Cheeseburger Lettuce Wraps

I will admit it—I’m a burger fiend. I adore a good hamburger. But when I’m watching my carb intake, eating sandwiches isn’t an option. I tried using portabello mushrooms as my roll, but it was just too much food , not to mention really hard to eat. Enter the lettuce wrap. I love Thai chicken lettuce wraps; I even started using lettuce leaves as the vessel for low-carb tacos. Why couldn’t I wrap a mixture of crumbled ground beef, cheese, and toppings, in butterhead lettuce leaves, too? The combination of varying ingredients are endless: cheddar and bacon with barbecue sauce drizzled on top, sautéed mushrooms and Swiss cheese, bacon and blue cheese…I could go on. The bonus is it takes almost no time to prepare, making it perfect for dinner on a busy weeknight. If you desperately need carbs on the side (my husband often does), this recipe pairs well with oven roasted fries or tater tots.

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 small yellow onion, roughly chopped

1 lb ground beef (90% lean)

2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

3/4 cup tomato, diced

1/2 cup dill pickle, roughly chopped

5 slices American Cheese (or to taste)

1 head butterhead lettuce

1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until hot and shimmering. Add onion and cook until soft, about 5 minutes.

2. Add ground beef to the skillet, breaking it up into a crumbled consistency as it cooks. Cook until the meat is no longer pink. Drain excess fat.

3. Add salt, pepper, and Worcestershire sauce to the beef and onion mixture. Stir to combine and allow to cook until liquid evaporates.

4. Lower heat to medium-low. Layer American cheese slices on top of beef mixture and cover with the skillet’s lid or a piece of foil to allow cheese to melt. Once melted, stir to incorporate into the beef mixture.

5. Stir the diced tomatoes and chopped dill pickles into the beef-onion-cheese mixture.

6. Serve family style from the skillet with butterhead lettuce leaves, allowing everyone to make their own wraps. If desired, top with special sauce.

Serves 4