Low-Carb Feta & Avocado Lettuce Cups

I love simple recipes that come together quickly and are adaptable — it means you don’t get sick of them and can adapt them to suit your current season or the ingredients you have on hand.

This is one of those vegetarian keto recipes — it’s really quick and great to throw together for a snack or as a healthy starter. You could flake through some canned or smoked fish or shredded chicken for extra protein, or keep it meat-free and stir through some roughly mashed hard boiled eggs.

Swap out the asparagus for some grated zucchini or roasted cauliflower, omit the feta in favour of some cubed, fried halloumi or some ricotta. If you don't want to use any apples, try radishes instead — although almost any whole foods can be used in small amounts when you follow a low-carb diet. You can change up the flavour profile by using different herbs or adding spices to the dressing (smoked paprika works well here). The options are endless!

Step-by-step

1. Wash and pat dry the vegetables. Make the dressing by adding all the ingredients to a small jar and shaking. Allow to sit while you prepare the other ingredients.

   

2. To prepare the asparagus, hold the bottom (thicker) end and the middle, and snap the bottom end off. This removes the woodiest part of the plant that should be discarded. Then slice the remaining stalk into thick slices, add to a microwave safe dish with a sprinkle of water and microwave 1 minute on high. Alternatively, steam on the stove for 3-4 minutes until crisp-tender.

   

3. Remove and rinse under cold water and allow to drain. Dice the avocado and apple and add to a bowl.

   

4. Then crumble over the feta. Add the chopped herbs and cooled asparagus, and then add the dressing and mix well.

   

5. Divide the mixture among the lettuce leaves, and sprinkle with a little extra parsley and sunflower seeds if desired. Serve immediately.

   

Recipe

Low-Carb Feta & Avocado Lettuce Cups

★★★★☆4.1 (41 ratings)

Crunchy lettuce leaves filled with a refreshing low-carb salad made with feta, avocado and sour apples and ...

Hands on

10m

Overall

10m

Servings

4

6.7 g

Net carbs

6.6 g

Protein

17 g

Fat

214

kcal

1 serving2 servings3 servings4 servings5 servings6 servings7 servings8 servings9 servings10 servings11 servings12 servings16 servings

US + metricMetricUS

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Ingredients makes 4 starter servings

• Lettuce cups:
• 1 bunch asparagus (150 g/ 5.3 oz)
• 1 medium avocado, cubed (150 g/ 5.3 oz)
• ²/₃ cup feta, crumbled (100 g/ 3.5 oz)
• ¹/₂ extra small green apple, diced (100 g/ 3.5 oz)
• 2 tbsp sunflower seeds (g/ oz)
• 1 tbsp chopped mint
• 1 tbsp chopped parsley
• 8 gem lettuce leaves (120 g/ 4.2 oz)
• Optional: extra parsley and sunflower seeds to serve
• Dressing:
• 2 tsp wholegrain mustard
• 1 tbsp lemon juice (15 ml)
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar (15 ml)
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (15 ml)
• 1 tsp Sukrin Gold, Swerve or Erythritol
• ¹/₄ tsp sea salt

Instructions

1. Wash and pat dry the vegetables. Make the dressing by adding all the ingredients to a small jar and shaking. Allow to sit while you prepare the other ingredients.

2. To prepare the asparagus, hold the bottom (thicker) end and the middle, and snap the bottom end off. This removes the woodiest part of the plant that should be discarded. Then slice the remaining stalk into thick slices, add to a microwave safe dish with a sprinkle of water and microwave 1 minute on high. Alternatively, steam on the stove for 3-4 minutes until crisp-tender.

3. Remove and rinse under cold water and allow to drain. Dice the avocado and apple and add to a bowl.

4. Then crumble over the feta. Add the chopped herbs and cooled asparagus, and then add the dressing and mix well.

5. Divide the mixture among the lettuce leaves, and sprinkle with a little extra parsley and sunflower seeds if desired. Serve immediately.

Nutrition per serving

Carbs 13%Protein 13%Fat 74% of calories

Net carbs

6.7 g

Total carbs

12.4 g

Fiber

4.9 g

Sugars

4.9 g

Protein

6.6 g

Fat

17 g

Saturated fat

5.2 g

Calories

214 kcal

Sodium

443 mg · 19.2% RDA

Magnesium

43 mg · 10.8% RDA

Potassium

409 mg · 20.5% EMR

Nutrition by ingredient

Per serving	Net carbs	Protein	Fat	kcal
Asparagus, fresh	0.7 g	0.8 g	0 g	8
Avocado, fresh	0.7 g	0.8 g	5.5 g	60
Feta cheese	1 g	3.6 g	5.3 g	66
Apples, raw, granny smith, with skin	2.7 g	0.1 g	0 g	15
Sunflower seeds, hulled	0.5 g	0.9 g	2.3 g	26
Mint, fresh	0.1 g	0 g	0 g	1
Parsley, fresh (spices)	0 g	0 g	0 g	0
Lettuce (Little Gem), fresh	0.5 g	0.2 g	0.1 g	4
Mustard, wholegrain	0.2 g	0.2 g	0.3 g	5
Lemon juice, raw	0.3 g	0 g	0 g	1
Apple cider vinegar	0 g	0 g	0 g	1
Olive oil, extra virgin	0 g	0 g	3.4 g	30
Sukrin Gold, brown sugar substitute	0.1 g	0 g	0 g	0
Salt, sea salt	0 g	0 g	0 g	0
Total	6.7 g	6.6 g	17 g	214

• Gluten free
• Egg free
• Nut free
• Pork free
• Coconut free
• Fish free
• Shellfish free
• Beef free
• Pescatarian
• Vegetarian