Beef & Beet Lettuce Wraps with Sesame Ginger Sauce For The Whole Family
It’s CSA season for our family and for a lot of families that we know. If you aren’t familiar, CSA stands for “Community Supported Agriculture.” This means families buy a share of a farm and every week they receive a box of seasonal vegetables. Our farm grows over 50 different varieties of veggies which means families can sometimes get a box full of ingredients that they aren’t as familiar with. It’s my mission as a farmer and mom to get creative in the kitchen with recipes so folks have some inspiration when it comes to using up their CSA box. We have a lot of members who have small children and I know first hand how tricky it can be to get little ones to eat all of their veggies! This recipe is a great example of how we navigate the different stages of eating at the dinner table while still all enjoying the same(ish) dinner. The above photo represents my plate, my toddlers plate and my 11-month old’s plate. We are all enjoying different components of the lettuce wraps in our own way.
I hope if you are gaining anything from this website it’s this— you don’t need to cook separate meals for your kids if you don’t want to. If they are used to having different foods than you this may take a while for them to get used to eating this way. But don’t give up! The more you share the same meals and ingredients as your kids the more familiar and excited they will become when it comes to eating with you. Progress not perfection is my moto these days!
I hope you all enjoy these lettuce wraps as much as we do. If you are a part of our CSA this recipe utilizes so many ingredients in this week’s harvest!
Happy cooking and eating everyone!
Beef & Beet Lettuce Wraps with Sesame Ginger Sauce
PREP TIME: 15 MINUTES. COOK TIME: 15 MINUTES. SERVES: 4
1 large head of bib lettuce or cabbage (torn into individual large leaves)
2 Tablespoons ghee or olive oil
2 large beets, diced (about 1 1/2 cups worth of beets)
1 large bunch of scallions, diced (white and light green parts only)
1 LB of ground beef
1 bunch of cilantro, stems removed and finely chopped
Sesame Ginger Sauce
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 Tablespoon freshly grated ginger
pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 cup coconut aminos (or low sodium tamari sauce)
2 teaspoons pure maple syrup
2 Tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
2 Tablespoons tahini
1/4 cup water
Preparation
Place the lettuce leaves on a platter and set aside.
In a large skillet over medium heat add the ghee or olive oil. Once hot add the diced beets. Cook, stirring occasionally until browned up and tender about 8-10 minutes. Add the chopped scallions and continue to cook until they brown up a bit. About 3 minutes longer. Add more cooking fat if the pan dries out too much. Remove the beets and scallions to a bowl and keep to the side.
Add ground lamb to the pan along with a fat pinch of salt. Cook, using a wooden spoon to break up the meat a bit until cooked through and no longer pink. About 5-8 minutes. Add the lamb to the bowl with the beets and scallions. Toss in the minced cilantro along with some salt and pepper.
To prepare the sauce whisk all the ingredients together until smooth. This works great with an immersion blender. Taste for seasonings and adjust as needed.
Scoop a healthy portion of beef mixture into each lettuce cup and drizzle with the sauce.
Notes:
If you are serving this with young eaters in mind feel free to deconstruct the meal as needed!
