Tasty Tuesday: Taco Lettuce Cups

This week, we're featuring a recipe by Chef Alexa of KetoLuxe and Low Carb Revolution. Tasty Tuesday meets Taco Tuesday with this easy and low carb taco alternative. 

Ole! I love Tuesdays because of tacos. There are many reasons, but tacos top the list. For many years, Sam and I have indulged in variations of Taco Tuesday at our home. Sometimes, we have street tacos made with bulgogi or duck. Other times, traditional tacos made with pork al pastor or chicken tinga are on the menu. I must admit, though, that tacos Americano with cheddar and ground beef are one of my favorite comfort foods.

Before we ate keto, we often had an assortment of corn and flour tortillas (or chips for freeform ones). Now, I use lettuce cups or serve taco salad for my Taco Tuesday meals. Today, I’m serving Taco Lettuce Cups to celebrate one of my favorite meals of the week. Gluten free, sugar free, and low carb, my KetoLuxe Taco Seasoning Blend and crunchy lettuce are the secret ingredients in today’s recipe.

Serve this on your next Taco Tuesday. A quick, easy complete meal, Taco Lettuce Cups are fresh and full of flavor. I like to prep the components in advance to cut down on the time before I get to eat them. You can choose to have people assemble their own or present them in the lettuce cups. You choose your own flavor adventure. You’ll never even notice that there aren’t traditional shells.

PREP: 15 minutes

COOK: 15 minutes

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound Fleming Family Beef ground beef
• 2 tablespoons taco seasoning
• 2/3 cup beef bone broth
• 1 tablespoon spicy coconut vinegar
• 2 tablespoons avocado oil
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• 2 heads artisan romaine, separated into single leaf pieces
• 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
• 1 cup cheddar, shredded
• 1 avocado, diced and tossed in lemon
• 1 scallion, sliced
• ½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• ¼ cup jalapenos, de-seeded and chopped
• ¼ cup sour cream

DIRECTIONS

1. To a medium sauté pan, add ground beef, KetoLuxe Taco Seasoning Blend, and beef bone broth. Over medium heat, continuously stir and break up beef as it cooks. When done, it will be slightly more moist than dry-cooked meat.
2. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together coconut vinegar, avocado oil, salt, and pepper. Set aside.
3. On a platter, arrange romaine leaves to be filled with cupped side up. I like to nestle two of them together for sturdiness.
4. Spoon into cups equal portions of ground beef, tomatoes, cheddar, avocado, scallion, cilantro, jalapeno, and sour cream.
5. Drizzle cups with dressing.
6. Serve immediately and enjoy!

YIELD: 4 servings

NOTES

Sometimes, I leave the prepped ingredients in separate bowls and serve them as a build your own bar.

You can sauté the beef, chop the veggies, and make the dressing in advance to be served later. Just reheat the beef gently

Alexa Lemley is the executive chef of KetoLuxe, Artisan Foodworks Catering, and Low Carb Revolution. Over her career she's been recognized by numerous publications for the craftsmanship she shows in her confections, catering services, and innovative diet-friendly recipes.