Lettuce Wrap Burgers
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An Easy Lettuce Wrap Burger Recipe everyone will love! You won’t even miss the bun with these low carb lettuce wrapped burgers! This post is sponsored by my friends at ButcherBox.
If you’re looking for a quick and healthy dinner that’s satisfying but won’t leave you feeling stuffed- these lettuce wrap burgers are for you!
We love lettuce wrap burgers for a quick weeknight meal because they’re flavorful, lower in carbs, and SO easy to make.
As the weather warms up, we’ve been firing up the grill more often, but these burgers are just as tasty when cooked in a skillet on the stove!
The combo of juicy ground beef, melty cheese, and a healthier “special sauce” is SO delicious. Whether you’re eating low carb, gluten free, or just want to save room for extra fries, these are a fresh, lighter twist on the classic burger.
Tyler’s tips for the best burgers
- Make the burgers a little smaller than average: This will make them easier to wrap in lettuce, and they’ll cook up faster, too!
- Use a meat thermometer: We love this instant-read thermometer for checking the internal temperature to make sure our burgers are cooked thoroughly! Burgers should be heated until 165° internal temperature.
Ingredients
A meat thermometer will also be helpful to have!
SUBSTITUTIONS
Ground Beef: ButcherBox ground beef (it’s our favorite for burgers because of the fat content!). We like 85/15 ground beef. Feel free to use leaner ground beef depending on what you like. I haven’t tried making this with ground turkey or ground chicken, but I think it would work.
Spices: Feel free to add more or less of the spices.
Lettuce: We like Bibb lettuce (butter lettuce) or Boston lettuce for lettuce wraps because it’s flexible and comes in different sizes! Iceberg lettuce will also work for lettuce wraps, but I find it breaks easily because it’s a little firmer. Romaine will also work, but it’s long and skinny, so it’s not the best for wrapping burgers.
Tomatoes/Onions: We like sliced on-the-vine tomatoes. You can skip the tomatoes or onions if you don’t like them!
Cheddar Cheese: I think cheddar cheese is best on a burger, but you could also use Monterey Jack!
We used our favorite ButcherBox Ground Beef in this recipe. We enjoy their ground beef multiple times a week in healthier dishes like this Taco Pasta, Taco Salad, and this delish Lasagna Soup!
ButcherBox is awesome because they deliver super high quality meat right to your door. It arrives completely frozen, so you can just defrost & cook as needed!
Their ground beef is 100% grass fed and grass finished. It’s an 85/15 blend, which is perfect for burgers, soups, stews, and everything in between!
Check out: Is Butcher Box Worth it
How to Make Lettuce Wrap Burgers
- Combine ground beef, pepper, salt and garlic powder. Divide into 8 even portions and form into even patties. Cook burgers over medium heat for 4-5 minutes on each side.
- About 1 minute before they’re finished cooking, add cheese and cover until melted.
- Mix your sauce & assemble burgers with your favorite toppings on top of the lettuce (we love these caramelized onions).
How to Serve Bunless Burgers
These burgers are delicious on their own, but even better when paired with:
If you decide you do want a bun, these Paleo Hamburger Buns are a great option!
Best Lettuce for Burger Wraps
The best lettuce for burger wraps is:
- Bibb or Boston lettuce
- Romaine lettuce (harder to wrap because it has a firm rib in the center)
- Iceberg lettuce (harder to wrap because it’s thicker and not as flexible)
We like to use bibb/Boston lettuce because it’s softer and easier to wrap around a burger!
How to Store/ Reheat Burgers with No Buns
Storing: Cooked burgers will last in the refrigerator for up to 3 days in an airtight container.
Freezing: You can freeze burgers for up to 3 months. You can make the patties and freeze them raw before cooking, or you can freeze them after cooking. Regardless of whether you are freezing raw or cooked, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and put in a freezer ziploc bag. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before enjoying, and cook per directions or reheat if already cooked
Reheating: You can reheat this recipe in the microwave, toaster oven, oven, or on the stove. For best results, reheat in a pan on the stove.
Other healthy ground beef recipes:
We love using ground beef in quick week night dinners! Here are some of our favorite Healthy Ground Beef Recipes. Click here to grab our free healthy 30 minute dinners cookbook.
Don’t forget- right now when you try ButcherBox you can get free ground beef for a year + $10 off.
Lettuce Wrap Burger Recipe
Ingredients
Burgers:
- 1 lb ButcherBox ground beef
- ½ teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 lb lettuce we like bibb lettuce but you can also use iceberg
- 1 cup sliced tomatoes
- ½ cup sliced cheddar cheese
- ¼ cup red onion optional
Sauce:
- ¼ cup plain greek yogurt nonfat or full fat
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
- 1 tablespoon chopped pickle
- ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
- ⅛ teaspoon paprika
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl combine the ground beef, pepper, salt and garlic powder. Mix to combine. Be sure not to over mix!
- Divide mixture into 8 even portions (about 2 oz each). Using slightly wet hands, form into even patties. (You can also use these burger patty makers)
- Preheat your grill or heat a heavy cast iron pan over medium heat and cook burgers for 4-5 minutes. Flip, then cook for an additional 5 minutes. You’ll know they are cooked through when they are golden brown and a meat thermometer reads 165℉ when inserted into the center.
- About 1 minute before they’re finished cooking, add cheese and cover the grill, or place another pan on top to create a dome like structure so the cheese melts from the steam of the pan.
- Remove burgers from the and let rest for 4-5 minutes before enjoying.
- Mix together your sauce & assemble burgers with your favorite toppings on top of the lettuce.
