There’s no real shocker here — avocado pairs delightfully with a rich and meaty chili.
But I decided to pair them in a fresh way that is just right for summer grilling season. Rather than simply whip up a pot of chili and scatter some diced avocado over it, I decided to spoon mounds of chili into pitted avocado halves, top everything with cheese, then pop the entire delicious mess on the grill until melty and bubbly.
The chili in this recipe is intentionally simple and meaty. Of course feel free to substitute your favorite chili recipe, or add to mine as you see fit. But I wanted to keep things simple since this ends up being a two-part recipe — first the chili is made on the stove, then the stuffed avocados are grilled.
CHILI-STUFFED AVOCADOS
Start to finish: 30 minutes
Servings: 6
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large yellow onion, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 pound lean ground beef
1/2 pound loose sweet Italian sausage
15-ounce can tomato sauce
6 avocados, halved and pitted (leave the skins on)
2 cups shredded Monteray Jack cheese
Sour cream, to serve
Fresh cilantro leaves, to serve
Nutrition information per serving: 750 calories; 560 calories from fat (75 percent of total calories); 63 g fat (19 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 95 mg cholesterol; 920 mg sodium; 25 g carbohydrate; 15 g fiber; 6 g sugar; 28 g protein.
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