Recipe: Gochujang beef lettuce cups

Gochujang Beef Lettuce Cups are a quick weeknight dinner, an easy prep ahead lunch, or double up for a good freezer friendly batch cooking recipe. 

If you are not familiar with Gochujang paste it is a staple in Korean cooking. It is a red chili paste that also contains fermented soy beans. It is a spicy devil, but you can control the spice level by adjusting how much you use.

This recipe is also freezer friendly (minus the lettuce of course) so I will often double up the recipe, portion into sandwich size freezer zip bags and have a few lunches ready to go. Just add the fresh lettuce cups! 

Ingredients

• 1 lb lean ground beef
• ¼ cup honey (or sweetener of choice)
• 2 tbsp sesame oil
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp minced ginger
• 2 tbsp gochujang paste
• ¼ cup water (add a bit more if the paste doesn’t break down)
• 1 head iceberg lettuce
• 1 cup julienned carrots
• 1 tbsp sesame seeds

Instructions

• In a hot pan, cook the ground beef until no longer pink. Drain any excess fat. 
• Add the garlic, ginger, gochujang paste, water, sesame oil, soy sauce, and honey. Let simmer on medium heat until the paste is melted and incorporated. Allow the water to evaporate ( I don’t like dripping lettuce cups!)
• Add the carrots and allow them to just soften, no more than a minute and remove pan from heat. 
• Fill lettuce cups, garnish with sesame seeds, and enjoy! 
• For lunch box prep, divide the meat mixture among the 3-4 containers you want to use. Or, portion into freezer zip bags, squeeze the air out, label, and store for up to 4 months. 

You can find the full post for this recipe, including more great photography and meal planning tips, on Meal Plan Addict.