Lettuce, often relegated to salad bowls, is a versatile ingredient that can be stir-fried, grilled, braised, or blended into soups and smoothies. With hundreds of varieties available year-round, this leafy green offers more than just crunch—it's a good source of calcium, folate, and vitamins K, A, and C, though nutritional content varies by type (romaine has 10 times more vitamin A than iceberg).
Cooking Lettuce: A Global Tradition
Cooking lettuce is not new. Nigel Slater braises it with peas, leeks, and ham. Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall bakes it in a gratin with spring onions, double cream, and bacon. Emily Scott's little gem tart uses puff pastry instead of breadcrumbs. Grilling lettuce on a barbecue is also popular: Tom Hunt chars wedges dressed with oil and salt, while Yotam Ottolenghi grills romaine halves and serves them with salsa roja and charred corn relish.
Soups and Broths
Lettuce soup can be simple—just onion and potatoes—or paired with peas, as in Anna Jones's romaine, pea, and soft herb soup or Delia Smith's lettuce, cucumber, and pea soup. Both can be served chilled or hot. Rachel Roddy offers butterhead lettuce parcels stuffed with cheese, egg, nuts, and herbs in broth. Romanian lettuce soup, from Christopher Kimball of Milk Street, uses bacon, spring onions, garlic, dill, and lettuce thickened with egg yolks and yoghurt.
Stir-Fries and Wraps
Lettuce thoran is a Keralan stir-fry with coconut. For a hot meal without cooking the lettuce, Rukmini Iyer's lemongrass chicken lettuce wraps use leaves as edible handles. No forks needed.
Reducing Waste: Mayonnaise, Sauce, and Smoothies
Tom Hunt recommends using outer leaves in green mayonnaise. A romaine cream sauce calls for “12 damaged whole romaine lettuce leaves (old, torn and wilted is good).” Lettuce smoothies are another option. (Revive wilted leaves by soaking in hot water.)
Unexpected Desserts and Savory Treats
Lettuce panna cotta, from chef Jenn Louis's The Book of Greens, is a real dish: puréed butterhead lettuce set with lemon zest and sage. Alice Zaslavsky's lettuce “cake” layers iceberg lettuce slabs with a dressing of English mustard and condensed milk, topped with grated hard-boiled egg and chives, then sliced like a cake.
