It’s outdoor grilling season so why not change up your grilling routine with some southwestern grilled avocados? Stuffed with ground turkey and all of your favorite flavors of Mexican cuisine, these stuffed grilled avocados are the perfect light weeknight dinner or weekend lunch.
What’s your favorite way to enjoy avocados?
Avocados have always been a favorite of mine. I grew up in California and we ate them all the time! Not only are they a good source of “healthy” fat, but they are just plain delicious. You’ve probably had avocados prepared in a lot of the traditional ways – as guacamole, chopped up on salads, sliced to top sandwiches and burgers, and of course the very popular avocado toast. Part of the appeal of avocados is that they are so versatile – the options for culinary creativity are just about endless!
Your New Favorite for Summer Grilling!
The idea of grilling an avocado is something that’s new to a lot of people. The beauty of grilling avocados, well any fruit really, is that it’s a simple way to prepare them – just a few minutes on the grill to get a nice char and develop a bit of smoky flavor. The key to perfectly grilled avocados is to be sure you don’t char them too much. You don’t want to end up with a blackened avocado.
How to grill avocados:
You’ll want to start with avocados that are ripe, but still a little bit firm to the touch so you don’t end up with a big, mushy mess when they come off the grill. Next, you’ll brush them with a bit of olive or avocado oil and then add a squeeze of lime juice for some extra flavor. Then they go on the grill for 2-3 minutes. You don’t need to turn them while grilling so they just go on cut side down.
For the filling, you’ve got two choices – you can either make mini burgers, which is what I recommend so you can just cook your whole meal on the grill or if you prefer, you can also turn the ground turkey into regular taco meat and use that for your filling. Once everything is cooked, you add the turkey then top with some pico de gallo, a little bit of chopped cilantro, and a sprinkle of queso fresco and dinner is ready!
For other easy recipes on the grill, check out this Grilled Stone Fruit Salad or this Salmon with Tarragon Mustard Sauce. Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 1/3 cup finely chopped red onion
- 2 tsp dried cilantro (or 1 tbsp fresh)
- 1 tsp ground chipotle
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/4 tsp garlic salt
- 1/4 tsp ground pepper
- 4 large ripe avocados
- 2 tsp olive or avocado oil
- 1 small lime
- 3/4 cup pico de gallo
- 1/2 cup queso fresco
- 1/4 cup cilantro leaves, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat a grill to medium heat, about 350°F.
- In a small mixing bowl, mix the turkey, onion, cilantro, chipotle, salt, and pepper. Form into four small patties. Refrigerate until ready to use.
- Slice the avocado in half lengthwise and remove the pits. Lightly brush the cut side of the avocado with olive or avocado oil and squeeze the juice from half of the lime over the cut side of the avocado.
- Place the turkey patties on the grill and cook for 5 minutes. Flip the patties and add the avocados to the grill. Cook for an additional 3 minutes. Remove the avocados and check the burgers to ensure they are cooked through. Remove the burgers from the grill.
- To serve, place two avocado halves on each plate. Divide each turkey burger in half and then crumble slightly. Place the crumbled turkey burger inside the avocado. Top with pico de gallo, queso fresco, chopped cilantro. and a squeeze of lime juice.
Notes
Home Chef Tip: For best results, choose avocados that are a little under ripe for grilling.
We hope you enjoy this Southwestern Grilled Avocados recipe from SoFabFood Contributor, Kathryn from Foodie Girl Chicago, as much as we do. If you love this recipe, you can find more like it by visiting our outdoor grilling section. For daily recipe inspiration, like us on Facebook and follow us on Pinterest. Enjoy!
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