Oh…my….gosh.
Alert the grocery store because there is going to be an avocado shortage in my town. Well, more than usual that is.
[And yes, I said ‘store’. As in singular…We’re small town folk.]
You can whip up this pasta dish in under 15 minutes flat! I know I will be making it again and again, especially for those dinners when we are strapped for time…or just plain old tired after a long day.
15-Minute Creamy Avocado Pasta
Yield
3 servings
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Creamy, thick, and rich with lots of garlic flavour and a hint of lemon, this is one of my favourite pasta dishes. The avocado works wonderfully in this recipe to create a sauce so creamy and thick you will think there is cream hiding in there.
Ingredients
- 9 ounces (255 g) uncooked pasta
- 1 medium garlic clove
- 1/4 cup lightly packed fresh basil leaves, plus more for serving
- 1 to 2 tablespoons (5 to 10mL) fresh lemon juice, to taste
- 1 tablespoon (15 mL) extra-virgin olive oil, plus more if needed
- 1 ripe medium avocado, pitted
- 1 tablespoon (15 mL) water
- 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- Lemon zest, for serving
Directions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the package. For a lighter option, serve the avocado sauce with zucchini noodles.
- While the pasta cooks, make the sauce: In a food processor, combine the garlic and basil and pulse to mince. Add the lemon juice, oil, avocado, and 1 tablespoon water and process until smooth, stopping to scrape down the bowl as needed. If the sauce is too thick, add a bit more oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Drain the pasta and place it back in the pot. Add all of the avocado sauce and stir until combined. You can gently rewarm the pasta if it has cooled slightly, or simply serve it at room temperature.
- Top with pepper, lemon zest, and fresh basil leaves, if desired.
Tip:
- Because avocados oxidize quickly after you slice them, this sauce is best served immediately.
- Make it grain-free: Serve this avocado sauce with spiralized or julienned zucchini or on a bed of spaghetti squash.
Nutrition Information
(click to expand)
I used some fun pasta to increase the nutrition factor- first, 1 serving (3oz) of spelt pasta.
Spelt pasta has a great nutritional profile with 12 grams of protein and 3 grams of fibre per serving.
I also used one 3oz serving of Kamut pasta.
Kamut pasta has 13 grams of protein and 8 grams of fibre per serving. Niiiiice.
They both taste AMAZING and are very easy on the digestive system. I purchased both of them in the natural food section of Loblaws/Superstore. Regular white spaghetti has only 1.7 grams of fibre and 4 grams of protein per serving. Eric and I actually prefer the nutty flavour of the ancient grains over the white pasta so it is an easy switch.
If you don’t have a scale or pasta measuring device, one serving of pasta (3oz) is about the diameter of a quarter!
PS- That picture above took me 6 tries to get in focus! lol
A couple of the out of focus ones…
Whoops!
Oh the joys of amateur photography. ;)
While the pasta is cooking away, prepare the ‘cream’ sauce in a food processor. I use and love my Cuisinart 14 Cup Food Processor and Cuisinart Mini Prep 3 Cup Processor, which is great for smaller jobs. I used 3 cloves of garlic and it was quite garlicky, so if you are not a big fan of garlic I would suggest using 1-2 cloves.
I love that avocado can be used as a substitute for cream in this recipe. The healthy fats in avocado make our skin glow and hair shine as an added bonus. :)
Strain and rinse the cooked pasta.
Add the sauce and mix well.
Garnish with lemon zest and freshly ground black pepper.
I fell in love.
So did Eric.
We are now married to this pasta.
And I’m actually going through withdrawal just looking at these pictures.
Looking for other pasta recipes that I enjoy? Try these recipes below:
* Lightened Up Sundried Tomato Pasta
In other news, it’s Monday and I woke up in a haze today. That is, until I watched this video below! It made my entire day, so I thought I would spread the joy. Animals are just the most fascinating and intelligent creatures and I’m always blown away by stories like this.
I can’t decide what I like more about the video:
1) It has a date of ‘1999’, but it is clearly circa 1980’s, 2) the old married couple that I want to adopt, 3) The crow scaring the cat (minute 3:44), 4) The cat scaring the crow (minute 5:00), 5) The crow squawking at the cat to ‘get off the road’ (minute 4:40), or 6) Is that ALAN THICKE from Growing Pains?!
It kills me, it really does.
I’m SO making this tonight! Thanks!
I just made this tonight. Talk about fast! The only thing I changed was that I added about 2 cups of fresh baby spinach to the food processor with the rest of the ingredients. Talk about a bright, magnificent shade of green! Woah! Very yummy. :)
That pasta looks delicious. Definitely going on our menu! I haven’t tried any pastas other than whole wheat (and of course, the regular white) but will definitely give it a try soon.
I don’t know how I missed this post but I’m absolutely in love!! I have a special place in my heart and avocado, I don’t know why I never combined the two! This may be dinner tomorrow :)
Just made this pasta and it was AMAZING! I added another half of an avocado and some extra basil, and it was absolutely delicious. :) Thank you for posting this recipe!
I made this last night and what a fast and delicious dish! Thanks for the great recipe!
I just wanted to let you know I’ve been eating this all week with eating spaghetti squash + steamed spinach instead of pasta (I was working with what I had) & it’s my new favorite thing! Now I want to coat everything I eat with avocado…you’re a genius!
I had this for dinner last night, and it was soooo delicious! Thank you for the recipe! I’d like to also add that I had some leftovers just now, and they really weren’t that bad. It wasn’t as exceptionally good as it was fresh, but still pretty tasty, and the avocado hadn’t really browned much at all.
I just made this tonight and my 11 year old daughter and I loved it! We’ve dubbed it “guacamole pasta”. :) I served it with Barilla Plus pasta and will leave the garlic out of hers for next time, since you are right, it is strong! Good thing I love garlic! Thank you for the recipe!
I bookmarked this recipe a few days ago and have to keep myself from drooling when I see it in my browser – you always come up with the best recipes!
Oh – I made the chocolate dipped chocolate chip cookie dough balls for the Superbowl… HUMONGOUS HIT! Thank you so much!!!
Alas, I did not read your note about the dish not reheating well. . . in the flurry of preparing a few other things for dinner, it got a bit cold on the counter, and I popped it into the microwave for a bit. . . alas. Next time, I’ll know better.
That video is amazing! Thanks for posting! Can’t wait to try th avocado sauce, sounds delicious
So, I know I’m the 218th person to leave a comment on this recipe, but it’s worth it to tell you that I am blessed by you, your blog, and this recipe. Thank you for inspiring me with yummy, healthy alternatives.
http://www.amytriedit.com/2011/02/15-minute-creamy-avocado-pasta.html
oooh i LOVE avocado and can’t wait to try this out tomorrow night as part of a valentine’s meal for my sweetheart! thanks for sharing :)
Oh. My. Guacamole.
This was amazing. Just made it tonight. My avocado was getting a little old, so I used both halves for one serving, just scraped around the browning bits. I didn’t have any basil or spinach, so I skipped that step, but I’d love to use spinach to bump up the green factor even more. Used two garlic cloves – I crushed them first to cut that ‘sharp’ taste out. It was SO rich tasting … addictive. I’m having it again tomorrow night with my OTHER old avocado, haha.
I think it would also be fantastic topped with fresh chopped tomato.
ooh Angela – I made this for dinner last night and it was delish! I will be posting about it tonight!
YummY Yummy yummy!!!!!!!!!!!!! Big hit with my husband even though he doesn’t even like avocado….I also added zest of 1/2 lemon and used this great Jovial Einkorn Pasta. It was wonderful!!!
just had to tell you. in between bites. this is delish! nom nom nom is it truly healthy because it tastes too sinful to be good for you!
Thanks for sharing this great recipe! I love cooking with avocados and it’s great to have another tasty recipe to add to the repertoire.
I also run a food blog and will be featuring your recipe this afternoon.
thanks! :)
I’m just wondering before I try this: you know how avacado goes brown the minute air hits it? I’ve tried to stop that oxidation with leaving the pit in the half that I’m not using, wiping it with lemon juice etc etc. Does this pasta sauce go brown in the fridge overnight? Just noticing it serves 6 and we are only two…..does it keep well for leftovers the next day, or should I make the recipe smaller?
Hey there! It actually only serves 2. I would only serve it immediately as it does not keep well and it does not reheat well either. All the best! Angela
PERFECT. I think I must have seen something similar elsewhere on line that served 6.
I have to say I love your blog. Your baking section is amazing and I’ve made a ton of your dinners as well. It’s also interesting to learn why people became Vegan and Food Inc was an eye opener for me as well, in addition to my training for Ironman and working with a naturopath. Your stuff is great and I love that I don’t see seitan and tofu everywhere! You are my go-to blog!!
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