Easy Guacamole Recipe

I've always been rather picky about my guacamole.  I find it is usually sub-par in restaurants (does it just taste off to you, too?) and I can't say I've ever used a pack of the green goo they sell in stores.  But for years, my husband and I used a guacamole spice packet -- you just drop the packet into a bowl, mash it with an avocado, add a few more ingredients (like cilantro) and voila, semi-homemade guacamole.  While we really enjoyed that, I finally decided to try a homemade guac recipe.  I had seen quite a few fancier guacamole recipes (pineapple guac, anyone?) but I was on the lookout for a great, basic guacamole.

Truth be told, this recipe is just about as simple as adding a packet.  There is a little more chopping involved but not surprisingly, this recipe tastes so much fresher than our packaged counterpart.  It's cheaper than buying a packet each time and I love that I now know exactly what goes into our guac! 

Considering that guacamole is pretty much mandatory whenever we have Mexican, I've made this about half a dozen times so far and loved it each time. Maybe we'll use a packet in a pinch but this is definitely our go-to recipe. 

Easy Guacamole Recipe
Taken from: Alton Brown

• 1 Haas avocado, halved, seeded and peeled
• 1/2 lime, juiced
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1/4 medium onion, diced
• 1 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
• 1-2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
• 1 clove garlic, minced

1. In a large bowl place the scooped avocado pulp and lime juice, toss to coat. Using a potato masher, add the salt, cumin, and crushed red pepper and mash to the consistency you like (we like a bit chunkier guac).  Then, fold in the onions, tomatoes, cilantro, and garlic. Add more spices or salt to taste. Cover and let sit until ready to serve -- I let it sit in the fridge although Alton Brown recommends at room temperature; also, most people say to let sit for at least 30 minutes before serving but I'm sure it'll still taste delicious if you serve it right away!