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Lettillas: Mix-n-Match Lettuce Tacos

Recipe information

  • Yield

    4 servings

Ingredients

Beef Filling

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
1 pound ground sirloin
1 small yellow onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, finely chopped
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce (eyeball it)
2 tablespoons chili powder (a healthy, rounded palmful)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup tomato sauce

Shrimp Filling

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 jalapeño or serrano pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1 pound small shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails removed
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Zest and juice of 1 lime
A handful of chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley or 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro, your choice
1 large head of iceberg lettuce, cored, then cut into quarters
1 sack (10 ounces) shredded Cheddar cheese
4 scallions, chopped
1 cup chopped green olives with pimientos (salad olives)

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Prep all the ingredients for the fillings before you heat up the skillets at the stovetop so you can work two pans at once. Start the shrimp pan last; it takes just 5 minutes to cook. The meat filling takes double that time or more.

    Step 2

    For the beef filling, add the EVOO (once around the pan) to a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and brown the meat. Add the onions, garlic, and bell peppers and season with Worcestershire, chili powder, salt, and pepper. Cook the beef mixture for 5 minutes more, then add the tomato sauce, stir to combine, and turn off the heat.

    Step 3

    For the shrimp filling, heat a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the EVOO (twice around the pan). Add the garlic, jalapeños, then shrimp and cook, stirring constantly, until the shrimp are pink and firm, 3 to 4 minutes. Season the shrimp with salt and pepper, lime zest and juice, and chopped parsley or cilantro.

    Step 4

    Serve the fillings in bowls with the lettuce and toppings of cheese, scallions, and olives in smaller bowls all alongside. Take a piece of lettuce, place a heaping serving spoonful of filling on it, top with cheese, scallions, and olives, fold up the sides of the lettuce leaf, and eat.

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