Lettuce Wrap Tacos

I’m obsessed with Mexican food, but particularly tacos.  The wonderful smell of corn tortillas fried just to a slight crisp, filled with juicy delicious seasoned meat, topped with shredded cheese, guacamole and shredded lettuce, it has to be one of the greatest foods ever created. I’ve come to realize, the tacos I grew up with aren’t really the most authentic Mexican recipe, but I think the nostalgia of them from growing up, makes the flavor better than anything else.

So, you can imagine how I felt when I started on the Paleo or Caveman Diet and had to cut all grains and dairy out of my diet.  What? Corn is a grain?  Crap! You’re right.  What was I going to do?  No corn, no cheese, no real taco.

Then I remember another recipe I have on my site for Thai Lettuce Wraps from the Cheesecake Factory and thought “I wonder if I could make the same thing but with taco fillings instead of Thai chicken?”  I tried a few different types of lettuce before I found the magic solution, hearts of romaine lettuce.  They’re perfect little boats for filling up with goodness and they wrap up perfectly.

This has now become a meal we enjoy at least once per week.  It’s really simple and the craving for tacos has almost completely gone away.  In fact, tacos used to be my “cheat meal” whenever I reached a fitness goal, but now I’m making these things up and don’t miss the corn tortillas nearly as much as I thought.

In addition to leaving out the corn tortilla, I’ve also skipped the cheese and sour cream, which you may use if you don’t have a dairy intolerance like me.

Here you go…

Lettuce Wrap Tacos

Ground beef taco meets Asian lettuce wrap. Hearts of Romaine lettuce filled with seasoned beef, pico de gallo, guacamole, and hot sauce. It's the perfect paleo replacement for tacos.

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 25 minutes mins

Servings: 4

Course: Entree

Cuisine: Mexican

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Ingredients

  

Seasoned Beef

• 1 lb ground beef
• 2 Tbsp Taco Seasoning Mix
• 1/2 Cup Water

Pico de Gallo

• 3 medium Tomatoes
• 1 medium Onion
• 1 bunch Cilantro

Guacamole

• 2 Hass Avocados
• 1/2 Lime
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Lettuce Wraps

• 1 Bunch Hearts of Romain Lettuce

Method

 

Seasoned Beef

1. Brown 1 lb ground beef and drain
2. Sprinkle on 2 tbs of Taco Seasoning Mix
3. Add in 1/2 3/4 cup of water and mix until seasoning is well blended
4. Turn to a medium high heat and bring to a low boil for less than a minute
5. Turn down to medium low and simmer until most of the water is gone (don’t dry out the meat completely).
   

Pico de Gallo

1. While the meat is simmering, dice the onion and tomato and then mix together
2. Remove as many of the cilantro stems as possible and chop.
3. Mix in with the onions and tomatoes and store in the refrigerator until ready to serve (it keeps for a couple of days).
   

Guacamole

1. Slice avocados lengthwise and scoop out the avocado into a shallow bowl
2. Mash with a fork until nearly smooth (some like it to still have chunks of avocado).
3. Season with salt and pepper to taste and squeeze 1/2 a lime into the bowl
4. Mix until well blended
   

Lettuce Prep

1. Separate and wash the hearts of romaine lettuce leaves.
2. Trim the ends with the thick stalk, just enough to clean them up.
   

Assembly

1. Place a couple of tablespoons of seasoned beef into each lettuce leaf
2. Top with a couple of teaspoons of guacamole
3. Sprinkle on the pico de gallo
4. Squeeze a bit of lime juice across the entire lettuce wrap
5. Top with your favorite hot sauce (Mine is El Yucateco)
6. Pinch closed and enjoy!