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.
after a day at the park, my girls (age 5 and 1) devoured this pasta dish! Great after a hot Florida day and so easy and fast! We added tomatoes ;) will definitely put this in our rotation!
Made this the other night as a side dish, it was the star of the show. absolutely delicious. This is a keeper
God this was excellent. I just ate all 3 servings myself without sharing – I regret nothing.
It is just ridiculous how simple, yet absolutely delicious this is. I just wish I could figure out a way to make it last longer.
Tried it! Loved it! It is also great on wraps.
I’ve made this recipe countless times now!! I loathe avocado but this pasta sauce is to die for. I also like baking with avocado and putting it in smoothies. Never eaten alone though or smashed on toast. The thought of that makes me cringe.. strange eh?
Looks like Blentec took your recipe: http://www.blendtec.com/recipes/vegan-basil-avocado-sauce. I hope they asked for your permission.
I made this recipe last night. I LOVED IT! I will be making again in the very near future. I have never made a recipe on your website that I haven’t liked.
Fantastic pasta, I added mushrooms and peppers and a little of your vegan “sour cream”
The pasta is soo goood!! I think even better than the regular version made with cream and cheese. Lol I followed the exact recipe and finished it all by myself… Only to realize later it was suppose to be 3 servings haha. Thank you for the recipe :)
This looks so good! And super easy! I wonder how different the taste would be if you roasted the garlic first! MMM!
Thanks for this recipe — I made it tonight. I don’t have a true food processor, so the avocado sauce was a little chunky, but still so good! I used organic edamame “spaghetti” instead of pasta. Looking forward to finishing it for lunch tomorrow!
THIS IS SO GOOD! I’m eating it right now and I’m so happy I had to leave a comment and say thank you in the middle of eating it!!!
Love this recipe! I’m starting a strict meal plan in September so I’m going to try this with the zoodles option. This is my first visit to your page, too. I love how light and bright it is with great organization. :)
I tried this today! It was sooooo delicious and my whole family loved it!
This was SO GOOD! Literally takes almost no time at all to make and has so much flavor! I cut the recipe in half and, even though I definitely overdid it on the garlic (1 clove,) I was so impressed. This is probably going to be a once a week recipe for me now!
So easy and so tasty!
This is really delicious. We have made it 3 times in the last two weeks. Elegant, fresh, creamy and luxurious. Thank you from Scotland! xxx
I made this tonight, it was delicious! And kept me from making a less healthy dinner choice – thanks for this ;-) Quick and simple, easy to modify for 1!
Oh my gosh, yum. Super easy, super delicious. I added some spinach and sundried tomatoes for a little added veggie kick, but made the sauce per the recipe. Absolutely divine!