Pasta tossed in creamy avocado, sweet grape tomatoes, and refreshing basil. With just a hint of garlic and lightly salted, this dish is delicious and healthy, just in time for summer.
Don’t you just love summer ingredients? I certainly do. And the ingredients in this pasta dish are simple, delicious, and refreshing, which is what we need for hot lazy summer days.
Pasta coated with creamy avocado and a hint of garlic. Sliced grape tomatoes add a little bit of sweetness to the dish. Roughly torn basil leaves give the dish a rustic look and a refreshing taste. Each bite is delicious with simple but flavorful ingredients.
How did I come up with this combination? Believe it or not, the idea stemmed from my Sweet Corn and Edamame Guacamole Dip recipe. When I made that dip two weeks, I was so addicted. I could have eaten it spoon by spoon without feeling the least bit guilty. So of course, I decided to use it as a “sauce” for my pasta. Just a little bit more garlic and a pinch more salt and ta daa! We have Creamy Avocado Pasta. Next, I rummaged through my refrigerator to find what ingredients I had. Tomato and basil. Perfect. Add them to the pasta. Toss them to mix. Dinner is ready in about 20 minutes max!
See? Quick and simple, right? Meals don’t have to be complicated to be delicious. And you can use whatever ingredients you have in your refrigerator as long as you like them. That’s the important part. =)
I’ll have to make sure to bring this dish to Fiesta Friday and share it with all my friends there!
First, cook the pasta according to the directions on the package. I used spaghetti and it took me about 10 minutes to get it to the way I liked it. Time will vary according to the pasta you use and how soft you prefer. Once the pasta is cooked to how you like it, drain the water and run the noodles through cold water. This helps stop the cooking process and prevents the pasta from sticking to each other.
Cut a large avocado in half and remove the large pit from the middle. Use a spoon to scoop the avocado from its outer shell into a medium sized bowl. Mash the avocado until it becomes smooth. If you want the avocado to be smooth without any chunks, you can place the avocado into a blender and blend until it becomes smooth. I liked mine a little chunky so I mashed the avocado with a spoon.
Sometimes, the avocado is too thick, which could make the pasta a little dry. So I wanted to thin out the avocado a little bit by adding honey yogurt. I used Noosa Yoghurt because it’s my favorite, but you can use regular yogurt or even Greek. Mix until the yogurt is thoroughly incorporated into the mashed avocado. Adding yogurt is completely optional. If you’re vegan, skip this step. =)
Add in the garlic powder and salt, more to taste. Since the avocado is meant to be a “sauce” for the pasta, it needs to be flavorful.
Pour the avocado mixture over the pasta and mix until the noodles are completely coated.
Slice grape tomatoes in half and tear up the basil. Toss with the pasta until it’s evenly distributed.
Place the pasta onto a plate.
Serve the pasta cold. Enjoy!
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Mary Strong-Spaid says
The last few avocados I bought were brown on the inside. When they are brown on the inside, they are no good. Is there a way to tell from the outside what’s on the inside?
Andrea| Cooking with a Wallflower says
Hi Mary! I generally just gently feel the avocado. If it’s firm, I wait a few days before using it. If it depresses a little bit, then it’s ready to eat. And if feels really soft to touch, I wouldn’t buy it since it’s too ripe. I hope that helps somewhat. To slow down the ripening process, once you feel that it depresses a little, you can place them in the fridge.
Rashminotes says
Wow Andrea; looks great as all your posts. I love your ‘recipe’ format and presentation.
marborth says
I am super excited to try this recipe! I love pasta, tomatoes, and avocado, so it looks delicious!! Once I am able to, I’m making this recipe pronto. Good job!
Andrea| Cooking with a Wallflower says
I hope you’ll like this recipe!
loujenhaxmyor says
Nice to find out about others who experiment with foods. Many thanx for this recipe.
Andrea| Cooking with a Wallflower says
You’re welcome!
Jim Abbot says
Andrea, my wife and I made this dish and it was both scrumptious and extremely simple to prepare. Thanks so much!
Andrea| Cooking with a Wallflower says
I’m so glad that you and your wife liked this recipe! Thank you so much, Jim, for letting me know! It means a lot to me. Have a great weekend!
Charlie McDonald says
This sounds amazing. I almost love avacodo as much as garlic. This sounds like a yummy dish. A perfect thing after a long day at work. 🙂 I might have to add oven roasted garlic to quench my garlic addiction though. Thanks so much 🙂
Andrea Giang | Cooking with a Wallflower says
I hope you’ll like the recipe. Garlic with this dish will definitely taste good =)
Poetsmith says
Sounds like a great recipe. Thank you for sharing. Will give this a try as I enjoy avocado and pasta dishes. 🙂 Kind regards, Iris.
Andrea Giang | Cooking with a Wallflower says
Thanks, Iris! I hope you’ll like the dish =)
Poetsmith says
I’m sure I will. Thank you, Andrea. 🙂
maryshoobridge says
Yum! I’m off to Italy tomorrow for 3 weeks so will be topping up on pasta. I will try your recipe on return. I think you may need to change your title soon – you can’t be a wallflower with all of these enticing recipes up your sleeve!
Andrea Giang | Cooking with a Wallflower says
Thank you. Have a fun time in Italy!