Avocado Pesto Pasta
Avocado pesto pasta is a delightfully creamy dish loaded with avocado, fresh basil, olive oil, Parmesan cheese, lemon, garlic and pine nuts.
Servings: 6
Equipment
- 1 Food processor
Ingredients
- 1 lb spaghetti, uncooked (or other pasta)
- 2 small hass avocados, pitted, skin removed
- 2 c fresh basil
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 lemon, juiced
- ⅓ c fresh Parmesan cheese, shredded
- ¼ c pine nuts or almonds
- ¼ c olive oil
- ½ tsp sea salt, plus more to taste
- ¼ tsp cracked black pepper, plus more to taste
- ½ c reserved pasta water (or sub chicken or vegetable broth)
Instructions
- Bring a large sauce pot of water to a boil. Cook the spaghetti according to package directions, about 7 minutes, for al dente pasta. Reserve ½ cup of pasta water. Drain and return to the pan.
- In a food processor, blend together avocado, basil, garlic, lemon juice, Parmesan cheese, pine nuts, olive oil, salt and pepper until smooth. Set aside.
- Toss the cooked pasta with the avocado pesto sauce. Use the reserved pasta water (or broth) to thin the sauce down to the desired consistency. Serve with additional Parmesan cheese and fresh basil, if desired.
Notes
- How do you keep avocado pesto from turning brown - we use lemon juice to slow down the browning of avocado pesto. However, you cannot stop browning from happening entirely. This pesto will keep in the refrigerator for 1-2 days at most.
- Can you reheat avocado pesto - yes! we like to warm our pasta covered over medium-low heat with a splash of chicken or vegetable broth until warmed throughout.
- What pasta is pesto best with - we prefer longer pastas, like spaghetti, linguine, or fettuccine for twirling in the pesto, but any pasta will work. Try shells, bowties, rigatoni, or penne to trap sauce in the hollow portions of the pasta. Gnocchi is also delicious with pesto.
- Do you add pesto while cooking or after - heating pesto too long will change its flavor and can darken it, so we recommend adding the pesto to the pasta just before serving, when the pasta has been removed from heat.
- Do I need to add pasta water to avocado pesto - no, it's not necessary. We add pasta water to thin the sauce down to our desired consistency, as this avocado pesto is fairly thick.
- Is avocado pesto healthy - This avocado pesto recipe is loaded with fat from olive oil, avocado, pine nuts/almonds, and cheese and will be very calorie dense. However, these fats are largely plant-based healthy unsaturated fats, which are essential to a balanced diet. We believe that eaten in moderation, this avocado pesto can be a healthy addition to pasta, soups, salads, and sandwiches.