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.
Featuring all new, protein-packed salads, hearty toppers, flavour boosters, and dressings you'll want to drink, my new cookbook will transform the way you think about salads. Oh, and be sure to flip to the back for a surprise dessert chapter!
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.
It’s really good. But I added about 1 cup of milk & 1 tbsp of yeast to make it thicker. It’s my favorite dish now!! :)
This was surprisingly amazing! Very easy and it felt good to eat it. Thank you!
Did this pasta last night. My hubby said it was a “10 out of 10!” and we gobbled it down. Did a double batch and ate it ALL. In one sitting. But how could we leave any left in the pot? Way too good. Love your site!
I disagree that the basil is optional. :) I made it both ways and it definitely should be in there! The basil wasn’t forward like a pesto, but rather an undercurrant. Easy to make dinner. Tonight it was fun to eat a plate of pasta with half avocado sauce have marinara sauce, since avocados and tomatoes go so well together.
Delicious. Didn’t have basil so used pesto sauce!
It was soooooo MOUTHWATERING!!! I used quinoi pasta and I added unsweetened plain coconut milk. Thanks for sharing! I always need quick recipes
Oh ya, and added some hemp hearts and chia seeds<3 Couldn't taste them but never hurts to add nutrients :)
I loved this recipe, my little picky eater loved it too! I am not 100% vegan but I can’t really eat dairy which has introduced me to vegan style cuisine. So far, I haven’t been disappointed! I even have my favorite vegan restaurants that I frequent in my area. But back to the dish, it was super smooth and creamy. I used two cloves of garlic and about 1/8 cup of basil. All the flavors meshed well and the taste reminded me of an avocado style pesto. Super easy to cook and most of the ingredients I already had which is always nice when making a quick meal.
I’m making this tonight for my man and I. Thanks for the recipe
I just made this with fresh pesto instead of basil. And I almost died it was so good. Thank you!!
I made this earlier tonight, substituting lime since I’d run out of lemons. Absolutely delicious. What takes it over the top is that its so fast and easy. The leftovers went into the fridge and I’m loving it cold as well. I can see this in a pasta salad.
I decided to have steamed broccoli and carrots with this dish for supper and will always include them when I make this recipe. They really compliment the pasta. Loved it! You’re making eating Vegan a treat.
Great idea! I’m making this tomorrow. I’m new to being vegan, and I’m so happy to find a recipe with two of my favorite ingredients: pasta and avocado. My third favorite ingredient is “plátano” I think you know it as plantain. A very nice lady thought me how to make plantain soup. It’s so good.
Stumbled upon this recipe and tried it out – it’s a major hit with my husband and my 2 year old (and me!) – we make this regularly now and it’s my go-to recipe when I need dinner on the table FAST. And did I mention it’s DELICIOUS?? Thank you thank you thank you for this fantastic recipe!!
Amazing! I just made it :D. Thanks so much for this recipe!
I recently decided to veganize my family. This was our first dish along with some roasted veggies. It was a hit! Even my meat loving 9 year old gave it 2 thumbs up. I had to Change the name to lemon pasta ( they love fruit) to ensure they were open to trying it. :-) Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for the recipe! I made this today and it was surprisingly delicious!
this was just as wonderful as everyone else has said …. I doubled the dosage and it was plenty to coat a 1 pound box of linguine. THANKS FOR SHARING!
I just discovered your blog and this is the first recipe i’ve made. I am in love with this pasta!
I used parsley instead of basil and added in some fresh chilli and zucchini and stirred it through wholewheat pasta. I am so excited about all the other recipes I am going to try out. Thank you!! Your site rocks!
This is AAmazing! I fall in love with this even more every time i make it. YUM!
I will try this with zucchini pasta.