I was at the grocery store today and had in my mind that I’d like to make an avocado salad with my Creamy Italian Dressing recipe. I have been trying to find new ways to eat avocados because of all the health benefits. This recipe is an avocado home run!
Not only was the recipe delicious, I found the PERFECT bag of avocados. Not too mushy, but not un-ripe. Small seeded so that one side doesn’t have to be completely uprooted to remove the seed. The skins peeled right off. I mean, in the avocado world I basically hit the jackpot! I was peeling those babies like YESSS this is avocado life.
*Side note: You should start peeling your avocados! A lot of the good nutrients are right under the skin and when we scoop them out instead of peeling we loose important stuff. Peeling also allows you to cut some pretty impressive chunks for this salad. I simply slice the avocado in half, then slice it into chunks when it is still in the peel. If your avocado is perfectly ripe you should be able to start peeling it from one of the edges. If you are finding it hard, slice the little nugget on the end off and you should be able to start peeling.
Keto Diet Update
This is the part where I talk about my diet, so if you aren’t interested just scroll. 🙂
I mentioned in my Keto Approved Burger post that I started the Keto diet. I’ll be 100% honest here, it hasn’t been unicorns and rainbows. I’ve had some ups and downs due to breastfeeding and being concerned about the safety during this time. I’ve gotten off track quite a few times but somehow I always seem to reset and start again. I’m on a roll this time, and hoping to continue!
Storing Your Italian Avocado Salad
We all know that avocados can brown very quickly! The dressing in this salad prevents this to a certain degree. I would suggest making the salad at the time you are going to eat it, and finishing it within a day or two. I’ve stored mine overnight and had no browning/turning to mush but the second day I finished it.
If you are making the salad for a gathering or picnic I would suggest putting it together 1-2 hours before you go. A bit of time in the refrigerator is great because it allows the flavors to come together, but isn’t enough time for the avocado to start looking funky.
One More Thing
My Creamy Italian Dressing recipe yields about 2 cups of dressing, which is a lot more then you will need for this salad. I cut the original recipe in half for this salad and it was plenty. If you’d like to have some extra dressing (it is super delicious), then you can double the dressing ingredients. In my original recipe I was using a food processor to make the dressing, however I no longer have that (long story), so I just used a bowl and a whisk. The food processor makes a thicker dressing, but you certainly can get away with just whisking super vigorously and making sure you pour your oil in slowly. I also omitted the red pepper flakes because I just didn’t think they would mesh well with the avocado.
Italian Avocado Salad
By Published: June 19, 2018
- Yield: 4 Servings
This Italian Avocado Salad is everything avocado dreams are made of! Delicious, fresh ingredients, with a creamy homemade Italian …
Ingredients
- 4 avocado
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes
- 8 ounces mozzarella cheese
- 1/4 red onion
- 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves
- 1/4 cup white vinegar for dressing
- 1/4 tsp kosher or pink himalayan salt
- 3/4 tsp dried Italian seasoning for dressing
- 1/4 tsp dried minced garlic for dressing
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder for dressing
- 3 Tbsp grated parmesan cheese for dressing
- 3 Tbsp mayo for dressing
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil for dressing
Instructions
- Prep avocado, cherry tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, red onion, and fresh basil by chopping them accordingly. Set aside.
- For the dressing: In a small bowl or food processor add white vinegar, spices, parmesan cheese, and mayo. Whisk vigorously until combined. Measure olive oil and slowly drizzle into bowl while whisking vigorously to thicken and emulsify. The slower you go, the better!
- To finish: Add all chopped ingredients and toss in dressing to coat. I was super careful not to mush or break up my avocado while stirring because I like it in chunks. Top with additional fresh basil, salt, and pepper to taste.
