20 hearty lettuce wraps that you might mistake for comfort food

20 hearty lettuce wraps that you might mistake for comfort food

An easy way to make lettuce wraps less boring is to pretend it’s a tortilla — fill it with delicious ingredients and you’ve got yourself a simple, speedy, low-carb meal.

These recipes are for the dieter who hates diet food. You’ll enjoy every bite and walk away feeling satisfied and full. Not to mention they’re a delectable way to use up all the lettuce you buy that always partly goes to waste. 

1. Buffalo chicken lettuce wraps

Photo source: EllaClaireInspired.com

Turn up the heat with these buffalo chicken lettuce wraps from Ella Claire Inspired. Feel free to use a hot sauce of your choosing, but you really can’t go wrong with the Franks brand. Afraid of the spice? Don’t be! The blue cheese nicely balances the heat in each bite.

2. Bang bang shrimp lettuce wraps

Photo source: ITheeCook.blogspot.com

For those weeknights when you’re too lazy to whip up anything glamorous but don’t want to give in to takeout temptation: These bang bang shrimp wraps from I Thee Cook take only 20 minutes to make and are surprisingly satisfying for a meal wrapped in lettuce.

3. Turkey taco lettuce wraps

Photo source: Skinnytaste.com

Our go-to meal when we crave comfort food but don’t want to destroy our diet, these turkey taco lettuce wraps from Skinnytaste are exactly what they sound like: tacos, only wrapped with lettuce instead of a high-calorie tortilla. Two taco wraps clock in at only 134 calories and 2 grams of fat — plus, they pack 21 grams of protein!

4. Mu shu chicken lettuce wraps

Photo source: PreventionRD.com

Satisfy your Chinese-food craving with Prevention RD’s mu shu chicken wraps, which combine Asian flavors from ingredients like ginger, soy sauce, hoisin sauce and garlic (and topped with crunchy cashews). In just 15 minutes, you’ll have a healthy, delicious meal totaling just 271 calories and 11.7 grams of fat for three lettuce wraps.

5. Mushroom & quinoa lettuce cups

Photo source: LoveAndLemons.com

These lettuce cups from Love & Lemons are loaded with good-for-you grub: cucumber, carrots, peanuts, mushrooms and quinoa, to name a few. The hearty mix is then topped with peanut tofu sauce and (optional) spicy sriracha sauce. 

6. Spicy Sriracha steak lettuce wraps

Photo source: SimplyScratch.com

One word: NOM. In this Simply Scratch recipe for steak lettuce wraps, the chopped cube steak is marinated in a mouthwatering mix of honey, tamari, coconut oil and sriracha. Once stir-fried, you can spoon it into a giant piece of lettuce, top it with a fresh cucumber relish and enjoy as a meal or snack. 

7. Clean & lean turkey lunch wrap

Photo source: DaydreamKitchen.com

Introducing your new, healthy brown-bagged lunch: clean & lean turkey lettuce wraps from DaydreamKitchen. All you need is iceberg lettuce, roast turkey slices, cucumber slices, hummus and paprika. Wrap it up, pack it up and bring it to the office. 

8. Healthy falafel lettuce wraps

Photo source: Blogilates.com

Adapted from Hungry Girl’s falafel pita pockets recipe, these lettuce wraps are stuffed with homemade falafel that’s baked instead of fried for fewer calories and less fat. Bonus: The recipe comes with a recipe for “dill-icious yogurt dip” to top it all off. With three falafel balls and the dip, you’re looking at only 139 calories and 2 grams of fat. 

9. Curry chicken salad lettuce wraps

Photo source: HoneyGheeAndMe.com

Honey, Ghee & Me packs butter lettuce leaves with some seriously flavorful chicken salad, which includes Granny Smith apple, celery and red onion (for a nice crunch!); apricots; and, of course, curry. Gotta love it when finger food is actually nutritious. 

10. Vietnamese pork lettuce wraps

Photo source: TasteOfHome.com

These crunchy lettuce wraps from Taste of Home use ground pork, chopped cucumber, sweet red pepper, green onions, carrots, jalapeno and peanuts, as well as some Asian-cuisine staples like gingerroot, soy sauce, mirin, hoisin sauce and — if you’re feeling adventurous — fish sauce (optional). Lettuce has never been this interesting. 

11. 2-minute tuna lettuce wrap

Photo source: CheekyKitchen.com

Need to get rid of that lone can of tuna? Make these speedy tuna lettuce wraps from Cheeky Kitchen. In addition to the meal only taking minutes to prepare, you probably already have most of the ingredients in the kitchen, so this is a great recipe to save for those days when you’re racing the clock or just too lazy to put much effort into your meal.

12. Thai butternut squash lettuce wraps

Photo source: HowSweetEats.com

If you’re anything like us, you’re constantly looking for a new way to eat everyone’s favorite fall food: butternut squash. This recipe from How Sweet It Is creates a beautiful medley of flavors with the sweet butternut squash, some chili powder for spice, peanuts for crunch and a homemade Thai sauce for dipping or drizzling.

13. Shrimp avocado lettuce wraps

Photo source: ElizabethBryant.blogspot.com

A delicious diet-friendly recipe, these shrimp avocado lettuce wraps from Elizabeth Bryant offer good fats from the avocado and shrimp, which are complemented by citrus flavors from lemon juice and tomato, plus feta cheese for good measure. This one’s super easy to make and surprisingly satisfying.

14. Asian turkey lettuce wraps

Photo source: DamnDelicious.net

Another Asian-style wrap, this yummy lunch/dinner recipe from Damn Delicious takes only 25 minutes to make and puts a heartier twist on typical lettuce wraps by including rice with the ground turkey, red bell pepper, onion and other ingredients. 

15. Toasted coconut & chicken lettuce wraps

Photo source: Blog.SeasonWithSpice.com

This Southeast Asian-style recipe from Season With Spice calls for toasting unsweetened coconut flakes to replicate the cuisine’s popular technique of adding freshly grated coconut to salads. Just mix the toasted tidbits with shallots, cilantro, shredded chicken and avocado — our favorite lettuce-wrap topping — and nestle it all into a nice-sized leaf from a head of iceberg lettuce.

16. Vegetarian lentil sloppy Joe lettuce wraps

Just because you’re going the vegetarian route doesn’t mean your lettuce wraps can’t be exciting. These lentil sloppy Joe wraps from Foxes Love Lemons use lentils simmered until tender and flavored with sweetness from brown sugar and tomato sauce; acidity from apple cider vinegar; saltiness from Worcestershire sauce (optional); and spice from cayenne pepper and yellow mustard. We love the recipe creator’s idea of topping with a poached egg! 

17. Shrimp & gnocchi lettuce wraps

Photo source: ASpicyPerspective.com

You read that right: shrimp and gnocchi in a lettuce wrap. Sounds weird — and we won’t argue it’s an unusual idea — but A Spicy Perspective’s unorthodox take on lettuce wraps is actually really good. “It’s almost like putting tiny Asian dumplings inside the lettuce wraps,” says recipe developer Sommer Collier. Be sure to drizzle them with the homemade spicy mint sauce.

18. Turkey Santa Fe lettuce wraps

Photo source: Skinnytaste.com

These babies were inspired by Chili’s spinach Santa Fe egg rolls with cilantro ranch dipping sauce. As you can imagine, the egg rolls are far from healthy, so Skinnytaste’s Gina Homolka used the flavors to develop these amazing lettuce wraps that won’t wreak havoc on your waistline — 297 calories and 13 grams of fat for two lettuce wraps. 

19. Slow-cooker Asian lettuce wraps

Photo source: TheRecipeCritic.com

Want to get your Crock-Pot in on the action? Use this recipe from The Recipe Critic, which slow-cooks chicken with lots of veggies — water chestnuts, shredded carrots, green onion and edamame. Then, of course, you have to top the whole thing with a soy peanut dipping sauce. Two lettuce wraps costs you only 258 calories and 4 grams of fat. 

20. Spicy tofu lettuce wraps with peanut lime sauce

Photo source: OhSheGlows.com

The sauce that comes with this recipe from Oh She Glows, according to the recipe developer, “is so good it could make cardboard taste like a delicacy.” Don’t know about you, but we’re sold. The recipe can be used to create veggie rolls or lettuce wraps, so feel free to experiment with both.