manWho doesn’t love avocado? I could eat guacamole until I burst (with a side of margarita of course ;). Enjoy the fruit’s heart-healthy fats in this satisfying, creamy sauce that is a snap to make. Toss it with your favorite pasta/noodles, or, even into a rice based dish for a creamy, risotto-like mouthfeel. I use the lighter Florida variety of avocados from my favorite fruit farm, LNB Groves, but the rich haas variety work just as well!
Pasta with Creamy Avocado-Garlic Sauce
(Serves 4)
Ingredients:
2 medium ripe Haas avocados or 1/2 large ripe Florida avocado (just under 2 cups of pulp)
3 medium scallions, roughly chopped
4 large cloves garlic
2-3 Tablespoons lemon juice
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspooon salt (Himalayan recommended)
1 ½ cup frozen peas or other veggies, chopped small
1/3 cup chopped fresh dill
12oz quinoa pasta, black bean pasta or whole grain pasta (black bean shown here).*
Prepare your mise-en-place. Have ingredients at the ready, in the order that they are listed. This recipe is so quick to make- you won’t want to miss something!
Cook the pasta or rice according to the instructions on the package. While the pasta is cooking, make the sauce.
For the Sauce:
Place the avocados, scallions, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and dill in a food processor and blend until smooth. Taste and adjust lemon and salt, if needed.
Toss the frozen peas into the pasta water, one minute before your pasta is done. Turn off the water, let sit for 1 minute. Reserve ¼ cup of the pasta water, then strain over a colander in your sink. Return the pasta and the reserved water to the pot and add the sauce and most of the fresh dill. Fold or toss the sauce into the pasta (sturdier pastas and rices can use a good toss, but more delicate starches can break). Serve while hot with the remaining chopped dill.
Tips & Notes~
Use 1 large zucchini sliced into noodles on a mandolin or with a spiralizer in place of the peas. Toss in with the warm drained pasta and omit the pasta water- then proceed as directed. You may also replace pasta with Raw Zucchini Pasta.
