These Peanut Tempeh Lettuce Cups are a delicious, quick, and easy lunch or dinner. They’re packed with plant protein from tempeh and peanuts to keep you satisfied. My favorite part of these lettuce cups is the water chestnuts, which add a lot of texture! Water chestnuts don’t have a lot of flavor on their own, but they make these lettuce cups delightfully crunchy. They add a nice contrast of texture to the chewy tempeh and creamy sauce.
Tips
Water chestnuts can usually be found in the canned vegetable section of your supermarket or in the ethnic/international/Asian foods aisle. If you can’t find water chestnuts, you can try using another crunchy veggie like celery, jicama, lotus root, or turnips.
Make the peanut sauce a day or two in advance to save time on the day of. It’s super easy to throw together and will last in the fridge for a week.
Feel free to use any lettuce you like. Butter lettuce is the most common with lettuce cups, but I also often use Romaine, green, or red leaf lettuce.
If you don’t have lettuce or don’t like lettuce cups, you can serve the peanut tempeh as a stir-fry with cauliflower rice. Or try turning them into collard green wraps!
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp avocado oil
- 1/2 small onion diced
- 8 oz tempeh minced
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1/2 red bell pepper diced
- 8 oz can of water chestnuts drained and diced
- 2 green onions sliced
- 1/4 cup peanut sauce adjust to taste
For Serving
- large lettuce leaves for cups
- 1/4 cup peanuts crushed
- 1/4 cup cilantro chopped
Instructions
- HEAT avocado oil in a wok or skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook until translucent.
- ADD tempeh and cook, stirring frequently, until tempeh starts to brown.
- ADD garlic, bell pepper, water chestnuts, and green onions, and cook 1 to 2 minutes until the peppers are just tender.
- REDUCE heat to medium low and add in the peanut sauce. Stir and toss so everything is coated in sauce. Continue cooking for another minute to heat through, then remove from heat.
- SCOOP the mixture into lettuce leaves and sprinkle peanuts and cilantro on top.
