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Tuna Salad Stuffed Avocado

April 28, 2023

Stuffed avocados, full of tuna salad and smoky chickpeas, are an ideal no-stress meal that’s perfect as an easy lunch or dinner. Plus, they’re healthy, filling and fast.

Categories

  • Spring
  • Summer
  • Lunch
  • Dinner
  • Appetizers
  • Salads
  • Gluten Free
2 avocados stuffed with tuna salad, topped with pickled red onions, feta cheese and vegan cashew cheese sauce
Photography by Gayle McLeod

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!

tuna salad stuffed avocados topped with pickled red onions, feta cheese and vegan cashew cheese

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.

2 ripe avocados cut in half with the pits removed lined up on the counter

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

avocados, tuna, Greek yogurt, chickpeas, spices, pickled red onions, feta, cilantro and vegan cashew cheese sauce in bowls

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.

chickpeas tossed with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and smoked paprika in a bowl next to a bowl of tuna salad

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!

2 avocados stuffed with tuna salad, topped with pickled red onions, feta cheese and vegan cashew cheese sauce

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!

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Tuna Salad Stuffed Avocado

  • Serves:  4
  • Prep Time:  25 min
  • Cook Time:  0 min
  • Calories:  415

Ingredients

  • 5 ounces canned tuna, drained
  • 4 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt
  • 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons Za'atar
  • 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice (from 1 lemon )
  • ⅓ cup chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 2 large avocados, halved and pitted
  • ¼ cup roughly chopped cilantro
  • 2 radishes, thinly sliced
  • ⅓ cup pickled red onions
  • ¼ cup crumbled feta
  • ¼ cup vegan cashew cheese sauce

Method

  1. In a large bowl, combine the tuna, yogurt, olive oil, Za’atar, and lemon juice.

  2. In a second small bowl, combine chickpeas, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and smoked paprika.

  3. 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.

Nutrition Info

  • Per Serving
  • Amount
  • Calories 415
  • Protein 33 g
  • Carbohydrates 23 g
  • Total Fat 28 g
  • Dietary Fiber 10 g
  • Cholesterol 52 mg
  • sodium 888 mg
  • Total Sugars 6 g

Tuna Salad Stuffed Avocado

Questions & Reviews

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  • Johanna

    I made this simply because it looked beautiful. I didn't even have the avocado bowl, but I enjoyed trying this version of "gourmet tuna" so much that I made extra to take to work in my lunch the next day. My coworkers were jealous (yes, jealous of tuna in the lunch room) and agreed that it looked delicious. Tastes great too!

    Thanks Johanna, we are so glad you loved it!

  • Pamela

    This is the perfect meal for a hot day. My entire family including my 13 year old son, loved it.

    YAY! So happy you all loved it! Thanks Pamela.

  • Kay

    HELLO SUMMER! I'll be making this on repeat I absolutely love it and it's so quick and easy and great for taking to a picnic or lake.

    Thanks Kay, so glad you loved it!

  • Jenn

    I loved this! Such a great delicious lunch!

    Thanks Jenn, glad you liked it!