembly process too. You could even serve the turkey-quinoa mixture over some cauliflower rice to make some healthy bowls that are perfect for topping too.
If you’re looking for a vegetarian-friendly option, you could also make these turkey lettuce wraps completely meatless by swapping out the ground turkey with an extra can of black beans, some instant pot black beans, or some frozen corn kernels.
However you choose to enjoy them, I think these Taco Quinoa & Turkey Lettuce Wraps will be a big hit in your house. Please let me know if you make them, I’d love to hear your feedback!
Wine Pairings for Taco Lettuce Wraps:
- Red Wine: Look for lighter-bodied, fruit-focused reds like Beaujolais or Grenache.
- White Wine: Acid-driven wines like Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris and Vinho Verde are good matches for these taco wraps.
Taco Recipes:
- Instant Pot Salsa Chicken Taco Lettuce Wraps
- Mexican Street Corn Chicken Tacos
- Quinoa Taco Bowls with Guacamole
- Fish Taco Bowls with Mango Salsa & Avocado Cream Sauce
If you loved these Taco Lettuce Wraps I would appreciate it so much if you would give this recipe a star review! Also, be sure to snap a picture of your finished dish and share it with me on Instagram using the hashtag #platingsandpairings and tagging me @platingsandpairings.
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Taco Lettuce Wraps Recipe
Taco Quinoa & Turkey Lettuce Wraps
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound ground turkey
- 1 onion (diced)
- 1 10-oz. can diced tomatoes with green chiles
- 1.25 oz. packet of taco seasoning
- 1 15-oz. can black beans (drained and rinsed)
- 1 cup cooked quinoa
- 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
- Salt and pepper (to taste)
- Two Heads of Boston Butter or Bibb Lettuce
Toppings:
- 3/4 cup Cabot Fiery Jack Shredded Cheese
- Pickled Jalapenos
- Red Onion
- Black Olives
- Sour Cream
- Cherry Tomatoes
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add ground turkey and onion and cook until browned, about 3-5 minutes, making sure to crumble the turkey as it cooks; drain excess fat.
- Stir in tomatoes, taco seasoning and ½ cup water. Cook until heated through, about 2-3 minutes. Stir in beans, quinoa and cilantro until well combined; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- To serve, spoon turkey mixture into the center of a lettuce leaf, taco-style, with desired toppings.
Nutrition
I teamed up with Cabot to bring you this post. As always, all opinions are my own.
These sound fabulous! Going on my lunch/dinner list for this week! 🙂
They’re sooo good Kathryn and perfect for leftover/meal prep!
This looks so good!! I usually do asian style lettuce wraps, I’m excited to try this recipe to expand my lettuce wrap horizons!
I hope you enjoy Kelsey!