Mango Avocado Summer Salad

A vibrant and refreshing Mango Avocado Summer Salad! Tossed with a fresh lemon dressing, this dish is summer in a bowl. Perfect as an almost no-cook meal or a show-stopping side salad for a crowd.

What goes in my Mango Avocado Summer Salad

• Mango: The star ingredient, bringing sweetness to every bite.
• Avocado: Adds a creamy texture.
• Cherry tomatoes: For a burst of flavour
• Cucumber: Cool, crisp, and refreshing.
• Fresh leafy greens: Think rocket, spinach, or mixed greens for a wholesome base.
• Red onion and parsley: These bring freshness and a slight bite to balance the sweetness.
• Flaked almonds: Add a crunchy element
• Risoni/Orzo: To make this salad a meal, I add risoni/orzo, rice (any type), or quinoa. These grains soak up the flavours from the mango. I prefer risoni because its small and gets soaked up with all the flavours of the salad.

How to make this dish

This recipe is as straightforward as it gets, with the most effort spent on chopping and assembling. Here’s how to do it:

1. Cook the grains: Prepare risoni/orzo, rice, or quinoa according to the package directions. Once cooked, let it cool to room temperature.
2. Prepare the ingredients: Chop the mango, avocado, cherry tomatoes, cucumber and leafy greens. Finely chop the parsley and red onion.
3. Assemble the salad: Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl.
4. Make the dressing: Whisk together freshly squeezed lemon juice, olive oil and salt and pepper to taste.
5. Toss and serve: Drizzle the dressing over the salad and toss gently to combine. Sprinkle flaked almonds on top.

Tips for the Best Mango Avocado Summer Salad

Chop the rocket: This ensures it blends nicely with the risoni or other grains. Large leafy greens can overwhelm the salad and overshadow the other ingredients.

Cool the risoni/orzo: Allow the risoni to cool to room temperature before mixing it with the salad ingredients. This helps preserve the salad’s texture and freshness.

Use ripe mango and avocado: They’re the stars of the dish, so pick ones that are ripe for the best flavour.

Mango Avocado Summer Salad

Servings

6

servings

Prep time

15

minutes

Cooking time

15

minutes

Ingredients

• Salad:

• 2.5 cups cooked risoni/orzo or similar

• 2 mangos, cut into cubes

• 2 ripe avocados, cut into cubes

• 150g rocket/arugula, roughly chopped

• 250g cherry tomatoes, halved

• 1/2 red onion, finely chopped

• 2 tbsp parsley, finely chopped

• 1 small cucumber, diced

• Dressing:

• 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• 3 tbsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1/4 tsp pepper

Directions

• Shake the dressing ingredients in a jar.
• Cook risoni/orzo according to package directions. Cool to room temperature.
• Place all salad Ingredients in a bowl, pour over dressing. Toss gently. Serve immediately.

Notes

• Let the risoni cool to room temperature before combining it with the salad ingredients.