baked southwest avocado egg rolls with spicy cilantro ranch
Bake in the ole days my friends and I would often convene at Chili’s and I’d devour their southwest egg rolls like my life depended on it. This version is classier, healthier, and easily baked up at home. No need to leave the house for a saltwhack takeout dish. Woo!
The typical protocol for egg rolls involves a dip in the deep fryer, or a similar mechanism. I am truly scared shitless of massive hot oil quantities and don’t even know if I have a pan I can use for the occasion, so I naturally err away from any undertaking that requires the meticulous process. Best leave the deep frying to those who have the equipment for it.
Comfort food needn’t be laden with oil or butter or whathaveyou, though. These Baked Southwest Avocado Egg Rolls are perfectly suitable for crispy carby cravings while also containing plenty of nourishing, bright ingredients easily acquired during your next grocery run. Black beans, corn, creamy avocado, plenty of spices, rolled up and oven baked then dipped in a tangy ranch dip with a slight bite of finishing warmth.
Fill Up Your Cup
Or bowl, if I may.
The filling needn’t be blended or pureed or anything. That’d be weird. Instead, grab a big mixing bowl and simply stir together black beans (drained), corn (drained), avocado (don’t drain that), Greek yogurt or sour cream (why are you still draining shit), some Tex-Mex spices, fresh cilantro, sliced green onions, and cheddar and Monterey jack cheeses. The result will be a creamy dip-looking concoction with pieces of the tasty components poking out.
Next, preheat the oven to 425 and line a couple big baking sheets with parchment.
Get out your egg roll wrappers. You need the square ones for this project, not wonton wrappers. While probably delicious anyway, they’re not quite what you need here.
Set a wrapper on a flat surface at an angle so it looks like a diamond. Drip your fingers in some clean water and run around the edges. Plop a couple tablespoons of filling in the center, then first fold in the sides, then the bottom, then roll towards the top. Place seam-side down on the baking sheet. Repeat with the rest of the wrappers and filling.
Don’t Be a Dip Shit
Just make the dip, you shit.
First, brush the egg rolls with a bit of oil. Set in the oven for 10-12 minutes on one side, flip, then 10-12 minutes on the other.
While the timer ticks away and the egg rolls crisp up, prepare the dip. Classic ranch meets cilantro and jalapeno in this simple smooth culinary criminal. It will steal your heart and your tastebuds. I use my food processor for this since I have one, but you can certainly mix it up by hand so long as you dice the needed ingredients pretty finely with a sharp knife.
What are the needed ingredients, you ask?
Mayonnaise, Greek yogurt, cilantro, fresh chives, a deseeded jalapeno, garlic cloves, lime juice, onion powder, and some salt and pepper to taste. Whip the mix up in the food processor, or add to a jar and shake vigorously or stir (depending on if you’re James Bond or not) after you’ve minced the bigger ingredients.
When the egg rolls finish up in their crunchy, golden goodness, dunk them in the ranch and enjoy.
It’s football playoff season, and while I’m not really too caring about the sport in general, I do like a good Sunday afternoon lounging after work watching dudes ram into one another for no logical reason. Especially since there’s no baseball right now (and who the hell knows if there will be anytime soon, thanks lockout), I need some athletic way of amusing myself.
By the way – if you eat vegan, some easy swaps make this a perfectly plant-based venture. Think vegan cheese for regular, milk-based Greek yogurt for nondairy, and vegan mayonnaise. Simple to switch!
Tried this recipe out? Leave a comment below with your thoughts, and don’t forget to come say hi on Instagram and show me what you made!
Hunting down more gameday appetizers?
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baked southwest avocado egg rolls with spicy cilantro ranch
Ingredients
- 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 can corn, drained
- 3 green onions, chopped
- 1 avocado, diced
- 1/3 cup whole milk Greek yogurt, or sour cream
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- 2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 1/2 cups Monterey jack cheese, shredded
- 1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1 package egg roll wrappers
spicy cilantro ranch
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise, or vegan mayonnaise (I used the latter)
- 1/2 cup plain whole milk Greek yogurt
- 2 tbsp lime juice
- 1/3 cup fresh cilantro
- 2 tbsp fresh chives
- 1 jalapeno, deseeded
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 tsp onion powder
- kosher salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, stir together the black beans, corn, avocado, Greek yogurt, chopped cilantro, cumin, chili powder, smoked paprika, oregano, garlic, and the cheeses until well combined.
- Lay an egg roll wrapper on a flat surface so it resembles a diamond facing you. Rub around the edges with a bit of water. Spoon 1-2 tablespoons of filling into the wrapper. Fold in the bottom, then the sides, then roll towards the top of the wrapper. Set seam-side down on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining wrappers and filling. You will get anywhere from 15-20 egg rolls depending on how much filling you use in each.
- Brush each egg roll with olive oil. Bake for 10-12 minutes on one side, then flip and bake an additional 10-12 minutes. Remove from oven. The egg rolls will continue to crisp up as they cool slightly.
- To make the ranch, add all ingredients to a food processor. Whip until creamy. Alternatively, finely chopped the cilantro, chives, jalapeno, and garlic cloves by hand, then add to a jar with the mayonnaise, yogurt, lime juice, onion powder, salt and pepper and shake until thoroughly combined.
- Serve egg rolls with the spicy ranch and additional lime juice, as desired.
