Wrap Recipes - 10 Tasty Ideas

I just recently discovered that there’s a real demand for sandwich recipes and wrap recipes. At first, this sort of surprised me, as I wondered who needed a recipe for a sandwich. I mean, how complicated can it be to make a sandwich or a wrap? After I thought about it for a few minutes, however, I realized that today’s sandwiches are often a far cry from those peanut butter-and-jelly sandwiches my mom packed in my lunchbox when I was a kid. I think people are often looking more for sandwich and sandwich wrap ideas than they are actual instructions. Some of today’s sandwiches are practically gourmet foods, with spreads and fillings Mom would never have even considered. Most restaurants, even some of the better ones, now offer sandwiches and wraps on their menus, and some dining establishments even feature their own unique signature sandwich recipes. If you’re trying to come up with some wrap recipes, I’m sharing ten of my favorites with you here.

Sandwich wraps have become extremely popular over the last few years. I credit the rise of the wraps with the growing popularity and availability of Mexican foods in the United States. Ask yourself this: if you weren’t regularly seeing tortillas in your favorite south-of-the-border restaurant, would you have ever thought about wrapping your sandwich ingredients in a tortilla? Probably not.

Sandwich wraps, generally speaking, use tortillas as the vehicle for holding the sandwich together. These might include corn tortillas, flour tortillas, whole wheat tortillas, flavored tortillas, large tortillas, or small tortillas. Sandwich wraps can be served cold, or they can be grilled, toasted, baked, or heated in the microwave. I’ve even known people who like to fry their sandwich wraps in butter or cooking oil.

Sandwich wraps are easy to make, and they’re easy to eat. They can be a lot less “messy” than typical sandwiches. Wraps are portable, too, so they make great options for lunches on the go. Wraps can be served whole, cut in half, or cut into small rounds that can serve as finger sandwiches and snacks. For some sandwich wrap ideas and some sandwich wrap recipes, read on.

Sandwich wrap ideas are limited only by your imagination and your personal taste preferences. You can turn practically anything edible into wraps. The spreads used on the tortillas are often thick – thicker than they typical sandwich condiments like mayonnaise and mustard. Of course, they don’t have to be. There are absolutely no rules when it comes to sandwich wraps.

Many wrap lovers like to use a spread made from softened cream cheese, mustard, and sugar – but there are lots of other options. You might want to explore some of these spread-related sandwich wrap ideas. For example, have you ever tried using mashed avocado instead of mayonnaise or cream cheese? Or how about omitting a spread or condiment completely and using cheese, instead? When heated, the cheese will melt and hold all the other ingredients together.

Other sandwich wrap ideas might include adding some healthy veggies to your wraps. It’s easy to add fresh asparagus, spinach, bell pepper strips, green onions, raw summer squash, or artichokes. Fruits add a nice flavor, too. Try thinly sliced tomatoes, chopped apples, crushed pineapple, raspberries, or cranberry sauce. For some texture, I sometimes include nuts in my sandwich wraps. Not only do they add crunch – they also provide dietary fiber, minerals, and beneficial fats.

All the following sandwich wrap recipes are quick and easy to make. Even the ones that are served hot are cooked in either a microwave or on a George Foreman indoor grill. These really are easy, so there’s no way to make a mistake!

Banana Wrap – Spread a tortilla with peanut butter. Sprinkle the peanut butter with chopped nuts and raisins. Place a peeled banana on the edge of the tortilla and roll it up. The grandkids love these!

Turkey-Cranberry Wrap - Combine two tablespoons cream cheese, one tablespoon jellied cranberry sauce, and ¼ teaspoon minced garlic. Microwave until soft. Spread on tortilla and add two-three slices turkey. Roll up in a paper towel and chill in freezer until firm.

Crab Wrap – Combine two tablespoons cream cheese, one tablespoon mayonnaise, ¼ cup flaked crab meat, 1 teaspoon chopped onion, ¼ teaspoon cayenne, and ¼ teaspoon garlic salt. Spoon over tortilla. Wrap in paper towel, roll up, and chill.

Mexican Chicken Wrap - Combine two tablespoons cream cheese, one teaspoon lime juice, and chili powder, to taste. Microwave until soft. Spread on tortilla. Mix together ¼ cup shredded cooked chicken and two teaspoons taco sauce. Spoon onto tortilla. Add diced tomatoes, diced peppers, and black olives. Chill until cream cheese mixture is firm, OR heat on George Foreman grill.

Veggie Wrap – Spread two tablespoons ranch dip on tortilla. Sprinkle with fresh herbs, if desired. Place very thin slices of tomato on tortilla. Add long strips of cucumber, green onion, red bell pepper, and green bell pepper. Roll and chill.

Super Sub – Combine two tablespoons softened cream cheese with two teaspoons Italian dressing. Spread mixture on green onion-flavored tortilla. Add thinly sliced provolone cheese, salami, ham, and bologna. Roll, wrap in a paper towel, and chill until firm enough to slice.

Mediterranean Wrap – Combine two tablespoons cream cheese, two teaspoons mayonnaise, and two teaspoons chopped black olives. Spread on tomato-basil tortilla. Arrange thin slices of tomato on tortilla. Add sliced ham or prosciutto. Roll, wrap, and chill.

Ham and Cream Cheese Double - Spread tortilla with soft cream cheese. Spread a thick slice of ham with soft cream cheese. Place the ham slice on the tortilla. Sprinkle on chopped green olives. Roll and chill.

Chicken Salad Wrap – Combine ¼ cup shredded cooked chicken with just enough ranch dip to hold chicken together. Stir in chopped nuts, chopped celery, pickle relish, and salt and pepper. Spoon chicken salad on tortilla, roll up, and chill.

If you’re looking for low carb recipes, don’t overlook sandwich wraps. I’ll bet you thought you’d have to give up sandwiches completely on your low carb diet quest, didn’t you? Traditional sandwich recipes require two slices of bread, right? Regular white bread contains about fourteen or so grams of carbs, with only one measly gram of fiber. If we subtract the one gram of fiber, we’re left with thirteen carb grams – and that’s for just one slice of bread. Two slices would deliver twenty-six grams of carbohydrates. Low carb bread is a better option. The brand I use contains thirteen grams of carbs per slice, but five of those are fiber grams, resulting in a net carb count of eight grams per slice. That means I can have a sandwich with sixteen grams of carbs – much better than the twenty-six I’d get from regular bread. Low carb wraps are even better, though. When you use a low carb tortilla for your low carb wrap recipes, you’ll get only four or five net carb grams, depending on the brand you choose. That’s a huge savings!

Most of the wraps I’ve mentioned above can easily become low carb wrap recipes. All you have to do is to substitute a low carb tortilla for the regular tortilla. Of course, you’ll also need to consider the spreads you’re using. Avoid spreads that are high in carbs, which includes sugar and corn syrup. Fortunately, you’re usually safe here. Most spreads are made from low carb ingredients like oil and vinegar, mustard, mayonnaise, and/or cream cheese. If you’re using sweet salad dressings, however, or if you’re adding sugar to your homemade spreads, you’ll need to tweak that. Choose low carb salad dressings, instead. If you’re making your own spread for wraps, substitute Splenda or some other no-calorie sugar substitute for the regular sugar.

There are many, many low carb ingredients you can use in your sandwich wraps. Low carb wrap recipes can include ham, turkey, chicken, salami, roast beef, bologna, crab meat, shrimp, tuna, salmon, bacon, sausage, or eggs. Almost all cheeses are low in carbs, too, and they add protein and calcium. Toss a few veggies in your low carb wrap recipes, too. Some low carb options include asparagus, bell pepper, hot peppers, scallions, purple onion, spinach, broccoli, grated cabbage, celery, and lettuces. Most fruits are fairly high in carbs, so you might want to avoid those. A couple of exceptions are tomatoes and avocado. Berries, especially raspberries, are also relatively low in carbohydrates, compared to most other fruits. For some fruity flavor without adding any carbs, try using a zero calorie, no carb fruit spread, like one from Walden Farms. You can combine the fruit spread with cream cheese and heat them in the microwave until soft. Use it as a spread on your low carb wraps. If you like dill pickles, you’re in luck. They’re very low in both carbs and calories. You might also want to consider nuts, which are pretty low in carbs and high in fiber.

Low carb wraps can make great low carb snacks. As snacks, I like to chill my wraps until they’re firm, then slice them crosswise into one-inch circles. Depending on the type of wrap, I might use a low carb dipping sauce with my snack circles, like ranch dressing, blue cheese dressing, or homemade honey mustard that I make with Splenda and calorie-free maple syrup.

If you decide to use wraps as low carb snacks, be sure to include plenty of protein in your sandwich wraps. Don’t be stingy here! Pile on the meats and cheeses. The proteins and fats will keep you full for a long time and help you avoid nibbling on higher calorie foods that are high in carbohydrates. For some texture and variation, you might also want to include some low carb vegetables in the mix, and perhaps some nuts.

For low carb wrap recipes and low carb snacks mentioned in this article, you’ll need to find a good low carb tortilla. I use low carb tortillas all the time – not just for wraps, but also as pie crusts, tacos, burritos, fajitas, and chimichangas. I sometimes even use low carb tortillas as dumplings and noodles. You can also make your own crunchy chips from low carb tortillas by baking them in the oven or frying them in hot oil. The best low carb tortilla I’ve found is made by Xtreme Wellness, with La Tortilla Factory a close second. Xtreme Wellness low carb tortillas deliver only five net carbs per serving, along with twelve grams of healthy dietary fiber. And, by the way, this low carb tortilla is really tasty. I’ve even served them to my husband and to the grandkids, and none of them realized they were eating low carb recipes! Next time you’re making wrap recipes, try using a low carb tortilla.