Guac is extra. Extra delicious that is! This mouthwatering Guacamole Steak Salad with a citrusy yogurt dressing is no ordinary salad. The combination of flavors between all of the ingredients works so well and this may just become your new go-to salad.
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fresh, citrusy, & bright guacamole steak salad
This recipe was inspired by a similar salad I had at Bourbon Street Grille in Dahlonega, Georgia. I ordered it thinking it'd be like a deconstructed fajita, which I knew I'd like, but it was so much more. I found something about the citrusy twist of this steak salad to be flat out genius in the flavor pairing industry, so I knew I had to recreate it myself.
In this salad, you'll find perfectly seared steak tips, bright, healthy vegetables, and fresh homemade guac, topped with a creamy citrusy yogurt dressing that will have you licking your plate. I use two of Trader Joe's seasoning blends in this recipe: the Everything but the Elote in the dressing and the Chili Lime seasoning in the guac, both of which I think really bring this salad to life.
As summer approaches, I'm loving all of the fresh salads and this one is definitely going to say in my meal rotation. If you're not able to make it to Bourbon Street Grille, make this today and you can still experience the delicious citrusy guacamole steak salad yourself!
Ingredients you'll need to make this guacamole steak salad
For the salad:
Lettuce: Butter lettuce is the perfect blank canvas for this salad.
Steak tips: A super tasty, high protein addition seared to perfection to serve as the star of the show in this salad. I use pre-marinated steak tips. Note: if you do not, you will need to season yours! I recommend with lime juice and sea salt.
Onion: I used red onion for crunch and bitterness. You could use a sweet onion if you'd like.
Bell Peppers: Get colorful! I used red, yellow, and orange but you can also just stick to one if you choose.
For the homemade guac:
Avocado: Nothing beats a beautiful, ripe avocado. It’s so satisfying to cut one open and be greeted by its rich, vibrant green. Avocados are also a great healthy fat, have a ton of fiber, and can help lower cholesterol.
Red Onion: Adds a quick, sharp bite to our creamy spread.
Cilantro: I love cilantro, but I know many don’t. Feel free to leave it out, but don’t knock it ‘till you try it! Cilantro is used in cooking all around the world and it surely goes great with guacamole.
Lime: Citrus helps balance all our flavors.
Chili Lime Seasoning: I love Trader Joe's seasoning blends and this one has the perfect combo of salt, citrus, and heat.
For the dressing:
Lemon Yogurt: This gives the dressing its creaminess.
Sriracha: I love adding this for a kick of heat, plus it elevates the flavors of everything else too. Adjust by taste and use less or more if you prefer.
Orange juice and zest: The addition of extra citrus into this dressing makes it fresh and bright.
Mayo: To emphasize the creamy richness of this yogurt based dressing.
Elote Seasoning: Trader Joe's does it again with their seasonings! This blend adds a cheesy unami flavor.
Truffle Salt: The Elote blend has salt in it, so add this to taste, but the truffle flavors take the dressing to the net level.
Almond Milk: It allows the dressing to drip instead of spread.
Minimal kitchen equipment needed
Grab these tools to make this Guacamole Steak Salad: a skillet, mixing bowl, meat mallet or mixing spoon, cutting board, knife, rubber spatula, and measuring cups and spoons.
how to make this guacamole steak salad with homemade citrus yogurt dressing
This recipe has a few different working components you'll make before the full salad comes together.
For the steak:
- First we are going to cook the steak tips. Use a paper towel to pat the tips dry and heat a skillet over medium-high heat.
- Spray your pan with cooking spray and add the steak tips ensuring none of the pieces are overlapping. Use a spatula to flip the pieces and sear on all sides.
- Cook until all sides are browned and meat reaches preferred doneness (about 4-6 minutes depending on size of tips).
- Remove steak from heat and allow it to rest will you prepare the rest of your salad.
For the salad:
- Finely dice your peppers and onion. The smaller the better.
- Split your lettuce between two serving plates and sprinkle on the chopped veggies.
- Then add your cooked steak tips last.
For the guacamole:
- For the guacamole, first we’re going to slice the avocados in half and scoop out the flesh into a medium mixing bowl.
- Then add the finely diced onion and jalapeño to the mixing bowl along with the juice of two limes, cilantro, and the chipotle lime seasoning.
- Then mash all of your ingredients together. I find a ground meat chopper works great for this.
- Mash until you reach your desired guac consistency leaving some larger avocado pieces if you prefer a chunkier consistency or mashing longer if you prefer smoother.
- Add two scoops of the guac on top of each salad.
For the dressing:
- To make the dressing, simply add all of the ingredients to a mixing bowl and mix until smooth throughout. It’s pretty thick so almond milk in 1 tablespoon increments until desired consistency is reached.
- Drizzle your dressing on top of your salad and enjoy!
what to serve with this guacamole steak salad
You're making this salad for dinner and you're looking for some extras. I've got you. I love to serve this salad with tortilla chips (because duh, chips and guac) or even some crispy wontons to give it a bit of an Asian flair. A side of my Cilantro Lime Rice would also go really well with this recipe and you can make it into a guacamole steak bowl. Or scoop that tasty salad up in a warm tortilla and turn it into a guacamole steak wrap or guacamole steak sandwich for a finger licking, high protein meal.
a note on dressings
Although the homemade dressing does require a few extra ingredients and it is SO easy to make, there are some other options for the dressing on this salad. If homemade dressing isn’t your thing, I recommend finding some sort of citrusy or creamy dressing at the store. The Bolthouse Lemon Basil Yogurt Dressing or even their Cilantro Avocado Yogurt Dressing would be two fabulous options. If you're looking for something dairy free try my Homemade Lemon Vinaigrette or use the dressing recipe listed swapping in a dairy free yogurt and dairy free mayo.
questions about this guacamole steak salad
How do I store this salad? Is it good for Meal Prep?
If you keep the dressing separate from the salad it’d be great with the exception of the gauc, which will turn brown if you prep it in advance. Store the salad in tupperware for up to three days with the dressing on the side and read on to learn how to keep your guac from browning.
How do I keep guacamole from browning?
My tip to keep the guac from browning, is to place it in a tupperware with plastic wrap directly against the surface of the guacamole inside the tupperware and then placing the lid on top. You’re essentially trying to limit the amount of air that gets to the guacamole, so if you have a good sized container you can fill and the lid actually touches the top of the guac, that would work too.
This seems like a lot of ingredients. How do I make this recipe quick?
Although making everything from scratch really elevates this salad, I’m here to let you know you can have a similar dish with JUST 6 INGREDIENTS. To do this you’ll use the lettuce, steak tips, one color pepper, red onion, store bought guac, and store bought dressing. Yep, thats right delicious can be stupid easy.
Should I season my steak?
You don’t need to as this salad has plenty of other flavors to pull it altogether, but adding your favorite steak seasoning to the pan definitely wouldn’t hurt! I also think it would be delicious to add a bit of orange or lime juice to bring out a little more of the citrusy flavors you’ll find in the dressing.
What other protein could I try?
Steak isn’t the only option! I think this salad would be great with grilled chicken or shrimp or even mahi mahi (the individually wrapped frozen portions of mahi at Costco are 🙌🏼). If you want to keep this vegetarian try adding some black beans to bring on a little bit more southwest salad flavors.
You may also love these other tasty salads
Guacamole Steak Salad Recipe
Equipment
- skillet
- spatula
- Cutting Board
- Chef's Knife
- Mixing Bowl
- Meat Pounder or Mixing Spoon
- Lemon Juicer
- Measuring cups and spoons
Ingredients
For the salad
- 4 cups butter lettuce
- 12 oz steak tips
- ½ cup red pepper, diced
- ½ cup yellow pepper, diced
- ½ cup orange pepper, diced
- ½ cup red onion, diced
For the guacamole
- 2 avocados
- ¼ cup red onion, diced
- 2 tbsp jalapeño, diced
- 2 limes, juiced
- 1 tbsp fresh cilantro
- 1 tbsp chili lime seasoning, I used Trader Joe's
For the dressing
- 1 container lemon greek yogurt, (5.3 oz) I used Two Good
- ⅛ tsp sriracha
- ⅛ tsp orange zest
- ⅛ tsp truffle salt
- ⅛ tsp elote seasoning, I used Trader Joe's
- 1 tbsp orange juice
- 1 tbsp mayo
Instructions
For the steak
- First we are going to cook the steak tips. Use a paper towel to pat the tips dry and heat a skillet over medium-high heat.
- Spray your pan with cooking spray and add the steak tips ensuring none of the pieces are overlapping. Use a spatula to flip pieces and sear on all sides.
- Cook until all sides are browned and meat reaches preferred doneness (about 4-6 minutes depending on size of tips).
- Remove steak from heat and allow it to rest will you prepare the rest of your salad.
For the salad
- Finely dice your peppers and onion.
- Split your lettuce between two serving plates and sprinkle on the chopped veggies.
- Then add your cooked steak tips last.
For the guacamole
- First we’re going to slice the avocados in half and scoop out the flesh into a medium mixing bowl.
- Next add the finely diced onion and jalapeño to the mixing bowl along with the juice of two limes, cilantro, and the chipotle lime seasoning.
- Then, mash all of your ingredients together. I find a ground meat chopper works great for this.
- Mash until you reach your desired guac consistency leaving some larger avocado pieces if you prefer a chunkier consistency or mashing longer if you prefer smoother.
- Add two scoops of the guac on top of each salad.
For the dressing
- To make the dressing, simply add all of the ingredients to a mixing bowl and mix until smooth throughout. It’s pretty thick so add up to 1 tablespoon of water if needed.
- Drizzle your dressing on top of your salad and enjoy!
Notes
I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below. It’s my passion to create dishes that can be shared with others. Tell me something you loved, something that you think it might need, or just say hi!
Looking for this in MyFitnessPal?
If you're using MyFitnessPal, search 'A Paige Of Positivity' and find Guacamole Steak Salad
1 serving (including guac and dressing): 33 grams Carbs | 46 grams Fat | 56 grams Protein
**Disclaimer: for most accurate macronutrients and caloric breakdown, it is recommended that you input each ingredient into your MyFitnessPal food diary.
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