Meatless Friday: Avocado Pasta

My family loves avocados, from guacamole to smashed avocado and steak (try that some time!) to just cutting and eating them right out of the skin. When I saw this recipe I knew it would be devoured. From my husband and I, the big kids (adults) and the twelve-year-old, we all enjoyed it. The sauce was a cross between pesto and an alfredo sauce -- but no cream and no nuts. The fat from the avocado is much healthier than the fat from cream, cheese, and butter -- almost all the healthy monounsaturated fat rather than the saturated fats in cream and cheese you get in alfredo sauce. Avocados are also loaded with vitamins and minerals, as compared to the dairy you normally eat in a creamy pasta sauce.

The recipe originally came from a blog, but I altered the recipe just slightly so I am posting it here as I made it. Paired with a loaf of crusty bread (to wipe up any leftover sauce), and a salad, this made a great healthy meatless meal. You will need a food processor for this recipe -- you might be able to do it in a blender with stops and starts for stirring.

If you have picky eaters, you might leave the tomatoes off their portions, and just put them on the side of the plate to eat by hand.

Avocado Pasta

avocadopasta

serves 4-6 (depending on how many diners are small fries)

12 ounces spaghetti
2 ripe avocados, halved, seeded and peeled
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
2 cloves garlic
2 T. freshly squeezed lemon juice
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/3 cup olive oil
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta and drain well.

While the pasta is cooking, combine avocados, basil, garlic and lemon juice in the food processor. With the processor running, add olive oil in a slow stream until emulsified; set aside.

In a large bowl, combine pasta, avocado sauce, and grape tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve immediately.

You can find all our Meatless Friday featured recipes here.