Rich, Filling and Loaded With Healthy Fats, Say Hello to Stuffed Avocados
Tasty and incredibly good for you, these stuffed avocados are one of our very favorite recipes. They really hit the spot when the weather warms up, when a cold-from-the-fridge dinner sounds extra good. You can mix up the tuna salad ahead of time, and even season the chickpeas in advance. That way, when dinner time rolls around, all you’ve got to do is split open a few ripe avocados, spoon in a little filling and dig in! They’re rich and creamy, textural and luxurious all at the same time and we know you’re going to love them. Serve them with Sourdough Bread or a Simple Green Salad—they’re sure to be a hit!
Stuffed Avocados, Step 1: Buy Ripe Avocados!
We’ve all been there. You’re so excited to make guacamole, or avocado toast, or just eat a perfectly ripe, creamy avocado straight off the pit. You slice it open and—wait. Why isn’t the knife sliding right through like it’s supposed to? Could it be?! Noooooooooooo! An underripe avocado strikes again! Overripe avocados are bummers, too. All those brown spots, well, they just don’t taste good. So, how do you pick the best avocado? Here are a few things to know about shopping for avocados:
They’re basically always in season! Avocados are in season in California from about March-September, and outside of that season, ripe avocados from Mexico are pretty easy to find.
Skin color isn’t always a perfect indicator of ripeness. Hass avocado skin goes from green to black as they ripen, but you can find a black Hass avocado that’s underripe (or overripe).
The best way to check for ripeness is just to give the avocado a little, gentle squeeze in the palm of your hand. It should have a bit of yield, but not too much—if it’s full-on squishy, move on to the next one. As always, practice makes perfect, so you’ll just have to make this stuffed avocado recipe super often! After a few tries, you’ll be an avocado shopping pro.
A Healthier Tuna Salad Recipe
Brimming with good fats, tuna and avocado make a perfect pair in this healthy tuna stuffed avocado recipe that puts your cardiovascular health first! Avocados are beloved because they’re full of monounsaturated fats, which is a kind of fat that actually can help lower your LDL cholesterol (the “bad” cholesterol), and is correlated with a reduced risk of heart attack and stroke. Meanwhile, tuna fish is a fatty fish that’s full of another good fat—omega 3 fatty acids. These polyunsaturated fats are extremely important because they’ve been shown to lower blood pressure and heart rate, improve blood vessel function, and—just like monounsaturated fat—lower the risk of heart attack and stroke. Tuna and avocado are a real power couple! We didn’t want to add anything to this mix that might counteract the healthful nutrition profile of tuna fish, so instead of the classic mayo-laden tuna salad, we whipped up a much lighter version. Simply toss super high-quality canned tuna (water-packed, drained) with:
Yogurt
Olive oil
Za’atar
Fresh lemon juice
How to Make a Stuffed Avocado
Chickpeas are another nutrition powerhouse and we’ve added them to this stuffed avocado recipe for additional nutrients—protein, fiber, potassium—as well as texture. Creamy avocado, meaty tuna and earthy, nutty, smoky chickpeas are a match made in dinner heaven. Simply take some canned chickpeas and season them with:
Garlic powder
Smoked paprika
Salt & pepper
Once you’ve mixed up your stuffed avocado fillings, you’re ready to load those avocados and dig in! Just split the avocado lengthwise, pull out the pit, and fill each avocado half with tuna salad and seasoned chickpeas. Top with cilantro, radishes, pickled onions, and feta. Drizzle with vegan cheese sauce and serve.
Quick and Easy Meal Ideas
There comes a day each week when we want to say “kitchen’s closed.” And for these times, it’s recipes like this tuna salad stuffed avocado that keep us going. There’s a few more 2-3 step meal ideas we have shared, and we hope you turn to them in your time of low-lift meal prep need. Quick and Easy Chicken Noodle Soup, Easy Curry Salmon, Easy Steak Fajitas and Easy Stuffed Pasta Shells should all help you get past the cooking slump.
Tools You’ll Need:
More Tasty Avocado Recipes
On the topic of perfectly ripe avocados, here’s a few more ideas on how to use them!
No-Cook Dinners Are The Best Thing Since Sliced Bread
This stuffed avocado recipe is way up there on our list of favorite five minute dinners. If you try these stuffed avocados, we’d love to hear about it! Share a photo and tag us on Instagram using @themodernproper and #themodernproper so that we can see your stuff! Happy eating!
