so, you might be thinking, avocado pasta, eh? how’s that taste? let me tell you, it is amazing! i came across this recipe thanks to my awesome friend lyssa, who was talking on twitter about uses for some extra avocados she had. this was one of the recipes that she was going to try + a quick glance at the ingredients list revealed that i, too, conveniently had everything i needed to make it. yippee!
so, the following day, i make a few tweaks to the original recipe (all reflected below – more lemon, less salt, no rinsing of the pasta, etc.) + whipped up this creamy avocado sauce with angel hair. holy moly, it was delicious! the rich creaminess of the avocado is cut perfectly by the bright acid of the lemon, while the garlic adds depth + great flavor. i topped mine with a fresh pepper, lemon zest, + (of course) a bit of freshly grated parmesan. i was absolutely thrilled with the results!
a note – the original recipe said that the sauce didn’t reheat well due to the avocados in it (they can discolor + their texture can change with reheating). i made this on friday, reheated some of it on saturday, + some on monday (i’m a rebel!). it reheated perfectly well each time, perhaps due to the lemon balancing out the avocado in the sauce? i’ll leave it up to you whether you want to reheat it or not, but i had no problems, which meant i got enjoy it three separate times. yum!
creamy avocado pasta
makes 2 dinner servings, or 3-4 side-dish servings, adapted from oh she glows
ingredients
1 medium sized ripe avocado, pitted
1/2 – 1 lemon, juiced + reserve the lemon zest to garnish *1/2 lemon will give you a more subtle lemon flavor, while a whole lemon gives a more pronounced lemon flavor, which i love.
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 tsp kosher salt
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 servings/6 oz of pasta (i used angel hair)
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
freshly grated parmesan cheese, to taste (optional)directions
bring several cups of salted water to a boil in a medium sized pot. add in your pasta + cook until al dente, according to instructions.
meanwhile, make the sauce by placing the garlic cloves, lemon juice, + olive oil into a food processor. process until smooth. add in the avocado + salt. process until smooth + creamy.
when pasta is done cooking, reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid, set aside, strain pasta + place pasta into a large bowl. pour on the avocado sauce, some of the cooking liquid if needed (i used about 1/3 cup of mine), + toss until combined. garnish with lemon zest, black pepper + parmesan cheese (optional) to taste + serve immediately.
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{ 44 comments… read them below or add one }
This looks just wonderful! With all of the holiday baking/entertaining right now, I am actually craving some “lighter” dishes and this definitely makes the list. I’m a rebel, too, and since we’re big on leftovers in my house, I’ll take the chance and reheat this!
i agree – i’m loving seeing all the great holiday sweets recipes, but i was ready for something savory. glad to hear that i’m not the only leftovers rebel! i checked with one of my most ingredient-knowledgeable friends (vivek of vivek’s epicurean adventures) to make sure the leftovers wouldn’t be lethal or anything. when he explained the minor downsides to reheating avocado, i was more than happy to risk it! =)
I LOVE avocado! This pasta sounds simple and delicious. Perfect weeknight meal. Thanks for sharing!
p.s love your blog! I just happen to stumble upon it this morning! Can’t wait to look through it some more!
welcome, joanna + great to meet you! this definitely is a perfect weeknight meal – it all came together in less than 15 minutes, which is just perfect for a busy evening. hope you love it if you try it!
There is nothing I don’t like about this. YUM. And no, it does NOT need bacon.
ha! so you saw vivek’s suggestion on twitter, didn’t you? i think you’ll love this – i was really pleased with the result, especially the pop of citrus. yum!
this definitely caught my eye. Super creative!
thanks, alison! i definitely thought it was one of the most creative uses of avocado i’ve seen yet. thanks to my friend lyssa to introducing the recipe to me!
what a wonderful idea! this is a great way to get that creamy sauciness, but without the zillion calories from cream and butter. can’t wait to try this! thanks amy!
you are so welcome! when i made this, i couldn’t believe there was zero cream + zero butter in it – the avocado really lends a wonderful creaminess + has the benefit of all those good fats. hope you love it when you try it, rachel!
I wish I was talented & creative enough to come up with recipes like this. It never would have occurred to me to blend avocado with pasta, but good heavens this looks delicious. My husband uses his half-Italian heritage as an excuse for us to eat pasta 2-3 times a week (not that I argue). He will LOVE this! Thanks to you & Lyssa for finding & tweaking this recipe!
you are far more talented + creative than you give yourself credit for! =) i’m totally on board with your husband – despite zero italian heritage between my husband + i , i eat pasta at least 3 times a week. i love it! do let me know what you think of the recipe if/when you try it! =) + good luck with all your parties this season! i know they’ll be amazing. =)
i’m a fan of avocado in any way, shape, or form so the thought of this makes me giddy! I’ve never heard of anything like this (though my friend just told me about a twice baked avocado she had in a restaurant–WHAT!?!?!).
Great recipe!
holy moly, twice-baked avocado? you might have to recreate that + put it on your blog so I give it a try. =) i did have deep-fried avocado before + while it was definitely *not* healthy, it was delicious! hope you love this recipe if you try it!
I have just come to love avocado in the past few years. I think I related it to the awful mushy guacamole in stores & some restaurants. Once I tasted it as it should be I have been loving it in salads and on sandwiches. This is a new twist as a pasta “sauce”. Intriguing. I’ll have to give this recipe a try.
i’m the same way — i didn’t really enjoy avocado until the last few years + now i love it! definitely let me know what you think of this sauce if you try it. i was incredibly surprised + pleased with how deliciously it turned out!
When my sister was studying abroad in Chile she said that a traditional dish was to mash an avocado, mix with olive oil & salt & pepper and serve with spaghetti. We’ve made it a few times and it is delicious. I bet your additions would make it ever better!
ah, i had no idea there was an actual south american dish like this, but it does make sense! i do think the lemon especially adds a lot – it cuts down on the heavy creaminess of the avocado + adds a lovely brightness. you’ll have a try a squeeze of lemon on your version next time + let me know what you think. =)
Sounds absolutely amazing. Love all of these ingredients. My Brazilian husband might not like it though… he likes his avocados with lime and SUGAR. Yes, sugar. Oh well, more for me 😉
ooh, i don’t know if i’ve ever had avocados with sugar – i’ll have to give that a try! this recipe has me thinking of all the cool new things that i’ve never thought of making with avocados — desserts, cocktails, + who knows what else!
This looks SO GOOD! I think avocados can be used for so much more than guac…although that’s awesome too! One of my favorite gelatos at Whole Foods is avocado. It’s so creamy and rich…and it’s the prettiest faint-green color.
i think this is the first time i’ve ever used avocados for anything other than guac or avocado cream for dressing + i was so pleased with the result — you’re totally right that they’re much more versatile than we give ’em credit for! oooh, i’ll definitely have to look for the avocado gelato at whole foods – it sounds absolutely amazing!
Ohhh I would have never thought to pit avocado in this! Sounds tasty!
Whoops! *put!
i knew what you meant. =) i would never have thought to do it either, but it sooo works! if you like avocado + pasta, you’ll have to give it a try, jess!
there you go again. all I want for lunch today is pasta.
and you post this.
I’m so baffled….so. incredibly. baffled.
bahaha! my mind-reading skills are getting better each day, aren’t they? i’m actually craving pasta for lunch today, too. we should both get totally pastafied today!
Yay! I’m so glad you liked it! Our crazy gargantuan avocado is finally ripe enough to try this
Thanks for guinea pigging a recipe from a pasta rinser 😉 xo
not a problem, + thanks so much for introducing me to the recipe – i really loved it, especially once a made a few tweaks to better suit it to my taste. can’t wait to hear how you make it, + how it turns out for you. =)
Wow, what a creative idea! Very cool! Believe it or not, I have never cooked with avocado! I think I need to branch out! 😉
it’s super easy to work with, + surprisingly versatile! you’ll have to give cookin’ with it a try + report back on how it turns out. i’m sure you’ll whip up something amazing! =)
Jim loves pasta (being Italian and all) but I get so bored with making typical tomato-based pasta dishes, so this was a great change of pace. I never would have thought of making an avocado sauce, but it’s so simple and works wonderfully – we’ll definitely be making it again!
awesome! i’m so glad you tried it out + it turned out wonderfully for you + jim. isn’t it great how quickly it comes together? if you served this to guests, they’d never guess that this was a less-than-15-minute-to-prepare dish. love that!
Beautiful recipe! I can imagine all the great summer flavours in there. I also like your use of Parmesan cheese in this recipe! It looks like you use the perfect amount! I’d definitely make this if I needed a quick delicious pasta night!
the flavors were just awesome! i was actually worried the dish would be *too* summery tasting (since it’s already getting cold here), but luckily the creaminess of the avocado gives it a bit of a cool weather comfort food feeling, too. + i couldn’t resist adding parmesan – in my opinion, no pasta dish is really complete without at least a little bit of cheese. =)
I could go for a bowl of this right about now!
that makes two of us! i definitely need to make it again soon — it was soooo good!
I’ve been meaning to make some sort of avocado pasta dish for months. Yours looks heavenly! I bet the lemon/avocado combo is refreshing!!
i absolutely love this dish – hope you try it + love it, too – make sure you report back on how it goes for you! =)
I was excited to see this recipe because I love avocados but don’t have many recipes for them. I made this last week, and it was a huge hit! I sauteed shrimp to serve on top of the pasta. It was a great combo. Thanks so much.
that is so awesome to hear, laura! isn’t is a delicious dish? i absolutely love your idea of serving it with sauteed shrimp, too – great idea!
Had this for lunch today & supper again tonight. Will have leftovers for lunch tomorrow. This is awesome! Thank you for sharing it with us, Amy!
woohoo, that is so awesome to hear, tammy! it’s one of my favorite quick + flavorful dishes, + i’m so thrilled you liked it, too. =)
This recipe is exactly what I need for my over ripening avocados in the fridge! I love avocados any way I can get them, and I know when they are mixed in like this as a pasta sauce, it’s nothing but yummyness! Thank you for sharing. I making it this week!
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