I’ve always been fascinated with Greece—the whitewashed buildings, the deep blue water, the history, and the bright, briny Mediterranean flavors.
My college degree had a travel and tourism emphasis, and for one of my class projects, I planned a weeklong, painfully detailed (yet, budget-less) dream trip to Greece. In truth, if I were to go to Greece, I think I would spend most of the time eating or sitting on the beach. That wouldn’t have flown with my professor, so I added some cultural and outdoor destinations to my itinerary. While I’m saving up for my dream trip, I can make Greek-inspired food at home, starting with these lettuce wraps.
Prep time 40 minutes, plus overnight marinating
Serves 6
For the lettuce wraps:
3- to 4-pound (1.4 to 1.8 kg) beef roast (bone-in or boneless)
11/2 teaspoons (10 ml) sea salt
1/2 teaspoon (10 ml) black pepper
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon (15 ml) dried oregano
2 teaspoons (10 ml) dried minced onion
1/2 teaspoon (10 ml) dried mint
1/2 teaspoon (10 ml) dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon (10 ml) dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
2 tablespoons (29 ml) avocado oil
1/2 cup (68 g) sliced Greek peperoncini peppers
2 to 3 heads baby Romaine or butter lettuce, leaves separated
Chopped kalamata olives, for serving (optional)
For the salad:
1 English cucumber, quartered lengthwise and chopped
2 medium Roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped
8 to 10 narrow strips of thinly sliced red onion
1/4 cup (60 ml) lemon juice (about 1 large lemon)
2 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons (30 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 teaspoon (20 ml) sea salt
1/4 teaspoon (20 ml) black pepper
1/4 teaspoon (20 ml) dried oregano
1 Trim the roast of any unwanted fat and place on a large plate. Rub the salt and pepper into the meat on all sides.
2 In a small bowl, combine the rest of the roast ingredients (except the peperoncini peppers, lettuce, and olives) to make a paste. Rub the paste over the entire roast, then cover it with plastic wrap and let it marinate, chilled, for 8 to 24 hours.
3 Place the roast in a 4- or 6-quart (3.8 or 5.7 liter) slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 8 to 9 hours or on high for 4 to 5 hours. The beef should be tender and pull apart easily with a fork.
4 When the roast is nearly finished, prep the salad by combining the cucumber, tomatoes, and onion in a medium bowl. Whisk the remaining salad ingredients together in a measuring cup and pour over the salad. Toss everything together to coat well. Taste, and add more salt if needed. Cover and chill until ready to serve.
5 When the beef is finished cooking, it should pull apart easily with a fork. Transfer the roast to a large plate or platter and shred it into bite-sized pieces. Return the meat to the slow cooker with the peperoncini peppers and toss it around with a pair of tongs so that the beef and peperoncini are combined and everything is coated with the cooking juices.
6 Assemble the wraps by placing a small amount of beef inside a lettuce leaf, top it with a spoonful or two of the salad, and sprinkle with kalamata olives.
More Recipes You'll Love
Greek peperoncini beef lettuce wraps are tangy, herb-crusted slow cooker beef shredded into crisp lettuce cups. The roast marinates in a paste of oregano, mint, marjoram, and garlic, then falls apart after a day's slow cooking. A cool cucumber-tomato salad and briny peperoncini pile on top for a wrap that eats like a Greek street-food plate.
Pro Tips
- Marinate the roast the full eight hours, or overnight if you can. The garlic-herb paste needs time to penetrate past the surface of a big cut of beef.
- Shred the beef and return it to the slow cooker with the peperoncini. Tossing them together lets the pepper brine flavor every strand of meat.
- Make the cucumber salad while the beef finishes and chill it. Cold, crisp salad against the warm shredded beef is the whole point of the dish.
- Choose sturdy lettuce leaves — baby romaine or butter lettuce cups that hold a spoonful of beef and salad without splitting.
Frequently Asked Questions
What cut of beef works best?
A chuck roast is the classic slow cooker choice — its marbling shreds into tender, juicy strands. Trim any unwanted fat before the marinade goes on.
Are peperoncini peppers paleo?
Yes. They are simply pickled peppers and add big flavor for almost no calories. The kalamata olives are optional and equally paleo-friendly.
Can I make this ahead for a party?
Perfect party food. Keep the shredded beef warm in the slow cooker, chill the salad separately, and set out the lettuce leaves for guests to build their own wraps.
Recipe Card
Ingredients
Method
- Chopped kalamata olives, for serving (optional) For the salad:
- 1 English cucumber, quartered lengthwise and chopped
- 2 medium Roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped
- 8 to 10 narrow strips of thinly sliced red onion
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) lemon juice (about 1 large lemon)
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
- 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 Trim the roast of any unwanted fat and place on a large plate. Rub the salt and pepper into the meat on all sides.
- 2 In a small bowl, combine the rest of the roast ingredients (except the peperoncini peppers, lettuce, and olives) to make a paste. Rub the paste over the entire roast, then cover it with plastic wrap and let it marinate, chilled, for 8 to 24 hours.
- 3 Place the roast in a 4- or 6-quart (3. 8 or 5. 7 liter) slow cooker.
- Cover and cook on low for 8 to 9 hours or on high for 4 to 5 hours. The beef should be tender and pull apart easily with a fork.
- 4 When the roast is nearly finished, prep the salad by combining the cucumber, tomatoes, and onion in a medium bowl.
- Whisk the remaining salad ingredients together in a measuring cup and pour over the salad.
- Toss everything together to coat well.
- Taste, and add more salt if needed.
- Cover and chill until ready to serve.
- 5 When the beef is finished cooking, it should pull apart easily with a fork.
- Transfer the roast to a large plate or platter and shred it into bite-sized pieces. Return the meat to the slow cooker with the peperoncini peppers and toss it around with a pair of tongs so that the beef and peperoncini are combined and everything is coated with the cooking juices.
- 6 Assemble the wraps by placing a small amount of beef inside a lettuce leaf, top it with a spoonful or two of the salad, and sprinkle with kalamata olives.
