If you’re looking to create healthier meals, lettuce wraps are a tasty and healthy alternative to traditional flour tortillas. You can fill these lettuce leaf wraps with almost anything; they work for lunch, dinner, and even a quick protein-filled snack if you feel rushed.
Here are some great options to help spice up your lettuce wraps and make your meal more filling.
Sesame Noodles
Sesame noodles can make a great addition to the filling of your lettuce wraps or a tasty side. The soy sauce and rice vinegar bring some bold flavors to the table, and the hot chili oil delivers a nice little spicy kick. You should use thin noodles for this dish, such as chow mein noodles. However, if you cannot find any in your local grocery store, simple spaghetti can work too!
Don’t forget to top your sesame noodles with green onions! Not only do they add the perfect onion essence to your noodles, but green onions are healthy for you too! Green onions are full of fiber, can prevent infections, and aid in inflammation reduction due to antioxidants!
Pad Thai
Pad Thai is another flavorful noodle dish to serve with your lettuce wraps, and it’s chock full of tasty and healthy vegetables! If you want more protein in this dish, add chicken, beef, shrimp, or tofu.
This dish provides bold Thai flavors and plenty of different textures to satisfy everyone at the dinner table. Crunchy peanuts, tender noodles, and vegetables are all mixed into a tasty stir fry. The Pad Thai sauce offers a sweet and savory blend with fish sauce, brown sugar, tamarind, sriracha, and lime juice.
As a reminder, you might want to start cooking the Pad Thai a little earlier than your other dishes, as it can take up to 45 minutes to cook.
Crispy Rice Noodles
Crispy rice noodles add the perfect crunch to your lettuce wrap! These noodles are technically just vermicelli rice noodles fried in some oil. You can find them in grocery stores or easily make them at home with rice noodles, oil, and salt.
To make them, you’ll need to fry the noodles in canola oil, put them on paper towels to drain the excess oil, and sprinkle some salt on them. Always ensure your oil is 375 degrees, or the noodles will not puff up correctly.
Sesame Tofu
Tofu is one of the best substitutes for meat if you’re vegan or vegetarian, as one serving provides 17 grams of protein. Sesame tofu adds a tasty Asian cuisine flair to your lettuce wraps with soy sauce, rice vinegar, and sesame oil. Frying the tofu gives it a nice crunchy outside and soft inside, mimicking meat.
You can put this inside your lettuce wrap or simply eat it on its own. This dish is bursting with flavor and is sure to please everyone.
Shrimp Tempura
Shrimp tempura is another way to add crunchiness to your lettuce wrap meal. You can use this to fill your lettuce wraps or eat it as a side. Making shrimp tempura is easy, as all you need to do is dip shrimp in tempura batter and fry them. Shrimp tempura batters are simple and include flour, cornstarch, eggs, salt, and water.
Shrimp tempura serves as a satisfying protein source while still staying light on the stomach. Making a batch of shrimp tempura usually takes about 15 minutes, and you can serve it immediately.
Kung Pao Chicken
Kung Pao chicken is a delicious protein-filled stir-fry dish that only takes about 25 minutes to make. With Kung Pao chicken, you’ll get sweet and spicy entangled into one dish! You can serve it as a side dish or put it in your lettuce wrap to make the perfect meal. If you want to add more carbs to this dish, you can serve the chicken over noodles or rice.
Roasted and Marinated Red Peppers
Roasted and marinated red peppers add the perfect tang to almost any dish. The smokiness and vinegar go nicely with the sweetness of the peppers. Red bell peppers also offer 159 percent of your daily vitamin C intake and 47 percent of your daily intake of vitamin A.
You can add these as a topping for your lettuce wraps for a bit of a vinegar taste, or just eat them on the side. Find these peppers in your local grocery store, or make them at home with a few simple ingredients.
While many roasted and marinated red pepper recipes vary, you’ll usually find that most recipes use vinegar, olive oil, and herbs for the marinade. Allowing the peppers to marinate for as long as possible is also key to their flavor.
Pico de Gallo
If you’re going for a fresh-tasting flavor for your lettuce wraps, using pico de gallo is a good choice because it’s made of all fresh, raw ingredients! Pico de gallo is a common ingredient in Mexican recipes, but you can use it on anything you want, such as lettuce wraps.
Pico de gallo is very easy to make and typically has a base of:
- Tomatoes
- Onions
- Cilantro
- Lime juice
It can take as little as ten minutes to make. Top your lettuce wraps with this fresh salsa, or serve it on the side with chips as a tasty side dish.
Pickled and Shredded Carrots and Radishes
Pickled vegetables can bring a tasty zip of acidity to your lettuce wraps. They serve as the perfect garnish and offer a tangy flavor to your fillings. The best part is that pickling is an easy process that you can do at home.
To make pickled carrots and radishes, shred the vegetables and soak them in a brine of water, vinegar, sugar, and salt. You’ll just need to allow the carrots and radishes to soak in the brine for a while to get a bold flavor.
Sauteed Vegetables
Sauteed vegetables work great as a side for any dish. A mix of vegetables that go well together include:
- Broccoli
- Mushrooms
- Bell peppers
- Zucchini and summer squash
Sauteing vegetables is also an easy process and takes about 20 minutes. Serve them as a healthier alternative to rice or pasta. Seasoning depends on what else you’re serving with or inside your lettuce wraps.
If you’re going for Asian cuisine, adding a little soy sauce to the vegetables will taste great. Salt, pepper, and garlic are good starting spices if you aren’t sure what you want.
Potstickers
Potstickers could be the perfect addition if you’re looking for a more filling dish to serve with your lettuce wraps. Potstickers come in various fillings ranging from vegetables-only to chicken, pork, or shrimp. Most have Asian-influenced spices and flavors. Whichever filling you choose will taste amazing and offer plenty of bold flavors to satisfy your tastebuds.
You can buy potstickers at your local grocery store, or you could get fancy and make some of your own. Generally, homemade potstickers take almost an hour to prep and make, so plan accordingly.
Cauliflower Fried Rice
Cauliflower fried rice is a perfectly delicious alternative to fried rice if you’re looking for something with fewer carbs or generally want something lighter. The spices and sauces hide the cauliflower taste, so if you make it correctly, you’ll barely notice it’s cauliflower!
You’ll typically make it the same way you would make regular fried rice, except you’d replace the rice with riced cauliflower. A cauliflower fried rice typically has a base of riced cauliflower, mixed vegetables, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, and scrambled eggs. If you want more protein, you may add chicken, beef, shrimp, or tofu!
Conclusion
Sometimes lettuce wraps aren’t that filling due to the absence of carbs. So, to make the meal more fulfilling, you’ll need tasty sides and toppings for your lettuce wraps. To jazz up your lettuce wraps, there are plenty of foods to serve with them, ranging from vegetable-based sides to protein-packed meat dishes. Use this list to brainstorm some delicious ideas.