These are actually more of a “Mexican Lettuce Wrap” than a Taquito, but it has many of the same ingredients as my homemade Taquito recipe, so it has the same vibe.
Lettuce wraps can be a perfect healthy fast food! You can use fajita meat, sliced chicken breasts, grilled shrimp or fish, carnitas, sausage and eggs or even leftover tuna or chicken salad! Then you can dip them in all sorts of yummy dips.
Normally, a taquito is made with corn tortillas, stuffed with spicy meat, and wrapped into a tight “flute” shape (a flauta, which means “flute,” is similar, but it’s made with a flour tortilla instead) before it’s deep fried.
Call it what you want! But this super-easy Mexican version below is low-carb and, again, uses lettuce instead of a tortilla to hold all that yummy protein and spicy goodness!!
Maybe I should have named these “Lettuce Tacos” instead, but that would have sounded boring, and it’s my page. So there! Ha Ha.
Spicy Beef Tomatillo Lettuce Wraps
Ingredients
- 2 lb. Grass-fed Beef Stew Meat
- 1 C. Beef Bone Broth
- 1 T. Avocado Oil
- 1-2 tsp. Chili Powder
- 1 tsp. Mexican Oregano
- 2 T. Cumin
- 2 tps. Garlic Powder
- Salt & Pepper
- 1-2 diced Jalapenos (optional)
- Lettuce Cups
- Verdes Sauce (scroll down for recipe)
- Toppings: salsa, chopped cilantro, diced onion, guacamole, pico de guillo, pineapple, chopped avocado, and verdes sauce. (If you’re not dairy-free, you can also use shredded cheese and sour cream
Instructions
- Brown stew meat with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Can also use fresh chopped garlic. Add seasonings and broth.
- Bring to a boil and lower heat to a simmer uncovered for 2 hours until meat is tender. (Or, for a fast and easy dinner, use the meat setting on your InstantPot – you can still easily saute’ it first and cook it all in one pot – just faster). If it’s still not “shredable” let it go a second round in the InstantPot. Remove the beef, shred it, and set aside the pan juices. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
- Serve meat in lettuce cups topped with salsa, chopped cilantro, onion, pico de guillo, or fresh pineapple/mango salsa. It’s also wonderful dipped in the Verdes Sauce below. Optional: Add reserved broth to Verdes Sauce and serve warm.
Verdes Sauce for Dipping:
- 1 white Onion, diced
- 1 head of Garlic, chopped
- 3/4 lb. Tomatillos, husked and quartered
- 2-3 Diced Jalapenos
- 2 T. Ground Cumin
- 2-3 tsp. Sea Salt
- 2-3 tsp. Black Pepper to taste
- 1 tsp. Oregano
- 3 T. Freshly Squeezed Lime Juice
- 1 Bunch of Cilantro
Simmer all ingredients except cilantro. Use food processor or emulsifiying blend on mixture until smooth. Cool and throw in chopped cilantro. Emulsify again.
