Taco Lettuce Wraps

I made the Taco Lettuce Wraps for dinner tonight. I have just one word - genius! These were so good! I loved the crunch from the lettuce and without the tortilla or taco shell, I could truly taste the taco filling. Yum-o! I honestly feel like I could never eat another real taco again and be happy just eating these taco lettuce wraps.

I made a quick cheater's version of the original recipe since I used a taco seasoning packet, but when you're in a hurry, it's an easy - and inexpensive - way to speed things up. To make it a little healthier, I made sure to buy the low sodium taco seasoning pack and I threw in some veggies. If you want to make it from scratch, then make sure you look at the original recipe because I'm sure her version is fantastic. Even if you follow my cheater version, make sure you peep out the Pink Parsley blog because she has great recipes. Definitely one of my favorite food blogs! Plus her photographs put mine to shame :-)

I served it with the Black Bean and Corn Salad, which I ended up putting inside my taco wraps, and I thought they were great altogether!

Taco Lettuce Wraps

adapted from Pink Parsley

1 t olive oil

1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced

1 small white onion, diced

1 lb ground beef

1 pkg taco seasoning (I used the low sodium kind)

1 head of iceburg lettuce, leaves separated

Assorted toppings: shredded cheese, Black Bean & Corn Salad, avocado chunks, salsa, etc.

In a large saucepan over medium, heat oil and add bell pepper and onion. Saute until vegetables are softened. Stir in beef, gently breaking up meat with a spoon. Continue cooking until the beef is no longer pink. Add taco seasoning packet and the amount of water specified on the packet. Stir well to combine and coat the meat. Let simmer 10-15 minutes or until thickened.

Spoon taco meat into lettuce shells and serve with desired toppings.