Description
Creamy basil avocado pasta brings silky Italian-inspired comfort to weeknight dinners. Green sauce with fresh herbs coats linguine in rich, smooth elegance, delivering fresh Mediterranean flavors you’ll savor to the last delicious bite.
Ingredients
Scale
- 12 oz (340 g) pasta (spaghetti, fettuccine, or penne)
- 2 ripe avocados, peeled and pitted
- ½ cup fresh basil leaves
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese (or nutritional yeast for vegan)
- 2 tbsps lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
- ½ tsp salt (adjust to taste)
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes (optional, for heat)
- ½ cup pasta water (reserved from cooking)
- Cherry tomatoes, halved
- Toasted pine nuts or walnuts
- Extra grated Parmesan
- Fresh basil leaves
Instructions
- Pasta Preparation: Generously salt a spacious pot of water and bring to a vigorous boil. Cook pasta until perfectly al dente, adhering to package instructions.
- Sauce Crafting: Combine avocados, basil, garlic, and olive oil in a blender. Introduce Parmesan, lemon juice, salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes, processing until achieving a smooth, creamy consistency.
- Liquid Integration: Extract 1/2 cup pasta water before draining. Gradually incorporate reserved liquid into the sauce, adjusting to a silky, pourable texture.
- Final Assembly: Drain pasta and transfer to a warm surface. Drench with verdant avocado sauce, meticulously coating each pasta strand.
- Garnishing and Seasoning: Fine-tune flavor with additional salt, pepper, or lemon juice. Embellish with fresh cherry tomatoes, toasted nuts, Parmesan shavings, or basil leaves for enhanced visual and gustatory complexity.
Notes
- Choose Perfectly Ripe Avocados: Select avocados that yield gently to pressure but aren’t mushy, ensuring a creamy sauce without browning quickly.
- Control Sauce Consistency: Add reserved pasta water gradually to achieve desired sauce thickness, preventing it from becoming too runny or too thick.
- Prevent Sauce Oxidation: Blend ingredients immediately before serving to maintain vibrant green color and fresh flavor, minimizing potential browning.
- Customize Dietary Needs: Swap regular pasta with gluten-free or zucchini noodles for alternative dietary requirements, keeping sauce recipe unchanged.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Lunch, Dinner
- Method: Mixing
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 5
- Calories: 550
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 250 mg
- Fat: 28 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 24 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 64 g
- Fiber: 7 g
- Protein: 12 g
- Cholesterol: 15 mg