Tender steak paired with a deliciously well-seasoned, soy sauce based marinade, accompanied with fajita style sautéed onions and peppers, and then wrapped in a refreshingly cool piece of butter lettuce, this lettuce wraps recipe is bursting with flavor and flare.
Make these lettuce wraps when you are in the mood for a meal that not only is loaded with zest but can me made in under 30 minutes.
Steak Fajita Lettuce Wraps elevates the category of fajitas. The flavor profile is spot on for this dish and this lettuce wraps recipe offers a meal where you get great fajitas without wasting carbs and calories on the tortilla.
What Lettuce Do You Use For Wraps?
Whether you are making Asian, steak fajita, chicken lettuce wraps, or any other lettuce wrap option, they all have one thing in common. You need to be particular about the type of lettuce you choose.
Although there are a handful of options when it comes to choosing a type of lettuce for a lettuce wrap, to have success with this type of meal you can’t use just any and everything, or you will end up with a mess.
While personal preference comes into play a little bit when choosing the type of lettuce for a lettuce wrap, you need to pick lettuce that works well with wraps ingredients.
There are a few lettuce types that are categorized as good options, opposed to some that may just in general not work well.
2 Things to Look For When Choosing The Type Of Lettuce For lettuce Wraps:
- Easy to work with for rolling up wraps
- Sturdy enough that it can hold the filing
Some types of lettuce are just simply harder to work with when trying to fill them with lettuce wrap ingredients. They may not be sturdy enough to hold the filling or they may just simply not roll up well.
What Are The Best Types Of Lettuce For Lettuce Wraps?
- Butter lettuce
- Iceberg
- Romaine
Butter, iceberg, and romaine in my opinion are the best. However my personal favorite is butter lettuce. I like its slight sweet flavor and that it rolls up more easily than others.
For this steak fajita lettuce wraps recipe I of course used butter lettuce. However, if you don’t feel like making an extra trip to the store for lettuce and Iceberg or Romaine is what you have on hand, then by all means use either of those for this recipe.
Either iceberg or romaine will work fine. Just personal preference I like butter lettuce a little bit more for steak fajita lettuce wraps.
Can You Cook Lettuce?
Yes you can cook lettuce, but for this recipe you don’t. This recipe is far more like a taco recipe, where you replace the shell or tortilla with a leaf of lettuce.
Keep in mind, that while most lettuce is served fresh, cooking lettuce can add a great dimension to a dish.
However, just like with lettuce wraps, with cooking lettuce you need to be particular in the type of lettuce you choose.
When considering cooking with lettuce, you need to choose a lettuce that can handle the heat, like romaine lettuce or endive.
Dishes To Use Cooked Lettuce In:
- Meat and Potatoes Dish (ex: Corned Beef and Cabbage, use lettuce instead)
- Salads
- Stir Fry
- Grilled lettuce as a side
Note: Although lettuce can be cooked and used in several dishes, you don’t want to use cooked lettuce for these steak fajita lettuce wraps. You want the lettuce to remain cool and crispy.
Why Lettuce Wraps Will Become A New Favorite.
I love this lettuce wraps recipe. This steak fajita lettuce wrap is not only easy to make and delicious, it is lower calorie than a steak fajita with a tortilla.
What Is Great About Lettuce Wraps:
- Lettuce wraps can be easy to make
- Lower calorie option
- A variety of ingredients pair nicely with lettuce
- Lettuce wraps can offer a low carb option
- Lettuce wraps can provide a healthier way to eat a meal
You will love these steak fajita lettuce wraps so much. Throw some cilantro, a splash of lime, and avocado on top and you have a party in your mouth with this dish.
Trust me once you try this delicious meal you will be thinking of what else you can make as a lettuce wrap. Don’t worry I’ve already got you covered.
Love the idea of lettuce wraps? Here are some more lettuce wraps recipe favorites.
- Lemon Chicken Lettuce Wraps
- Thai Peanut Lettuce Wraps
- Chicken Taco Lettuce Wraps
- Turkey Lettuce Wraps
- PF Chang’s Copy Cat Lettuce Wraps
- Mango Shrimp Lettuce Wraps
Lettuce wraps are a favorite and there are so many options to try. Make these steak fajita lettuce wraps and these other great lettuce wrap recipes and see for yourself what I have been raving about.
Steak Fajita Lettuce Wraps
Ingredients
- 1 lb steak flank, skirt, sirloin
Marinade:
- 2 Tbs soy sauce
- 1 Tbs dijon mustard
- ¼ cup lime juice
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro chopped
- 1 teaspoons cumin
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper or to taste
For the lettuce wraps:
- 4 bell peppers yellow, orange and green( medium size, seeded and thinly sliced I used red)
- 1 red onion thinly sliced, medium size
- 1-2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 head butter lettuce leaves washed and dried
Garnish
- 1 avocado sliced
- 1 lime wedged
- Fresh cilantro
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients for the marinade in a large bowl. Reserve 2 Tbs for the bell peppers. And set 1Tbs aside for seasoning the lettuce wraps after cooking.
- Pour remainder of the marinade into a large zip-top bag, add the steak, and refrigerate while preparing the rest of the food.
- Slice the the onions and bell peppers.
- In a medium sized skillet, over medium high heat, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and add the onions and allow to cook for 5 minutes, or until softened and fragrant.
- Add the bell peppers and the reserved 2 Tbs of the marinade mixture.
- Cook for about 3-5 minutes for tender but firm peppers, or 6-8 minutes for soft peppers. Then remove from pan and set aside.
- In the skillet the peppers were cooked in, melt butter and sear the steak 3 minutes on each side.
- Remove steak from heat, and slice into thin slices. If desired doneness is not reached, cook longer. Return strips of steak to the skillet, and add the reserved steak marinade to the skillet, cook until just heated, about 1 minute.
- Assemble lettuce wraps by placing a spoonful of vegetable filling into the center of each leaf, add strips of steak then top with avocado, a squeeze of lime, and fresh cilantro. Or your favorite toppings.
Nutrition
Our recipe card software calculates these nutrition facts based on averages for the above ingredients, different brands, and quality of produce/meats may have different nutritional information, always calculate your own based on the specific products you use in order to achieve accurate macros for this recipe.
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