This Avocado Lettuce wraps with Walnut Salad Dressing is an old Mexican style recipe similar to Chiles en Nogada but vegetarian.
These lettuce wraps are so delicious and can be made in under 30 minutes. The lettuce boils for a couple of minutes to make them piable. The "Nogada" sauce is a traditional Mexican sauce made with nuts, bread, and cheese. This recipe dates back to the 1500s, around the time Spain colonized Mexico.
If you love this recipe, feel free to try my Chiles en Nogada or my Cream Cheese stuffed Poblano Peppers.
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Why you will love this recipe
Versatile: The boiled lettuce has a very neutral taste so feel free to add more than avocado in the filling.
Full of flavor: The nogada sauce is the best part of this recipe. It is a sauce made out of nuts, bread and queso fresco, and it gives the wraps such a delicious flavor.
Great for warm weather: I love eating these in the summer time.
Ingredients
You'll only need a few simple ingredients to make this. The exact measurements are listed in the recipe card below. Here's an overview of what you'll need:
- Romaine
- Avocados
- Walnuts
- Almonds
- Bread
- Queso fresco
- Garlic
See recipe card for quantities for these Avocado Lettuce Wraps with Walnut Salad Dressing.
Instructions
See video below for step by step instructions.
In a blender, add the nuts, almonds, wet bread, cheese, garlic, salt and ½ cup water. Blend and add more water if necessary, but making sure to keep the sauce thick.
Bring water to a boil. Salt the water generously. Add the lettuce until the lettuce becomes bendy. Use tongs to slowly keep pulling out the leaves and they come off easily from the stem. Add them in a strainer. It should take about 4-6 minutes.
Lay a leaf flat on a surface and add the diced avocado on it. Season with salt. Roll the lettuce into the shape of an egg roll. Repeat with the rest.
Add the lettuce wraps on a plate. Pour the “nogada” sauce over the wraps and enjoy.
Hint: Do not over-boil the lettuce. It shouldn't take too long until the leaves are pliable.
Substitutions
Romaine: I used romaine lettuce but you can use iceberg or butter lettuce as well.
Avocados: I love stuffing these in avocado for that good fat and protein. Feel free to use any other ingredients for the filling like sliced mango, edamame, or hummus.
Nuts: The combination of walnuts and almonds are perfect for this recipe. You could use cashews as well. You can buy already peeled almonds, but if you buy regular, you can boil them and peel them yourself.
Bread: You can use Kaiser bread or ciabatta bread, as long as it is stale.
Cheese: I used queso fresco but you can use ranchero cheese as well. I have seen some people use feta cheese, but remember feta is very salty. You won't need to add salt into the mix.
Variations
Cooking is a chance to be creative! Have fun with it and feel free to make your own variation.
- Spicy - add chili pepper flakes into the blender for a nice spicy kick.
- Deluxe - add other ingredients for the filling like sliced mango, edamame, or hummus.
Check out my Air Fried Jalapeño Poppers.
Equipment
Equipment can have a big impact on how a recipe turns out. Stone bakeware takes longer to heat up than metal pans, and also retain heat for longer, which could make the recipe more watery, or burnt on the outsides.
I love using my Caraway pots, pans and baking sheets for best quality.
Storage
This will be good in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
These ingredients don't stand up well to freezing.
Top tip
Add the bread little by little until you get a nice thick consistency. You may need to use more or less. If it's too thick, add water.
Avocado Lettuce wraps with Walnut Salad Dressing Recipe
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
This Avocado Lettuce wraps with Walnut Salad Dressing is an old Mexican style recipes similar to Chiles en Nogada but vegetarian.
Ingredients
- 1 head romaine lettuce
- 2 avocados, diced
- ⅔ cup walnuts
- ⅔ cup peeled almonds
- ¼ cup chopped stale kaiser bread, soaked in water
- ⅔ cup queso fresco or ranchero, crumbled
- ½ garlic clove
Instructions
- In a blender, add the nuts, almonds, wet bread, cheese, garlic, salt and ½ cup water. Blend and add more water if necessary, but making sure to keep the sauce thick.
- Bring water to a boil. Salt the water generously. Add the lettuce until the lettuce becomes bendy. Use tongs to slowly keep pulling out the leaves and they come off easily from the stem. Add them in a strainer. It should take about 4-6 minutes.
- Lay a leaf flat on a surface and add the diced avocado on it. Season with salt. Roll the lettuce into the shape of an egg roll. Repeat with the rest.
- Add the lettuce wraps on a plate. Pour the “nogada” sauce over the wraps and enjoy.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Cooking
- Cuisine: Mexican
Food safety
- Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
- Wash hands after touching raw meat
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
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