Lettuce wraps are my new favorite thing. For sandwiches, I’m not a huge fan of bread, to begin with. It always seems like the carb to real food ratio is wayyy off. I think that Subway is the number one perpetrator of this. I hardly eat there anymore because I usually can’t find my sandwich fixin’s among the huge amount of bread that is wrapped around them. The wrap is often a better option, but it doesn’t bring a lot to the table flavor-wise and at the ends there tends to be more wrap build up than I find appealing. This is where the lettuce wrap saves the day. It is completely guilt-free and lets the ingredients shine through for themselves.
That’s why I was so excited to try the Black Bean Wrap recipe from one of my favorite blogs, Rabbit Food For My Bunny Teeth. I think she does a great job of promoting healthy foods without compromising taste.
These wraps also make a great picnic food, as they are delicious cold and don’t get soggy when they sit out for a few hours. Pat and I enjoyed them on a picnic in the country one of my last weekends before I headed out of town.
Black Bean Lettuce Wraps
Adapted from Rabbit Food For My Bunny Teeth
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Stove
Ingredients
- 2 cups black beans – non-canned for healthy bonus points!
- 1/2 chopped yellow onion
- 1 Tbsp chopped garlic
- 2 Tbsp freshly chopped cilantro leaves
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 2 tsp black pepper
- Swiss chard or butter lettuce leaves washed and dried
- 1 tomato, sliced
- 1 avocado
- Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Chop the yellow onion, garlic, and cilantro. Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and stir until well mixed. Transfer the contents to a food processor and pulse until it reaches a smooth yet firm consistency. Add water 1 Tbsp until it is moist and smooth but still firm.
- Divide it into 4 patties. Place a pan over medium heat and lightly coat with olive oil or nonstick cooking spray. Place patties in the pan and cover and grill for about 4 minutes on each side. Re-oil in between flips to prevent sticking. Continue cooking and flipping until they become firm and browned but not dry.
- Place half of one patty and half of each ingredient and slices of avocado and tomato onto lettuce leaves, creating around 8 wraps total. Sprinkle with just a pinch of salt & pepper to taste.
- Wrap the leaves into tight rolls and then slice in half. I found that my leaves weren’t quite big enough for the amount of filling I wanted so I just tied them up with Baker’s twine.
- Enjoy right away or pack on ice for a picnic! Makes about 8 wraps, which for us was about 4 servings.
Note: I’ve had a few comments that the patties are mushy and don’t firm up well. If this happens to you, try cooking them on slower heat for longer. You could also try to add an egg to the mixture to act as a glue to stick everything together!
These look delicious! I cant wait to try them
Awesome! Let me know if you do!
Oh my gosh, I adore your photos! Your lettuce wraps turned out gorgeous! xo
Thank you so much for checking the post out! I was going to tell you in a comment but you beat me to it. I absolutely love your recipes; I’ve pinned so many that I want to try.
I made these tonight….How do you get your patties to stay together while flipping? Mine were so mushy, that they just collapsed into a big pile of mush. I tried cooking the next batch longer, hoping they would stay together, but they just burnt on one side, and still collapsed when I went to flip them. I took the rest of my mixture, made patties, and put them in my freezer. I am hoping that helps works. Super disappointed!
Hey Nichole – I am so glad you tried the recipe! I checked with Pat about this, as he was the one in charge of cooking them. He told me that he remembers them being a bit mushy, but he solved that problem (unbeknownst to me) by cooking them at a lower heat for longer so that they would cook evenly and dry out, without burning. They definitely weren’t firm enough to eat without being wrapped up, even after cooking.
Next time I make them I might try adding in a little egg to see if that glues them together a bit better! Let me know if you have any ideas. I updated the recipe to reflect Pat’s changes!