Sausage and Cabbage Lettuce Wraps

15 min · 2 servings · easy · Asian-inspired

Ingredients

Filling

• 1 tbsp neutral oil, plus a splash more if the pan gets dry
• 2 links (about 8 oz / 225 g) Italian sausage, casings removed
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tsp fresh ginger, minced (about a garlic clove's worth)
• 1 pinch salt, to taste
• 1/4 head (about 8 oz / 225 g) green cabbage, cored and roughly chopped
• 2 tbsp soy sauce or tamari
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
• 1 tsp fish sauce
• 1 tsp honey or sugar, to taste (optional)

To Serve

• 1 head Bibb (butter) lettuce, leaves separated
• creamy jalapeño mayo or other drizzle, for serving (optional)

Method

1. Brown the sausage
2. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Squeeze the sausage out of its casings into the pan in small pieces and cook, breaking it up, until browned, about 4-5 minutes.
3. Add aromatics
4. Add the onion, garlic and ginger with a pinch of salt; add a splash more oil if the pan looks dry. Cook, stirring, until the onion softens and turns translucent, about 3 minutes.
5. Wilt the cabbage
6. Add the chopped cabbage and cook 1-2 minutes, stirring, until it wilts down significantly and starts to caramelize at the edges.
7. Season
8. Add soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil and fish sauce; stir and scrape the browned bits off the bottom of the pan until the pan looks clean. Taste and add a little honey or sugar if you want more sweetness.
9. Serve
10. Separate the Bibb lettuce leaves into cups, spoon in the filling and add a creamy drizzle if you like. Eat immediately.

Tips

• Sausage, cabbage and seasoning quantities were not stated; amounts are estimates based on two sausage links, so adjust to taste.
• Cabbage is a cheap way to stretch a small amount of meat, and cooking it longer builds even more sweet, caramelized flavor.
• Use the sauce liquids to deglaze the pan so the flavorful browned bits end up in the filling, not stuck to the pan.
• Bibb lettuce makes the best cups; save the tougher outer leaves for another use.
• Any seasoning you have works: swap tamari for soy sauce or skip the fish sauce if you don't have it.
• A creamy jalapeño mayo drizzle would pair well with the salty filling.