Thanksgiving Side Dishes with Avocado

A traditional Thanksgiving dinner includes many familiar favorites, but you can jazz up your meal by adding some side dishes featuring the most beloved fruit, the avocado, which is available year-round from Mexico. Tasty, satisfying, and with nearly 20 vitamins and minerals, Avocados From Mexico make a great addition to a holiday feast. And who knows — these dishes may become new family favorites!

Including avocado in a side salad is perhaps the most obvious way to slip some creamy goodness into your meal, but you can get creative and surprise your guests with a Waldorf avocado salad with both tart green and sweet red apples. Or stay on track with the fall theme and serve a roasted squash salad with avocado and cannellini beans. A bit of crumbled goat cheese completes this festive side that hits all the right notes.

If you’re new to buying avocados or feel confused about how to choose them at perfect ripeness, watch this video to see how a simple touch test will always make sure you go home with a “ready-today” avocado. If the avocado slightly yields to gentle pressure then it is ready for you!

Want some smart and satisfying ideas for sides other than salads?

Skip the standard green beans and broccoli, and opt instead for some more interesting greens, such as guacamole stuffed peppers. They may not be standard Thanksgiving fare, but like many of the traditional foods associated with the holiday, avocados and chiles are native to the Americas, and they’re the perfect complement to roast turkey and mashed potatoes. All you have to do is peel and deseed some poblano chiles and stuff them with your favorite guacamole recipe.

If you love avocado toast, step up your game by offering avocado crostini on your Thanksgiving table. It makes for a welcome, creamy addition to any holiday spread. Just dice some tomato, onion, and avocado (if you’re worried about squashing your avocado when you’re trying to dice it, find out how to slice and dice an avocado), add in small chunks of mozzarella and some minced fresh basil, and season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. It’s the perfect topping for toasted slices of a crusty loaf of bread.

A savory avocado mousse provides a magnificent contrast to tangy cranberry sauce and also goes surprisingly well with turkey. Use your food processor to puree fresh cilantro along with an avocado, a squeeze of lime juice and a serrano chile for a kick of heat, mix in cream cheese and a packet of gelatin previously dissolved in a couple of tablespoons of water, and allow it to set in a serving dish in the refrigerator for a few hours or up to two days in advance. It’ll provide both color and an unexpected flash of flavor to your feast.

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