Avocado Stuffed Meatballs
- It’s a meatball.
- And it’s got a beautiful chunk of creamy avocado “built” right into it.
- It’s absolutely genius!
- Oh, and delicious, too!
I know, I haven’t really reinvented the wheel, here.
As a matter of fact, a quick search on Google for avocado stuffed burgers will probably yield thousands of different results.
BUT, after seeing the aforementioned burgers numerous times on the foodgawkers, Instagrams and chowstalkers of this world, I thought that I wanted to make an easier, less messy and more portable version of the dish.
Without a doubt, meatballs were the way to go!
To make my meatballs extra tasty, I decided to add some of the delicious Crispy Lardons that got left behind when I rendered me some lard at home a few weeks ago.
WOW! Talk about adding TONS of extra flavor, moisture and juiciness. I never thought that such a tiny thing could pack SO much character.
Now, if you don’t have any lardons handy, you could very well cook a couple of slices of bacon to crispy perfection and use those, along with their drippings, instead of the crispy lardons.
Of course, you could also just leave them out altogether… but take my word for it: this is an addition that is very well worth the extra effort!
That sharp, flavorful, crispy and meaty shell coupled with the warm and creamy avocado center makes for a meatball like none I’ve had before.
So delicious, in fact, that I’m thinking I want to start stuffing my meatballs with all sorts of goodies.
Olives would be pretty amazing, wouldn’t they?
Or a mixture of goat cheese, cranberries and pistachio… now that would be insane! (yeah, I’ve been craving cheese big time, lately. Hopefully it’ll pass, eventually…)
Oh, I know! Spinach, walnuts and sun dried tomatoes.
Or bacon and dates, apples and hazelnuts, in a pork meatball. Hell yeah!
Oh, cute little meatballs, how I love thee!
Let’s all pause for a moment and contemplate this beautiful creation of life that lays right before us: juicy, crispy, tender meat and creamy avocado, all rolled into one…
Eat up now, even if with your eyes only!
Start with 12 meatballs and 12 pieces of avocado.
Make a dimple with your thumb in each meatball.
Stuff a piece of avocado right into that dimple and delicately close the meat around it.
Boom, just like that, your meatball is almost twice the size it used to be!
Cook until nice and golden on all sides and stack in a pretty bowl to eat.
Don’t sit yourself down with the whole bowlful though, or you might end up accidentally gobbling them all down!
These are so tender, creamy and tasty, you don’t even need a dipping sauce!
I wish all meatballs came stuffed with avocado!
Avocado Stuffed Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 lb grassfed lean ground beef
- 5-6 cloves roasted garlic, or 1 clove raw garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
- ¼ cup crispy lardons, or 2-3 slices cooked bacon and drippings
- 1 pastured egg
- ½ tsp Himalayan salt
- ¼ tsp ground white pepper
- 1 tsp Ras El Hanout
- ¼ tsp ground ginger
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
- 2 green onions, finely chopped
- ½ ripe avocado, peeled and cut into 12 pieces
Instructions
- In a small food processor, add the garlic, lardons, Dijon mustard , egg, salt, pepper, Ras El Hanout and ground ginger and process into a puree.
- Add that to a medium mixing bowl along with ground beef, parsley and green onions and knead well with your hands until uniformly blended. Form the meat mixture into 12 medium sized meatballs (no need to get them super nice and round at this stage)
- Using your thumb, make a dimple in each meatball and place a piece of avocado in that dimple. Delicately work the meat around that piece of avocado to completely encase it and form your meatball into a perfect sphere.
- Heat some coconut oil, ghee or lard in a large skillet over medium high heat. When pan is nice and hot, add the meatballs and cook, turning frequently, until crispy and golden brown all around, about 5-6 minutes total.
- Serve without delay.
Nutrition
If you’ve tried this recipe, please take a minute to rate the recipe and let me know how things went for you in the comments below. It’s always such a pleasure to hear from you!
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50 Comments on “Avocado Stuffed Meatballs”
Holy crap those look AMAZING!!!! I can almost taste them – can’t believe I haven’t tried this yet! Might have to make a version of these for Meatball Mondays soon – with credit to you for the idea of course! 😉 Thanks a lot, now I’m going to be up all night dreaming of these meatballs. YUM!
Awww, thank you so much Mellissa. Coming from you, that means an awful lot! And I really can’t wait to see what kicked up version you come up with. I’m sure it’ll be a dream… 🙂
This looks so delicious!! I can’t wait to make this but what is Ras El Hanout?
Ras El Hanout is a spice blend, Rochelle. If you can’t find it pre-mixed in stores, you can always make your own.
They really genius! A combo I’ll definitely have to give a try 🙂
OH MON DIEU! Your meatballs look soooo good!! Ground beef and avocado are basically one of my favorite combo EVER. A typical lunch for me is a ground beef patty with (a lot of) guac on the side. And when I say typical, I mean almost every day. haha ok maybe not every day, but a lot! Anyway, these meatballs sound perfect to me and I’m pretty sure I would gobble up the whole batch in one sitting. I am so trying them this week!
Thank you so much for your kind words, Marie! And be careful if you do make the meatballs, they are a tad addictive. It’s hard to stop once you started eating them! So put a few in your plate and put the rest away… or not! 😉 Let me know how you liked ’em, alright?
Yikes! It seems like everything you’ve made lately has been catered directly to my very particular foodie needs and interests! I can hardly keep up with all this goodness. Thank you. Serious! Thank you!
Now that is music to my ears, Emily. I hope I can keep it up! 🙂 And thank YOU! Really!
I have a bone to pick with you Sonia: What took you so long to post this recipe?
I don’t want to nitpick, but it was like 2 weeks ago that you first posted the picture of these meatballs on Instagram.
Ok, ok, better late than never, I get it…
😉
PS this is so going to be my lunch today!
Some things are very well worth the wait, my dear, wouldn’t you say?
No doubt those meatballs qualify…
So tell me, did they satisfy?
I’m making them right now (yesterday I thought I had some avocados in the fridge but there were none left) and I’m sure they’ll satisfy me!
What are you, some kind of evil genius?
HAHAHAHAHAHA! Thank you so much for that! You really cracked me up! 🙂
What a great idea!
Ok, this is pure genius. Love the idea of meat balls stuffed with creamy avocado.
What a genius idea! We’ve been on a meatball kick, and we’ve got some avocado too. 🙂
These look really tasty… I seriously love meatballs, and I love avocado, so these are the perfect mixture!
Oh.. this looks delicious Sonia. Love the burst of creamy avocado in the middle. Can’t wait to try. Pinning! 🙂
Those are the most beautiful meatballs I’ve ever seen!
Why thank you so much, Ashley. How very kind of you to say! 🙂
OMG, Sonia, you are a genius! You know where this idea would work great? In a healthy version of Chicken Kiev. Instead of butter, mix avocado with garlic and stuff the hell out of chicken cutlets. OMG, totally on my list. By the way, I’m Olena from iFOODreal and I’m originally from Kiev. You can tell.:) See you around.:)
LOOOVE the idea of avocado stuffed chicken breasts. I might actually run with that one! Thanks for the inspiration! 🙂
I am trying this tonight I will try and remember to report back with the results I would have never thought to put avocado inside of a meatball lol… I love creative recipes. You have some really awesome recipes and the pictures are making my mouth water…keep it up!
Aw, thank you so much, Nim, that is so very nice of you to say. Hope you liked the meatballs if you did end up making them! 🙂
These look delicious! I often make meatballs by stuffing them with a grape or cherry tomato but never considered avocado. I’ll be making these this week. Thanks for the recipe!
And see? I never thought of stuffing meatballs with cherry tomatoes! Brilliant, I love it. I’m so gonna have to try it. Thanks for the tip! 🙂
This looks amazing! Thanks for the recipe.
I LOVE THIS RECIPE! I’m taking this recipe and samples to my nutrition class on Friday and I just know I’m going to knock the “recipe redo” assignment out of the park with this. I tested it on my neighbors and coworkers earlier this week and they loved it. It’s going to be a keeper for this seasons superbowl party, for sure! Sonia, you’re amazing! I love this website. 🙂
Wow, thank you so much Amy! Please make sure you tell people where you got the recipe from when you pass it to them!
And I’m really curious… what exactly is that recipe redo assignment you were talking about? I take it it’s some kind of homework, but what are you expected to do, exactly?
Just made these – Absolutely delicious and very easy to follow recipe! Thank you! Definitely true that you cannot sit down with the whole bowl – Very addicting!
These look amazing!!! I’m always struggling to come up with food I can make in larger quantities for work throughout the week that doesn’t need reheating! Question, I have some ground chicken and was thinking of using that but baking them in the oven. How long and at what heat do you think I should bake them at? I can’t wait to try them!!
I’d say 375F for about 25 to 30 minutes. You want to make sure that chicken is cooked all the way trough! I bet they will be delicious with chicken, too! Let me know how they turn out, will you?
How many meatballs are in a serving?
As mentioned in the recipe, Jennifer, the entire recipe yields 12 meatballs, and the Nutrition Facts are based on a serving of 3 meatballs per person.
Can I just cook these in the oven I dont really want to use ghee or lard to cook and dont have coconut oil to hand – also would they go with an italian tomato sauce
I really wouldn’t see why not, ellen. I say you should totally give it a try!
These are truly amazing!! my family has a favorite meatball recipe that I usually make and my son wanted our traditional meatball dinner but I am trying to cook more healthy and decided to surprise them with these. Wow, they are incredible!!! The entire family loved them. Thanks for all your amazing recipes.
Thank YOU for your amazing feedback, Lori. I sincerely appreciate your taking the time to share this, and real happy to hear that you and your entire family loved the meatballs! 😀
Made these using some indian spices and then baked in oven in a pan covered in italian tomato sauce and mozerella – we have a new family favourite meatball recipe!!! Going to add bacon lardons as well next time – nummy
So glad to hear the meatballs were to your liking, ellen! Thank you very much for taking the time to let me know, too! You totally rock! 😀
I made these today but baked them. Took a while to bake but OMG delicious!!!
How long did they take in the oven, Beth, if you don’t mind my asking? And real glad to hear they turned out good. Thanks a bunch for the great feedback! 🙂
We were just looking for a meatball and avocado recipe and found this. It looks amazingly tasty!
Would love to try these, do you think you could cook them in a cake popper machine?
Sorry, Kerry, I really couldn’t tell you, as I never used one myself..,
I tried this last week and can honestly say, love at first bite 🙂 I actually improvised a little as I did not have the exact same ingredients and I used a little milk because I heard that helps make them moist. Can’t wait to make them again
Glad you liked, Danielle! And thanks for taking the time to let me know about it. I greatly appreciate it! 🙂
Quick Q: Is the 450g of ground beef appx 1 lb? Just making sure since beef is sold in lbs (or ozs) here. Thanks!
That is correct, Jenny!