When it comes to Tex-Mex food there’s nothing quite like a taco. But, if you’re watching your carbs or just trying to get more more whole foods into your diet, a great alternative is to make these delicious taco-stuffed avocados. Since many people would be putting guacamole in their tacos anyways, filling a ripe fruit with seasoned beef and taco fixins is a natural choice.
Avocados are rich in good fats (monounsaturated and polyunsaturated), fiber, iron, magnesium, B and C vitamins, and many others to boot. According to Cedars-Sinai Hospital, fiber and good fats help you to feel fuller longer, meaning you may end up eating less when your diet contains noticeable amounts of these nutrients.
Another advantage of using fresh, ripe avocados is their wonderful flavor which adds a layer of greenness to each bite.
For the taco beef mixture a blend of onion powder, garlic powder, fresh onion, cumin, and chili powder make this a flavorful blend. You can add an optional splash of hot sauce to the meat and I like to add green tomatillo hot sauce in mine for another hit of zesty flavor.
Once you cut you avocados in half and take out the seed, you’ll need to sprinkle some lime juice over all the cut areas to prevent browning. Since you may need to scoop out some extra avocado flesh to make space for the taco fillings, just use a spoon to scoop out the seed and some flesh at the same time. No need to risk a hand injury by using the knife method!
Then just pile the meat and other toppings onto your avocado halves. Add a dollop of sour cream and you’ve got a tasty dinner that’s low in carbs, but very high flavor.
Taco-stuffed Avocados
Allergens: Milk
Diet: Gluten-Free
Ingredients
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 1 small white onion
- 1 tablespoon chili powder or to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 (8 oz) canned tomato sauce
- splash hot sauce or green chili sauce if desired
- 4 ripe avocados
- Juice of 1 lime
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 2 Roma tomatoes, diced
- 1/4 cup shredded lettuce
- 1 tablespoon freshly chopped cilantro
- 1/2 cup sour cream
Preparation
- Cook ground beef over medium heat until no longer pink, about 5-9 minutes. Add onions and cook until translucent, about 8 minutes. Add in chill powder, salt, pepper, cumin, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, tomato sauce, and chili sauce. Cook for 5 more minutes or until most of the liquid from the tomato sauce has been cooked off. Set aside.
- Half and seed avocados. Scoop out 1 tablespoon of flesh from each one and slice the small pieces into strips. Sprinkle all avocado parts with lime juice to avoid browning. Squeeze any extra lime juice onto meat and stir well.
- Layer avocados with meat, cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, cilantro, and sour cream. Place small strips of avocado from before on the tops of each stuffed avocado.
Recipe adapted from The Recipe Critic.