Guacamole Salad For One

Fresh tasting guacamole salad filled with avocado, tomatoes, yellow bell peppers, black beans, onions, and garlic tossed in a zesty dressing. It's a delicious salad for one!

A guacamole salad is one of my favorite salads! I've been making a large version of this salad for years. Many years ago, I discovered and fell in love with Ina Garten's Guacamole Salad recipe. The salad is so easy to make and is filled with fresh, flavorful ingredients. This was my go-to salad recipe to bring to events and I made it often for my family.

I scaled down the recipe and created this equally fabulous Guacamole Salad For One. It's got the same delicious ingredients found in the big batch version and is every bit as tasty.

Why This Recipe Works

• This recipe is tried and true. I've been making a version of this salad for years.
• This guacamole salad is chunky. It's got the wonderful flavors found in a classic Mexican avocado dip and makes a tasty side dish or main dish salad.
• The avocados stay green because of the lime juice in the dressing, so the salad stays pretty!
• Guacamole salad is easy to make and comes together quickly.
• This small batch recipe yields 1 large bowl or 2 small servings of guacamole salad.
• Best of all, it's delicious!

Ingredients

Ingredient Notes

See below for ways to use leftover ingredients.

• Tomatoes: While you can use just about any type of tomato in this guacamole salad recipe, I prefer using grape or cherry tomatoes.
• Yellow bell pepper: I use roughly half of a yellow bell pepper. See below for ways to use leftover ingredients.
• Beans: Use canned black beans for convenience.
• Red onion: Red onions have a mild, peppery flavor and are not as overpowering as a yellow onion.
• Jalapeño pepper: I use a small amount of a fresh jalapeño. You can use jarred jalapeños but I love the taste of fresh better. Consider using the remainder in other recipes that call for fresh jalapeños (see below).
• Lime: Although you can use bottled lime juice, freshly squeezed is best. Plus, you can use the zest to add a little more tang to the dressing.
• Olive oil: I use extra virgin olive oil in this guacamole salad recipe as well as in every other recipe on One Dish Kitchen that calls for olive oil. Extra virgin olive oil is the least processed form of olive oil. It is an unrefined oil and the highest-quality olive oil you can buy. Because of the way extra virgin olive oil is made, it retains more true olive taste. It also contains more of the vitamins and minerals found in olives. It's my favorite type of olive oil to use but you may use a lighter olive oil instead.
• Seasonings: Use salt, black pepper, and a touch of cayenne pepper.
• Garlic: One minced garlic clove is all you need.
• Avocado: Use ½ of an avocado.

How To Make This Recipe

See the recipe box below for ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions.

1. Place the tomatoes, yellow pepper, black beans, red onion, and jalapeño pepper in a medium-sized bowl.
2. In a separate small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lime juice, lime zest, garlic, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper and pour over the vegetables.

3. Use a spoon and mix everything together.

4. Fold in the chopped avocado just before you are ready to enjoy the salad.

Expert Tips

• Use extra virgin olive oil and fresh lime juice for best flavor.
• This is a recipe that you can easily tweak to make your own. Feel free to add extra amounts of any of the ingredients. Also consider adding a tablespoon or two of finely chopped cilantro.
• The more you stir the salad, the more the avocado will soften and possibly fall apart. This will cause the salad to turn a little creamy. To make sure this doesn't happen, gently fold the pieces of avocado into the other salad ingredients in the bowl.
• Consider adding ¼ cup of grilled corn to your guacamole salad as a delicious addition.

Frequently Asked Questions

Ways To Use Leftover Ingredients

If you have any ingredients leftover from this guacamole salad recipe, you might like to consider adding them to any of these single serving and small batch recipes:

• Tomatoes: Pan Fried Okra and Tomatoes, Chicken Caprese Salad, Lentil Stew
• Yellow bell peppers: Sausage and Peppers, Turkey Chili, Stuffed Peppers
• Black beans: Black Bean Hummus, Vegetarian Enchiladas, Breakfast Burritos
• Red onions: Spinach and Orzo Salad, Mediterranean Chicken, Greek Salad
• Limes: Lime Posset, Key Lime Pie, Skinny Margarita, Ranch Water
• Olive oil: Pesto, Cioppino, Sloppy Joe
• Garlic: Roasted Garlic Olives and Feta, Baba Ganoush, Butter Chicken
• Jalapeño: Pico de Gallo, Cucumber Salsa, Saag Paneer
• Cayenne pepper: Shrimp Creole, Ginger Turmeric Tea, Baked Cod with Chermoula
• Avocado: Avocado Toast, Avocado Salad with Berries, Guacamole, Cowboy Caviar

Serving Suggestions

Although I love eating guacamole salad right out of the bowl, it makes a wonderful topping for chicken or fish and also makes a delicious hearty dip. You might like to enjoy it with any of these single serving recipes:

• Broiled Chicken
• Baked Salmon
• Homemade Baked Tortilla Chips

If you’ve tried this guacamole salad or any recipe on One Dish Kitchen please let me know how you liked it by rating the recipe and telling me about it in the comment section below.

Also, if you take a picture please tag us on Instagram (@onedishkitchen) we’d love to see it!

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