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Okay, hear me out. A delicious, Asian-inspired classic light lunch, but make it vegetarian! That’s right, in an effort to star off the new year with light, healthy, but flavor packed meals, I took the classic chicken lettuce wrap, and swapped the meat for a veggie! These sticky cauliflower lettuce wraps take crispy roasted cauliflower, coat them in a spicy and sweet sauce, and top them with yummy surprises like peanuts and creamy sriracha sauce!

Sticky Asian-Inspired Sauce

While the heart of this dish is the cauliflower, the element that sets it over the top is the sticky, spicy, sweet, and salty sauce! So simple to make, you can definitely use this for any sort of main veggie or protein. I actually recommend using this on chicken or even steak bites! TO begin, add the following to a blender:

2 cloves garlic
½ in fresh ginger, peeled, or 2 tsp pureed ginger paste
½ cup soy sauce
⅓ cup light brown sugar
2 tbsp hoisin sauce
2 tsp lime juice juice of half of one lime
1½ tbsp rice wine or white wine vinegar
2 tsp sambal, chili paste, or Calabrian chili or 1 tsp crushed red pepper
½ tsp sesame oil
1 tsp cornstarch

Blend until smooth! You can skip the blender as long as you mince the garlic and grate the ginger fine! Once the ingredients are all mixed together, transfer to a small sauce pot and simmer over medium-low heat until it begins to thicken, about 10-15 minutes. If the sauce thickens too much or gets too tacky, add a few tbsp of water or vegetable stock. The key here is you want it to be a bit syrupy, but it will go in the over to reduce even more, so the consistency of thick honey is not the goal!

Roasted Sticky Cauliflower Lettuce Wraps

The star of this show is cauliflower florets. Roasted until crispy and coated in a sticky sauce, you won’t even miss any meat in this recipe. To begin, take 1 large head or 2 small heads of cauliflower and trim it down to bite sized florets. You can use pre-cut bagged cauliflower as well, as long as you have 6-8 cups total.

Place the florets on a baking sheet lined with parchment. Sprinkle with 1 tsp of salt, 1/2 tsp of black pepper and onion powder, and about 2 tbsp of grapeseed oil (or any oil with a high smoke point). Toss to coat evenly, and make sure they are evenly spaced in a flat layer. Place in a 425 degree oven. Roast for about 25-30 minutes, tossing halfway through.

Once roasted and brown and crispy on the edges, drizzle with about 2/3 of the sticky sauce and toss to coat. Pop the sheet pan back in the oven for about 5-10 more minutes or until the sauce dries out a bit and begins to caramelize and bubble.

To assemble, scoop 2-3 heaping tbsp of the cauliflower into a large leaf of butter or bibb lettuce. Top with 1-2 tsp of salted crushed peanuts, 1 tsp of chopped green onions, a drizzle of the remaining sticky sauce, and a drizzle of sriracha mayo (vegan mayo works great here too!) or store-bought sauce. Serve immediately while the cauliflower is still hot! This recipe should make 8-10 sticky cauliflower lettuce cups, but feel free to double the recipe to ensure there are plenty of leftovers!

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