Simple Balanced Meals: Lean Pork Lettuce Wraps

*AD: I’m working in a paid relationship with Love Pork and The Scotch Kitchen and BritMums highlighting easy midweek meals https://www.lovepork.co.uk/ https://www.scotchkitchen.com/

Does your diet contain enough vitamin B12? When I analysed a typical week of meals, I realised that our diets weren’t balanced and we were neglecting a lot of the foods rich in the vitamins we need. This had to change, especially as we are all at home at the moment, so I set about trying to find ways to incorporate more of the foods we need in our everyday life.

This recipe features lean pork plus sweetcorn, tomatoes (in the passata), onions and lettuce plus the toppings of sour cream and cheese for some dairy. Plus, it uses store cupboard ingredients and you can also swap out many of them — for example instead of smoked paprika, you can use regular paprika or chilli powder, hot sauce or black pepper (add carefully because of the kick!) — or even leave them out. You can make your own barbecue sauce using ketchup, sugar and vinegar (just search online). And while we have these with a fun side salad, they’re great with practically any vegetable you have in the kitchen on the side.

Vitamin B12 & Our Diet

Looking at our diet, it was clear to see that we should be eating more meat, which is a natural source  of vitamin B12. With adults needing around 1.5 micrograms of B12 a day, it was concerning that our diet contained little of the products rich in this vitamin. 

Pork is a source of four essential vitamins and minerals that help the immune system to work normally. These include vitamin B6, vitamin B12, zinc and selenium. Pork also provides five essential vitamins that help reduce tiredness and fatigue. These are Niacin, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, riboflavin and pantothenic acid.

I wanted to create a simple midweek meal that was also balanced – perfect for the whole family so we could sit down and enjoy it together. Dinner time is the ideal moment to come together and unpack our days. The trouble was Henry has a slight aversion to vegetables or salad, so I knew if I suddenly changed up the menu, I was likely to be met with resistance. It was important for me to be able to incorporate more balanced meals rich in all of the vitamins and minerals our bodies need so I needed to come up with a way to get Henry excited by food.

Lean Pork Lettuce Wraps

Now if you told me a few months ago, my son would be not only eating a recipe with lettuce in the title but actually declaring it his “favourite meal ever” I think I might have fainted. This recipe is simple and easy, and you can modify the ingredients to include whatever you have to hand.

I wanted to use pork in my recipe. and the great reasons for this are:

  • Pork is a  source of vitamin B12
  • Vitamin B12 helps energy production in the body
  • Vitamin B12 helps the nervous system work normally
  • Vitamin B12 helps red blood cell formation
  • Vitamin B12 helps the immune system work normally
  • Vitamin B12 helps reduce tiredness and fatigue
  • Not only can some cuts of pork be lean, like medallions, but it’s naturally rich in protein, low in salt and provides ten vitamins and minerals that contribute towards good health and wellbeing. These are: thiamin (vitamin B1), niacin (vitamin B3), vitamins B6 and B12, riboflavin, zinc, potassium, phosphorus, selenium and pantothenic acid.

Recreating this recipe is super simple and easy. You will need:

  • 500g of lean pork mince (5% fat)
  • ½ a red onion chopped finely
  • 2 peppers chopped into small chunks (if you have a fussy eater cut them smaller)
  • 2 heaped tbsp of sweetcorn
  • 2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 2 tsp ground cumin
  • 300ml of passata
  • 2 tbsp of BBQ sauce
  • 4tbsp of water
  • Pinch of salt & pepper

**If you can’t find peppers or sweetcorn, try courgettes or aubergine instead)

For the wraps:

  • Little gem lettuce (although any lettuce will work)

Optional extras:

  • Grated cheese
  • Sour cream
  • Salsa

The great thing about this recipe is that you can use whatever you have to hand. Raid the fridge for bits to throw in, and you can even use frozen sweetcorn and peppers if you don’t have fresh to hand!

How to Make it:

  1. Fry the onion in a pan for five minutes until soft. You don’t need a lot of oil, and personally, I use a spray oil but if you don’t have this, just go sparingly.
  2. Add the chopped peppers, sweetcorn, spices and a pinch of salt and pepper and fry for a further minute.
  3. Add and fry the mince until brown.
  4. Stir in the passata, BBQ sauce and water.
  5. Increase the heat until bubbling then simmer, so the sauce reduces, coating the meat.
  6. Serve mixture in lettuce wraps adding cheese, sour cream and salsa if you choose.

Henry loves this meal because it’s quite interactive. He can make up his own wrap, choosing to add a bit of cheese and some sour cream, and it makes mealtimes fun. You can, of course, use a regular wrap or taco shell but lettuce wraps are great because they don’t go soggy and even my fussy eight-year-old says he can’t tell it’s lettuce!!

Do you have any favourite recipes using pork that you’d recommend? I’d love more suggestions! 

The #SimpleBalancedMeals #CookingatHome campaign is sponsored by the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB), Quality Meat Scotland (QMS) and Hybu Cig Cymru – Meat Promotion Wales (HCC) – the English, Welsh and Scottish levy bodies that between them cover all food groups in a healthy balanced diet.

Visit https://www.lovepork.co.uk/ and https://www.scotchkitchen.com/ for more delicious and simple balanced meals with pork!


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Love as always!

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*AD: I’m working in a paid relationship with Love Pork and The Scotch Kitchen and BritMums highlighting easy midweek meals https://www.lovepork.co.uk/ https://www.scotchkitchen.com/

19 Comments

  1. Christine Dixon
    9th May 2020 / 8:58 pm

    Cool recipe thanks for sharing. I think these would be tasty with a baked potato too yum 🙂

    • sophiegw
      Author
      26th May 2020 / 8:30 am

      That’s a really good idea!!

  2. Karen
    12th May 2020 / 8:32 am

    I would never have thought about using lettuce as a wrap alternative. We are trying to cut out bread products as my daughter struggles with anything with wheat or gluten and we have struggled to find an alternative. These look delicious too!!

  3. Karla
    13th May 2020 / 10:53 am

    I would never have thought about using pork mince but this actually sounds delicious!! Something my kids would love too!!!

    • sophiegw
      Author
      26th May 2020 / 8:28 am

      You must try it!!

  4. Lyndsey
    14th May 2020 / 11:26 am

    Oooh these look delicious! I’ve not tried them before and I think my family would enjoy them. Thank you for the recipe.

    • sophiegw
      Author
      26th May 2020 / 8:28 am

      You’re welcome – enjoy!!

  5. Lindy
    20th May 2020 / 7:35 pm

    Looks delicious!!

    • sophiegw
      Author
      26th May 2020 / 8:29 am

      They are soooo good!!

  6. Zena's Suitcase
    25th May 2020 / 10:00 pm

    I love the idea of using lettuce leafs in this recipe for a healthy swap

    • sophiegw
      Author
      26th May 2020 / 8:27 am

      Yes! Such a good swap!!

  7. Deborah Nicholas
    26th May 2020 / 12:57 pm

    I’ve started using pork mince for Bolognaise too and it’s so good.

    • sophiegw
      Author
      26th May 2020 / 12:58 pm

      Oooh I’ll try that sounds delicious!!

  8. mooksdesign
    26th May 2020 / 2:30 pm

    This is something that we have quite regularly — I love the lettuce wraps!! Definitely always makes me feel virtuous — and healthy!!!! 🙂

    • sophiegw
      Author
      26th May 2020 / 2:31 pm

      Same here!! Love how the kids have no idea too!!

  9. Jenny Taylor
    26th May 2020 / 2:59 pm

    Oh I definitely will have to try these they look so good

    • sophiegw
      Author
      26th May 2020 / 2:59 pm

      You must they are delicious!!

  10. susankmann
    26th May 2020 / 9:05 pm

    ooh how cool are they? I would never have thought to eat lettuce wraps, but I will be doing so now. Fun, healthy and they look great. Thanks for the fab idea and great food. Pinning for later x

    • sophiegw
      Author
      26th May 2020 / 9:06 pm

      Thanks so much lovely x

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