Orzo and Shrimp Stuffed Avocados

Orzo and Shrimp Stuffed Avocados is an elegant dish that can be served for a light lunch or dinner option.

Since this seafood pasta salad is served cold, it's the perfect refreshing and refined dish to make and enjoy during the hot summer months.

Orzo is probably one of my favorite kinds of pasta. The shape is so tiny and compact that it works well as a filling for a stuffed dish like this Elegant Orzo, Shrimp & Vegetable Salad Stuffed Avocado.

The ingredient list:

• orzo pasta
• small zucchini
• jarred, roasted red peppers
• shallots
• cooked shrimp
• avocados
• fresh lime juice
• olive oil
• honey

Easy shrimp and pasta stuffed avocados can be made in advance and then chilled until you're ready to serve.

This salad is delicious whether you decide to stuff it into an avocado for a fun presentation, or not.

However, since stuffing an avocado with this salad is SO easy to do, I strongly urge you to give it a go and WOW your friends and family for a fancy looking meal any day of the week!

Serving an elegant Orzo, Shrimp and Vegetable Salad Stuffed Avocado is a treat for the eyeballs as well as the taste buds and really takes only moments to do since the salad is already made and chilling in the fridge.

How to make orzo and shrimp stuffed avocados:

• Cook the orzo just shy of the package directions, drain, and set aside.
• Meanwhile, add an avocado to a large bowl and mash it along with some fresh lime juice, salt, and pepper.
• Add the cooked and drained orzo to the bowl with the mashed avocado and stir well to combine.

• Finely dice approximately 1 cup of zucchini, ¼ cup roasted red peppers, 1 large shallot, and ½ cup cooked shrimp.

• Add a drizzle of honey and olive oil to the orzo and avocado mixture and then add the chopped zucchini, peppers, shallots, and shrimp to the bowl and mix well to combine.
• Chill until ready to serve.
• To serve the shrimp and pasta salad, scoop approximately ½ cup of the mixture into fresh avocado halves (pits removed), and garnish each with a cooked shrimp if desired.
• Or, spoon the chilled salad directly out of the bowl and onto a plate and eat as is.

Orzo and Shrimp Stuffed Avocados

Renee Goerger

Orzo, Shrimp & Vegetable Salad Stuffed Avocados is an elegant dish which can be served for a light lunch or dinner option. Since it's served cold, it's the perfect refreshing and refined dish to make and enjoy during the hot summer months.

5 from 3 votes

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Prep Time 20 mins

refrigeration time 2 hrs

Total Time 2 hrs 20 mins

Course Fish and Seafood, Main or Appetizer

Servings 4 servings

Calories 271 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

For the orzo, shrimp vegetable filling:

• ▢ 8 ounces orzo pasta, cooked just shy of the package directions, and drained.
• ▢ 2 teaspoons olive oil
• ▢ 1 cup diced zucchini, approximately ¼" dice
• ▢ ¼ cup diced roasted red pepper approximately ¼" dice
• ▢ 1 tablespoon minced shallot
• ▢ ½ cup cooked shrimp, finely chopped deveined, shelled, and tails removed
• ▢ 1 ripe avocado, mashed
• ▢ 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
• ▢ 1 tablespoon honey
• ▢ ¾ teaspoon coarse salt
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon black pepper

For the avocado boats:

• ▢ 2 ripe avocados, halved and pit removed
• ▢ pinch salt
• ▢ pinch pepper

Instructions

 

To make the filling:

• Cook the orzo just shy of the package directions. Drain and set aside to cool slightly.
• In a large bowl, mash one avocado with lime juice, salt, and pepper. Add the cooked orzo to the mashed avocado and mix well. Set aside.
• In a medium bowl, stir together the diced zucchini, red pepper, shallot, and shrimp. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper.
• Stir the diced shrimp and vegetables into the orzo and avocado mash. Add the olive oil and honey and stir well to combine.
• Chill, covered, at least 2 hours.

To stuff the avocados:

• Cut the remaining avocados in half lengthwise and carefully remove and discard the pit. 
• If preparing in advance, brush each cut avocado with lime juice.
• Scoop approximately ½ cup (or more if you like) into each avocado half and top each mound of orzo salad with a cooked, chilled shrimp as a garnish if desired.
• Serve chilled.

Notes

This salad may be made in advance and refrigerated overnight. 

To keep the cut avocados from browning, brush the cut sides (pit removed) with fresh lime juice if you need to prepare the avocados in advance, and wrap well with plastic wrap. Keep refrigerated.

Nutrition

Serving: 1servingCalories: 271kcalCarbohydrates: 49gProtein: 11gFat: 3gSaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 40mgSodium: 687mgPotassium: 252mgFiber: 2gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 111IUVitamin C: 11mgCalcium: 46mgIron: 1mg

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