How to make the perfect lettuce wrap that will hold together and won’t fall apart when you eat it! Fill your wrap up with all of your favorite fillings, and have yourself a quick no cook meal!
Alright ya’ll, I’ve dubbed myself the master of lettuce wraps even though I’ve been doing this method for a couple weeks. I’ve been avoiding lettuce wraps because the thought of my wrap falling apart already makes me irrationally angry.
Anyone else get upset when you bite into a sandwich/wrap/burrito and it falls apart? It literally ruins the experience for me. So I’ve always stayed clear of lettuce wraps on this gluten-free journey of mine.
That all changed a couple weeks ago. I started watching a few tutorials, and decided to find a technique that kept the lettuce wrap tight and in place when you eat it. The key is to use green or red leaf lettuce (or any leafy greens with a large surface area) and aluminum foil. You can use parchment paper, but you run the risk of not being able to tightly roll your wrap, and your wrap falling apart when you eat it.
Trust me, I’ve been there. Unless you like a mixture of mayo and mustard dripping onto your lap, I recommend using aluminum foil. Plus, I noticed at deli shops, they use aluminum foil to wrap their sandwiches with parchment paper on the outside. So obviously, if the professionals are doing it, I’m going to follow suit!
I won’t share a specific recipe with you. I’ll just share the steps to get this beautiful wrap because you can literally fill it up with whatever you want! How to make the perfect lettuce wrap is up to you. I’ve been on a turkey and roast beef kick, but I’ve filled my wrap with chicken salad, tuna salad, and recently I made a tropical lettuce wrap with my Coconut Cashew Chicken Tenders. My next wrap is going to be an Italian sub inspired lettuce wrap. I’m talking all of the good Italian meats with all of the fixings.
Also, great thing about this lettuce wrap? It can fit any diet: Whole30, Paleo, Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Vegan and etc. You make it to your liking! Below is my how to video, and below that are the written steps plus my suggestion on what to do if you want to make this ahead of time! Happy Lettuce Wrapping!
What you’ll need:
- Green or red leaf lettuce (The leafier the better. I find romaine and butter lettuce harder to wrap.)
- Aluminum foil and/or parchment paper
- Deli meats and/or protein (i.e. turkey, roast beef, chicken, tuna)
- Condiments (i.e. mayo, mustard, hummus, ranch dressing)
- Toppings (i.e. pickles, tomatoes, onions, bell peppers)
How to make the perfect lettuce wrap:
- Line your surface with aluminum foil long enough to cover lettuce leaves. Leave about 2 inches on each end depending on size of your lettuce leaf.
- Lay 4-6 green leaf lettuce on the center of aluminum foil near the edge closest to you. Make sure to overlap the leaves so your filling doesn’t fall out! The amount of lettuce leaf you use depends on the size of lettuce leaf and amount of filling you’re putting into your wrap.
- Starting by layering your toppings first (i.e. tomatoes, avocado, pickles and etc). Layer close to the edge near you leaving about a centimeter of space. This will help later with the rolling.
- Then add your deli meats/protein on top of of your toppings last. This layering process is necessary because the deli meats will keep the toppings in place when you go to roll your lettuce wrap.
- Take a smaller piece of lettuce leaf and spread your condiments on top of it. If you’re using lots of condiments you can also spread it on top of your deli meats, but you want something on the smaller piece of lettuce.
- Place that smaller piece of lettuce on top of your deli meats. Again, this will keep everything in place and the condiments act like the “glue.” Nothing will be moving!
- Start rolling the lettuce wrap like sushi. Make sure to tuck and keep everything tight. Pull the the foil away as you keep rolling.
- When you get to the end, flip the roll over, adjust the foil, and then roll tightly towards you.
- Fold in the ends either before you roll towards you if you’re using parchment paper or at the end if you’re using aluminum foil.
- Cut in half if you’re going to eat it right away, pull back foil as you eat, and enjoy! If you want to make this for later, I suggest making it the morning of and then cutting it half when ready to eat. I don’t suggest making this a day in advance because you run the risk of the lettuce wrap getting soggy.
Pin this for later!
