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Week of 8/11/25

Smashburger Taco Lettuce Wraps
with baby carrots / Thousand Island dressing

Active: 30 Total: 270
Original GF Paleo Vegetarian
Smashburger Taco Lettuce Wraps

This meal, inspired by a viral internet trend, is a delicious mash-up of burgers and tacos folded up into crisp lettuce wraps. The patties cook in just under five minutes, so you can get your burger fix fast. Be sure to have your toppings and sides ready before you start!

Tags
Dependent Meal Pairs
Proteins
Ground meat
Cuisines
American
Save recipe
30

Ingredients

Metric
Servings:
4
Cashew Cream:
  • Cashews, raw - 1 cup
  • Water - 1/2 cup
  • Garlic - 1 clove , peeled
  • Oil, olive - 2 Tbsp
  • Lemon juice - 2 Tbsp
  • Salt - 1/2 tsp
Smashburger Taco Lettuce Wraps:
  • Onions, medium and red - 1/2 , diced
  • Pickles, any type - 1/4 cup , sliced or chopped
  • Beef, ground - 1 lb
  • Salt - 3/4 tsp
  • Black pepper - 1/2 tsp
  • Lettuce, romaine - 8 leaves (sub leaf or butter lettuce)
  • Tomatoes, medium - 1 , chopped
  • Oil, cooking - 1 Tbsp
  • Baby carrots - 8 oz
Thousand Island Dressing:
  • Pickles, dill - 2 tsp , minced
  • Cashew cream (ingredients listed separately) - 1/2 cup
  • Tomato paste - 1 Tbsp
  • Honey - 1/2 tsp
  • Lemon juice - 1/2 tsp
  • Paprika - 1/4 tsp

Prep

  1. Soak cashews - Place cashews in a bowl and cover with water. Soak for 4-6 hours, drain well, then proceed with cashew cream. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)

  2. Make cashew cream - (This makes enough for 2 nights.) Place all ingredients for cashew cream in a blender and puree until smooth and creamy. Thin with a bit more water or olive oil if mixture is too thick to blend easily. Taste and season with some additional salt, if desired. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)

  3. Onions / Pickles (both portions) - Prep as directed and store separately. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)

  4. Make dressing - Combine pickles (portion for dressing), cashew cream (portion for dressing only; reserve the remainder for Thursday's meal), tomato paste, honey, lemon juice (portion for dressing), and paprika and stir until well-mixed. Season with some salt and pepper. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)

  5. Make burger patties - Mix ground beef with salt (portion for tacos) and pepper until just combined. Roll into balls, about 2 ounces each (2 per serving). Place meatballs in the refrigerator while you continue with prep. (Can be done 1 day ahead)

  6. Lettuce / Tomatoes - Prep as directed.

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Make

  1. Heat a large nonstick skillet or griddle over medium heat and brush with cooking oil.

  2. Set out onions, pickles, lettuce, tomatoes, dressing, and baby carrots while the pan heats. If dressing was made ahead of time, give it a stir.

  3. Once the pan is hot, add meatballs to the pan (you may need to cook just one or two at a time, depending on the size of your pan). Press each meatball firmly with a sturdy spatula or burger press until they form very thin patties.

  4. Sear patties on one side for ~2 minutes, then flip them over and cook on the second side for another 2 minutes. Set aside on a plate and cover to keep warm. Repeat until all burgers are cooked. 

  5. Fold burger patties into lettuce leaves and fill with onions, pickles (portion for wraps), tomatoes and a drizzle of dressing.

  6. Serve wraps with baby carrots on the side, along with remaining dressing for dipping. Enjoy!

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