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.
Woah that pasta looks unbelievable! I love the idea of using avocado as a base for a creamy sauce. I’ve made a similar sauce mixing avocado with greek yogurt (obviously not vegan…) and used it with poached eggs and it was a fabulous substitute for hollandaise sauce, and much healthier.
OH MY WOW!
This was delicious…so tasty and healthy to boot. I’m so happy. I ate a sizeable portion and I feel great in my tummy. Thank you. Now, i’m finishing it off with one of those chocolate chai seed mousses…..ah food heaven.
Gillian Harris, Sweden
No way! I’m leaving soon for Costa Rica (in two days!) and all I have left to finish is an avocado and garlic cloves – guess what I’ll be cooking… Thanks for the recipe! I can’t wait to try it – I love pasta ;)
i’m living in costa rica and just bought avocados… this sounds amazing and will try it this week. a friend said a local restaurant serves a similar dish…can’t wait!
I’ve been looking for an alternative to my favorite (heavy) cream sauces and this looks perfect!!!
Looks amazing and love that it’s 15 mins!
I am so making this tomorrow night for dinner when I return from the grocery store! This sounds delicious and easy. I will make it for one! :)
Oh my gosh, indeed! That looks so yummy.
Awesome idea for avocado!
Love the video (and the recipe)! How cute! I wish human beings from all walks of life could get along like that.
Hold the phone.
This looks awesome. I CAN’T WAIT to make this! LOVE avocados. LOVE pasta. This dish should be called Pure Love In A Bowl!
Delicious! I made something similar a while back to replace mayonnaise in traditional cold pasta salad. The avocado provided the perfect texture – creamy, smooth and neutral – it does exactly what mayo should do without it: http://anthimeria.com/2010/02/11/almost/
You had me at Avocado :) The video is just what I needed this morning — very heartwarming & uplifting! & that is Alan Thicke (a fellow Canadian) doing the commentary on the video.
Oh I’m definitely going to have to try that one! Though I think I might add a few extra veggies like green peas and shredded carrot to bulk it up a bit more. Thanks for the note about not reheating. I’ll either have to have a friend over or just make a half batch. Solo cooking sucks sometimes.
Avocado and pasta are heaven.
I agree, Katie!!! This combo is a winner!
That’s a genius recipe and I WILL be making it with my new food processor!
So funny that you made an AVOCADO pasta because I just posted how much I LOVE avocado and how I need to find more recipes with it! I will be making this dish for dinner tonight!
That looks AMAZING! I just bought some spinach fettuccine yesterday… I think its fate! I need to have a green pasta meal !
oh.my.gosh. is right! this looks AH-MAZING
Watch out for the raw garlic! It’s super potent…almost spicy. I’d recommend one clove or sauteing the garlic first. What a great alternative for pesto made with cheese!
Haha!! Such a cute and unbelievable video.
That pasta looks deeeelicous, I’ll be giving it a try!
Thanks Angela :)
I can not wait to try that pasta, first of all! Looks DEElish!
But more importantly, THANK YOU so much for sharing that video! It was awesome and had my grinning a big goofy grin the whole time I watched:) Awesome!
Hahaa I just watched the entire video. I’ve got such a soft spot for stories like that! And the avocado with pasta idea is genius.
That looks amazing, I will definitely be trying that this week! Thanks again for another awesome recipe!
mmmmm that looks good! I’ve never eaten much avocado, but now seems like a good time to start trying it out! =D
Yum!!! I bet that sauce would be great topped on roasted veggies too!
Oh my gosh I never would have thought the combine avocado & pasta but this seems genius! I also need to try some of this pasta.
P.S. that video is so cool!! I also do love Alan Thicke’s narration. Did you know he was Canadian? He’s always on How I Met Your Mother as a Canadian actor.
I just found out he was Canadian last night actually! I did a little Wiki stalking, lol
This looks great Ange! I love the Sobaya noodles. I’ve got the Kamut Udon ones and made a soup with them last week. Let me know if you need me to bring some avocadoes from a larger city next time I come to visit! :)
Love this idea for avocado! I’ve already put it on my grocery list for today – definitely will be making it tonight or tomorrow! Thanks:)
Cutest video ever too.
That video is adorable. and it is Alan Thicke! I used to love growing pains.
Great idea! I’m bummmed that I just used up my lasts avocado! Time to buy more! =)
Making this recipe THIS week. I have all the ingredients on hand, so its perfect!
That pasta looks wonderful! I love whole wheat pasta’s that have a rich flavor. :-)
This looks delicious. I bought avocados for my salad this week that ripened a little too quickly so this will be perfect! I just make your carot cake smoothie after my hot yoga class this morning and it was fantastic! I love that it’s so naturally sweet from the carrot and banana. I added a few more ice cubes since I like mine super-thich and the vitamix can handle it. Thanks for the great recipie!
I am completely beside myself right now and praying that my avocados at home are ripe tonight! Yum!
I love this!! We will definitely have to try this out, seems like a good substitute for fattier cream sauces!
that pasta looks amazing!!!!
Yum, yum, yum!
I love that it takes just 15 minutes to prepare, too. Sometimes you just need quick and easy.
You are brilliant!! What an easy yummy recipe! How I wish I had a ripe avocado!! :)
Ooooo! What a fantastic way to sneak avocados in the children’s meal and it’s quick? I am all over this. Thanks for the inspiration, there will be an avocado shortage here, as well. Especially since I will share this recipe with my avocado loving friends!
this pasta looks AMAZING! olus I always have both avocados and whole wheat pasta on hand… I see this being made in my kitchen in the very near future :D. I made a great lunch a few days ago as well: ww pasta topped with sliced avocado, tomatoes, olives, olive oil, pepper salt and fresh basil. ‘t was delish!
Angela, this pasta sauce looks absolutely heavenly! I love avocados, and will certainly be making this soon. I’m sure it will become a favorite quick meal!
That pasta looks SO good! I love creamy sauces!! That video is AWESOME!!! That is definitely Alan Thicke from Growing Pains;))) LOVE IT!!! My favorite part is when the cat scares the crow:)) Just made my Monday! Thanks!
What a cute video!
I love the idea of this pasta meal. I’ve got some ripe avocadoes on my counter and I’m looking forward to making this.
We only have one grocery store in our little town too. :-)
i cant remember that last time i bought plain old white pasta.. there are so many variations now to choose from, i love how they have spelt, kamut, quinoa and brown rice available! i literally bought 8 avocados yesterday (on a serious kick..) and this looks so perfect!
Girl, you had me at “creamy avocado”! I’ve been looking for a healthy alternative to vegan butter and such, and ahhhh I cannot wait to try this! :)
Okay, I now know what I’m making for dinner tonight. I have an old family recipe called “green spaghetti”, but this brings a new definition to that term and I want to go home and make it RIGHT NOW. Thank you for sharing!
I love avocado! And now, you’ve just shown me another way to incorporate it into my meals! =)
And yet one more recipe I will have to try. I’ve never tried those noodles before, but I’m definitely a whole wheat noodle sort of girl. Tastes the same as “normal” noodles but is just that much better for you.
That video is adorable! I love that the woman dialed a “555” number when calling the vet’s office. Just like in the movies :)
Yumm! Making this tonight for Sam’s bday dinner.
Thanks pretty girl!
LEIGH!!!!!! =) Hi. I miss you! Have fun tonight!
I think I’m in love with this pasta too and I haven’t even tried it yet! I love a creamy pasta sauce but most of them are so unhealthy, so this is perfect. And avocado? YUMMMMM!
as a creamy pasta-lovin’ girl myself, this recipe gives me great hope! there are some days when you just HAVE to give into the urge and creamy avocado pasta like a pretty guiltless way to do so :)