15-Minute Avocado Pasta Sauce
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This easy avocado pasta sauce is ready to rumble in just 15 minutes, making it an absolutely delicious pick for busy weeknights! Just throw the ingredients into a blender and sit down to the creamiest, most satisfying plate of pasta EVER.
Love this? Try this Hummus Pasta or this Creamy Tomato Pasta.
Table of contents
Why You’ll Love It
This avocado pasta sauce is one of my best emergency quick dinner ideas.
It’s packed with herbs and is so ridiculously creamy. Plus, it’s one of those recipes that’s on the table as quickly as your pasta can cook!
The mild but punchy sauce sticks to pasta perfectly and is prepared almost entirely in a food processor for easy clean-up! Literally, all you need to do is boil some pasta, switch on your processor, and the job is done.
Trust me when I say that each bite of this recipe will feel like heaven when you’re in a rush to cook dinner mid-week!
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Avocados: Creamy avocados are the star of the show here. Go with ripe (but not overripe!) avocados that yield to light pressure.
- Fresh basil leaves: For a sweet and pungent flavor that works beautifully with the pasta. Experiment with parsley, cilantro, or mint to try something different!
- Garlic
- Lemon juice: For a dose of acidity and zest that balances the other ingredients. Add the zest in for an extra boost of citrusy flavor!
- Extra virgin olive oil: Switch this out with avocado oil if you prefer. Either one will bring healthy fats to the sauce!
- Pasta water: Reserve this to make the sauce.
- Pasta: Any type works. I used spaghetti, but shorter pasta like penne, fusilli, or rigatoni will work too. Feel free to use zucchini noodles for a low-carb, gluten-free alternative.·
- Salt and black pepper.
How To Make Avocado Pasta Sauce
Step-by-step overview. Full ingredients and instructions are in the recipe card below.
Cook the pasta: Cook your pasta according to package instructions. Once cooked, reserve one cup of pasta water and drain the rest (photo 1).
Prepare the avocados: While the pasta is cooking, prepare the avocado sauce. Cut the avocados in half, remove the pits, and scoop the flesh into a food processor or blender.
Add the other ingredients and blend: Add the fresh basil, minced garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, and pasta water to the food processor or blender (photo 2). Blend the mixture until smooth and creamy (photo 3). If the sauce is too thick, a small amount of extra water or olive oil should loosen it. Check for seasoning and adjust with salt and pepper according to your taste.
Toss the sauce and pasta: Once the avocado pasta sauce is ready, toss it with the cooked pasta until it’s well-coated.
Serve and enjoy: Serve the avocado pasta with (optional!) Parmesan cheese if desired (photo 4).
Serving Suggestions
Although this avocado pasta sauce is tasty on its own, you can also spice it up with the following:
- Add extra veggies: Stir through some broccoli, arugula, asparagus, or any other green veggie! Kale and spinach are great options if you put them in at the end of the cooking phase.
- Add some bacon: Crispy, air-fried bacon adds serious flavor and crunch to the pasta sauce.
- With meat or salmon: Serve the pasta with meat, lemony salmon, or white beans.
How to Store
I honestly think this avocado pasta sauce is best consumed fresh. Leftovers will quickly brown and lose flavor.
It’s quick and easy to make, so there’s no reason not to whip it up when you need it (even if you’re busy!).
More Pasta Recipes
If you try this avocado pasta sauce recipe, please leave a comment and a rating and let me know how much you liked it!
15-Minute Avocado Pasta Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 ripe avocados
- ¼ cup fresh basil leaves - note 1
- 2 cloves garlic - minced
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice - about 1 lemon
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup pasta water
- salt and pepper to taste
- Optional: grated Parmesan cheese for serving
- 12 ounces pasta of your choice
Instructions
- Cook your pasta according to package instructions. Once cooked, reserve one cup of pasta water, drain the pasta, and set it aside.
- While the pasta is cooking, prepare the avocado sauce. Cut the avocados in half, remove the pits, and scoop the flesh into a food processor or blender.
- Add the fresh basil leaves, minced garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, and pasta water to the food processor or blender with the avocado.
- Blend the mixture until smooth and creamy. If the sauce is too thick, you can add a bit more olive oil or a splash of water to thin it out to your desired consistency.
- Season the avocado sauce with salt and pepper to taste, adjusting as needed.
- Once the sauce is ready, toss it with the cooked pasta until well coated.
- Serve the avocado pasta topped with grated Parmesan cheese if desired, and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Did you make this recipe? Tag @gatheringdreams on Instagram. I want to see it!
