Healthy Lettuce Recipes

Find healthy, delicious lettuce recipes including lettuce cups and lettuce wraps. Healthier recipes, from the food and nutrition experts at EatingWell.

Staff Picks

White Bean & Veggie Salad

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This meatless main-dish salad combines creamy, satisfying white beans and avocado. Try mixing it up with different seasonal vegetables.
By Katie Webster

Green Goddess Salad with Chickpeas

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In this cucumber, tomato, Swiss cheese and chickpea salad recipe, a healthy green goddess dressing is made from avocado, buttermilk and herbs. The extra dressing is delicious served with grilled vegetables.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Vegetarian Chopped Power Salad with Creamy Cilantro Dressing

Cilantro adds color and flavor when blended to make a creamy dressing. Serve this healthy salad for lunch or dinner.
By Carolyn Casner

Grinder Salad Sandwich

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Inspired by the viral TikTok trend, we put our own spin on the grinder salad sandwich. We stick to one deli meat, in this case turkey, to cut back on sodium. For the salad topping, additions like bell pepper, red onion and tomato add color and crunch while also amping up the veggies. Whether you call it a grinder, hoagie or sub, you'll want to make this sandwich again and again.
By Karen Rankin

No-Cook Black Bean Salad

9
A classic black bean salad is a must for picnics and potlucks. This vegan version gets its creaminess from blended avocado. Any mix of salad greens will work well, but try arugula if you want to give this hearty salad a peppery kick.
By Hilary Meyer

Tomato, Cucumber & White-Bean Salad with Basil Vinaigrette

4
This no-cook bean salad is a delicious way to use summer's best cherry or grape tomatoes and juicy cucumbers for a light dinner or lunch. Fresh basil elevates an easy vinaigrette recipe that dresses up this simple salad into something extraordinary.
By Carolyn Casner

Chopped Power Salad with Chicken

Enjoy this filling and colorful salad for lunch or dinner. The dressing gets made in the same bowl that the salad is tossed in, so the greens absorb every bit of flavor.
By Carolyn Casner

Big Beautiful Summer Salad

1
This gorgeous and healthy summer vegetable salad is loaded with pretty produce, including golden beets, avocado, corn, microgreens and radishes. Chickpeas and edamame add substance, and an herb-filled buttermilk-avocado dressing makes this salad really special. Serve it on its own for a light vegetarian meal or add grilled chicken for an easy weeknight dinner.
By Liz Mervosh

Meal-Prep Vegan Lettuce Wraps

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For these meal-prep-friendly lettuce wraps, we swap the traditional warm filling for a cold plant-based bean salad filling loaded with fresh herbs and lemon. Topping each lettuce leaf with a little quinoa before adding the filling helps to keep the lettuce from getting soggy.
By Carolyn A Hodges, RD

Avocado Tuna Salad

Jazz up a can of tuna with this easy avocado tuna salad recipe. Silky avocado adds creaminess that's cut with a hit of acidity from lemon and a briny punch from feta cheese. Romaine hearts and cucumber offer refreshing crunch.
By Karen Rankin

Blueberry-Peach Salad with Sesame-Ginger Balsamic Vinaigrette

In this installment of Diaspora Dining, Jessica B. Harris' series on foods of the African diaspora, fresh summer fruit stars in a salad that's perfect for serving at your Juneteenth barbecue. 
By Jessica B. Harris

Chickpea, Artichoke & Avocado Salad with Apple-Cider Dressing

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This delicious 400-calorie salad is a helpful tool for weight loss because it provides a good balance of fiber, protein and healthy fats from loads of veggies and beans, all tossed in a tangy apple-cider vinaigrette. To meal-prep these for lunch throughout the week, pack the dressing and the salad separately and make sure your veggies are thoroughly dried before packing them together.
By Hilary Meyer
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Inspiration and Ideas

Fresh & Healthy Iceberg Lettuce Recipes
From classic wedge salad to lettuce wraps and more, iceberg lettuce is having a moment. Granted, this type of lettuce doesn't pack as much of a nutritional punch as its darker green counterparts, but it's still a low-calorie, delicious way to eat more vegetables. Plus, it's a great option for kids and picky eaters because of its mild taste and fresh crunch. Next taco night, try it in place of tortillas, and you'll question why this versatile vegetable ever went out of style.
Chopped Cobb Salad with Creamy Garlic Dressing
In place of bacon, this satisfying salad uses store-bought crispy chickpeas for lower saturated fat and less prep time. Using fresh herbs, bright citrus and a creamy base of yogurt and mayonnaise for the dressing gives it a flavorful finish.
Egg Salad Lettuce Wraps
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Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad
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Quinoa Chickpea Salad with Roasted Red Pepper Hummus Dressing

This hearty vegan salad is loaded with plant-based power ingredients: chickpeas, quinoa and hummus. We love the crunch of the sunflower seeds and the unexpected flavor of roasted peppers.

All Healthy Lettuce Recipes

Chicken & Cucumber Lettuce Wraps with Peanut Sauce

4
We love the crunch from sliced cucumber and jicama in these savory chicken lettuce wraps. Serve with the simple peanut sauce for an easy dinner recipe that will impress kids and adults alike.
By Lauren Grant

Chopped Cobb Salad with Chicken

This healthy chopped salad is a great way to use up leftover cooked chicken. You can reserve the remaining hard-boiled egg half for a snack.
By Rachel Meltzer Warren, M.S., RDN

Beefless Vegan Tacos

4
Take taco night in a new direction with these healthy vegan tacos. We've swapped crumbled tofu for the ground beef, without sacrificing any of the savory seasonings you expect in a taco. You can also use the filling in burritos, bowls, taco salads and to top nachos.
By Breana Lai Killeen, M.P.H., RD

Vegetarian Lettuce Wraps

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Stuff crisp lettuce leaves with a savory filling inspired by PF Chang's famous lettuce wraps. These low-carb wraps made with tofu, mushrooms and daikon radish are an easy vegetarian dinner. Add julienned carrots to the wraps for a bonus crunch. 

Grilled Blackened Shrimp Tacos

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Give juicy shrimp tacos a Cajun flavor spin with spices and a quick sear on a hot grill. An easy avocado mash adds creaminess to cool off the spicy kick.
By Carolyn Casner

Falafel Tabbouleh Bowls with Tzatziki

Meal-prepping a week's worth of lunches doesn't need to take hours in the kitchen. These Greek-inspired meal-prep bowls can be prepared in just 10 minutes and only require 4 ingredients--greens, falafel, tabbouleh and tzatziki. We love going to our local specialty grocery store for fast shortcut ingredients like these. The high-fiber falafel and tabbouleh will help to keep you feeling satisfied all afternoon.
By Carolyn A Hodges, RD

Egg Salad English-Muffin Sandwich

When you boil eggs ahead of time, it's easy to create a lickety-split and delightful lunchtime egg salad. And using the flavorful leafy carrot tops in it is like getting herbs for free.
By Jackie Newgent, RDN, CDCES

Tuna Salad Sandwich with Sweet Relish

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This sweet twist on a classic tuna-salad sandwich is a healthy high-protein lunch that even your kids will love.
By Carolyn Casner

Blackened Chicken with Chopped Salad

In this spin, we coat this blackened chicken with spices common to Cajun cooking, like dried thyme and cayenne pepper. Then, instead of using the traditional method of searing in a cast-iron pan, we take advantage of the warmer weather by grilling outside.
By Hilary Meyer

Meal-Prep Turkey Cobb Salad

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Cubed deli turkey takes the place of chicken, while Cheddar replaces blue cheese in this easy Cobb-inspired salad. The protein-rich turkey and cheese, plus eggs and bacon, gives the salad staying power, so you won't get hungry an hour after you eat. Feel free to swap out the turkey for cooked chicken or chickpeas to mix things up. Serve the salad right away or pack it up in individual containers and you'll be set for lunch for days.
By Carolyn Casner

Chickpea & Roasted Red Pepper Lettuce Wraps with Tahini Dressing

1
A tangy, nutty tahini dressing brings together no-cook ingredients like canned chickpeas and roasted red peppers for these easy meal-prep lettuce wraps. Make these wraps ahead of time for a grab-and-go lunch or dinner. A few wedges of warm pita finish off the meal perfectly.

Chopped Cobb Salad

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This single-serving recipe for Cobb salad swaps chicken in for bacon, which makes it a great source of protein for lunch. If you prefer another salad dressing, feel free to use that instead of our honey-mustard vinaigrette.
By Katie Webster

Green Salad with Pita Bread & Hummus

3
Elevate hummus and pita by piling your plate high with cucumbers, carrots and mixed greens! Just a drizzle of balsamic vinegar and extra-virgin olive oil is all it takes to dress it up.
By Katie Webster

Vegetarian Niçoise Salad

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This vegetarian take on a traditional Niçoise salad omits the fish and piles on plenty of vegetables.
By Lauren Lastowka

Spring Roll Salad

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All the tastes, color and fun of a spring roll without all the work! This healthy salad recipe is bursting with the colors of rainbow from generous amounts of fresh vegetables, shrimp and whole grains all topped with a peanut dressing for the ultimate satisfying salad.
By Devon O'Brien

Turkey & Cheddar Lettuce Wraps

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Crispy green lettuce leaves hold the filling inside this low-carb turkey wrap. It's perfect for lunch or a quick, easy dinner on the go.
By Carolyn Casner

Taco-Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

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Take taco night to a new level with sweet potato taco "shells." Tender sweet potatoes pair perfectly with spicy taco meat, creamy cheese and crisp lettuce. Let everyone customize their taco potato with their favorite toppings.
By Carolyn Casner

Caesar Salad with Grilled Steak

Traditional Caesar salad dressing uses egg yolk to make it creamy. Here we use mayo instead for the same rich results without the raw egg.
By Carolyn Casner

Roasted Veggie & Quinoa Salad

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Quick, simple and packed with satisfying protein and fiber, this salad makes a perfect lunch or easy one-dish dinner.
By Victoria Seaver, M.S., R.D.

Salmon Caesar Salad

This easy Caesar salad subs creamy Greek yogurt and buttermilk for the traditional egg yolks and olive oil and mixes in mildly bitter radicchio in addition to classic romaine. Using just a small amount of flavorful Parmigiano-Reggiano shaves calories and sodium too.
By Liz Mervosh

Roasted Chicken & Winter Squash over Mixed Greens

5
This hearty salad comes together with little effort, since the squash and chicken can roast together on the same sheet pan. Prep the dressing and the salad greens while the chicken is roasting.
By Andrea Kirkland M.S., RD

Mediterranean Veggie Wrap with Cilantro Hummus

These healthy multi-grain wraps are filled with mixed greens, chopped cucumber, tomato and red onion, as well as feta cheese and a homemade cilantro hummus. As a time saver, the hummus can be prepared up to 3 days ahead, and chilled until you're ready to make the wraps.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Spring Veggie Wraps

A tangy tahini-ginger-soy mixture both marinates the tofu and serves as a sauce for this colorful veggie wrap recipe. Look for spinach tortillas for an additional pop of green.
By Sara Haas, R.D.N., L.D.N.

Italian Chopped Salad

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This simple chopped salad, inspired by the type of salad you might find at an Italian-American restaurant, has lots of texture and flavor, thanks to creamy cheese, briny olives and crisp fresh cucumber. The radicchio adds the classic red color as well as a slight bitterness that's balanced by the sweet sun-dried tomatoes.
By Julia Levy
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