Avocado Pesto Pasta

5 from 1 vote

Bright, flavorful, and delicious, this Avocado Pesto Pasta is a creamy twist on classic pesto pasta. Made in less than 15 minutes and less than 10 simple ingredients, you’ll have this light but filling meal ready in a snap.

Prep Time5

Cook Time9

Total Time14

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

Calories: 859kcal

Author: Justin Coit

Equipment

Food processor

Ingredients

8 oz dry pasta of your choice
1 large avocado skin and seed removed
1 cup fresh basil leaves
2 cloves garlic
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp pine nuts
½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese plus more for garnish

Garnish

fresh basil optional

Instructions

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook your pasta according to the package instructions. Drain and add some olive oil to keep the pasta from sticking.
In a food processor, add in the avocado, chopped garlic, lemon juice, and olive oil. Blend until smooth.
Add the basil and pulse it looks roughly chopped. Add the pine nuts, pulse until the nuts are broken up.
Add the parmesan, pulse until well incorporated. If the sauce looks too thick, drizzle in additional olive oil and lemon juice to taste.
Combine the pesto with the pasta and garnish with more parmesan cheese and basil if desired. Salt and pepper to taste.

Video

Notes

If you want this pesto pasta to be dairy-free, you can swap the parmesan cheese for nutritional yeast for the umami-like flavor that’s very similar to parmesan cheese.
For a smoother or thinner avocado pesto sauce, reserve some of the pasta water and slowly drizzle it into the food processor until it has reached your desired consistency.
Add a pinch of red pepper flakes to add some heat to the pesto.
Simply use gluten-free pasta to make this pasta gluten-free.

Nutrition