Do you ever come home from a long day at the office and are so famished that you end up eating everything in sight? Or just cave in order $20 worth of greasy takeout?
I’ve definitely been guilty of that, but when I keep my pantry stocked with staples and have a few quick meals on rotation, I’m much less likely to wake up the next morning with noodles caked in my hair and a feeling of regret.
This 15-minute creamy avocado pasta is one of those quick meals I like to keep in my weeknight rotation. While the linguine cooks, the avocado cream sauce comes together in the food processor in just a few minutes. And while this creamy pasta is delicious as is, if you want to beef it up (without the beef), you can add some steamed or roasted veggies, a can of chickpeas and some toasted nuts or seeds (pine nuts, pumpkin seeds or chopped almonds would be my preferred choice). For something super quick and easy that doesn’t require any extra dishes, just add broccoli florets to your pot of pasta during the last five minutes of cooking.
You might think that this is one of those dishes that needs to be eaten immediately, but you’d be wrong. Despite avocado’s tendency to brown quickly, you can store leftovers in your fridge for 24-36 hours. I think it tastes better cold when you’re eating it as leftovers, as heating the avocado sauce up again doesn’t taste as fresh.
Make sure you use ripe avocados with creamy flesh. If you use underripe avocados, they won’t blend smoothly and the sauce will have a raw, earthy taste too it (and I mean earthy in a bad way).
15-Minute Creamy Avocado Pasta (Vegan)
Ingredients
- 16 ounces linguine (sub with gluten-free pasta, as needed)
- 2 medium ripe avocados, pitted
- 1/2 cup unsweetened plant-based milk of choice (I used almond milk; use oat milk or soy milk to keep nut-free)
- Zest of 1/2 of a large lemon
- Juice of 1/2 of a large lemon
- 1/2 cup basil leaves, loosely packed
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- Freshly cracked black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Optional Toppings
- 1/4 cup hemp seeds
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, sliced
- 1 handful of fresh basil, slivered
- 1 (15-ounce) can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained
Instructions
- Fill a large saucepan with water and bring to a boil. Once the water is nearly boiling, add a generous amount of salt to the water. Add the linguine and cook according to the package instructions.
- Meanwhile, prepare the avocado sauce. In a food processor, add the flesh of the ripe avocados, almond milk, lemon zest, lemon juice, basil leaves, salt, pepper, garlic powder and cayenne. Purée until completely smooth and creamy, scraping down the sides of the food processor with a rubber spatula as needed.
- Once pasta is al dente, drain the pasta but reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid. Pour the avocado sauce over the hot pasta and toss to combine. If the sauce is too thick, add some of the reserved pasta water to thin out.
- Finish pasta with fresh basil, cherry tomatoes, hemp seeds and cashew parmesan (if using).
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I’m dying to try this! I know you said you can leave it in the fridge for 24-36 hours, but is it bad after that or can it last a little longer? I’m just curious because I was going to make this for my mom and I and I don’t think we would eat it all in a day or two!
Hi Jane, I don’t think it would go bad, it would just start to brown significantly more. If you wanted to be able to whip up this dish more quickly, you could batch prep the noodles and just throw the ingredients in the food processor when you’re ready to eat them. You could also try halving the recipe, although depending on how large your food processor is it may not do a great job processing such a small amount of sauce. Hope that helped!
Make this!! I was skeptical of an avocado sauce on pasta – but this is so easy and SO delicious.
Thanks for the lovely feedback, Lauren!
So good and easy! Loved that it was a healthy pasta sauce without raw garlic. Our daughter doesn’t like sauces with raw garlic and it’s hard to find a delicious, healthy sauce that doesn’t have it. We also liked that this could be adapted for each family member. We used the pasta and sauce as a base and then served all the toppings separately. We did cherry tomatoes, roasted kale & asparagus, marinated white beans (for the adults), chicken (for our daughter), hemp seeds, parmesan, flaked salt. We also omitted the cayenne from the sauce and just put it on the adults’ pasta at the table. So adaptable, will definitely make again!
Aww… Are the hardcovers also available on bookchor??
This pasta was so creamy and decadent, yet so simple and fast to make! Amazing! I topped it with cherry tomatoes, but I think next time I’ll add some sautéed zucchini & summer squash. Putting this recipe with my favorites…thanks so much!
This is a great recipe!! I am not vegan or even vegetarian but I severely limit dairy due to a medical condition so I’m always on the lookout for good dairy free dishes. For someone who does eat some animal products, many vegan dishes do not come across as satisfying, but this does. I used Ripple Half and Half instead of a milk substitute and added some nutritional yeast and fresh garlic to the sauce. I also omitted the cayenne because I am allergic and did not miss it. I used Banza penne and added whole chickpeas and toasted pine nuts. All in all, a very fresh, filling, tasty recipe, and a great use for almost bad avocados (if you, like me, have a countertop sweet basil plant and can access plenty of fresh basil year round and happen to have a lemon, it doesn’t even require planning!)!
Commenting as I eat! Delicious! I mixed broccoli, peas and mushrooms through it and topped with nooch.
So nice to hear that :) Glad you enjoyed it. Those sound like yummy additions!
I made this yesterday for a quick, yet nutrious and filling, dinner on a busy weeknight! My BF and I both loved it!
Hi Sarah! So happy you tried it out. I love how easy and quick this meal is too. Thanks for letting me know!
I made this yesterday despite having zero motivation to cook. It came out amazing and tastes even better today! Thank you for this lovely recipe – definitely a keeper :)
Avocado Pasta is one of my favorite meals 😍 Looks so delicious! Love this recipe ❤️
Yes we are avocado pasta twins hehe! Thank you Bianca!
What a stunning cake and so perfect for Valentine’s Day or any other day for that matter :D Love the cute pink frosting :)
Aww thank you so much, Nadia! I know this was meant for the blood orange cake but I’ll take the compliment here too haha
These pics are just beautiful Nisha! Love the closeup shots. I have made Oh She Glows avocado pasta and now I’m looking forward to trying yours! Love simple recipes!
Aww I’m so happy you like the photos! I recently got a macro lens and loving it (though still figuring it out to use it). Thanks so much, Brandi!
Such a perfect easy dinner in the most glorious shade of fresh green ever! Thank you for sharing this Nisha! Dee xx
Thank you so much, Dee! Glad you like this shade of green. I really tried to highlight the green hues in this dish :)
This looks so delicious and creamy and the sauce sound amazing! Such a yummy and comforting meal :D
Thank you, Nadia! It really is so comforting and creamy!
I love that you can create this beautiful dish in just minutes. No excuses not to eat clean and healthy with this pasta dish!
Right? Sometimes I find myself making excuses that I don’t have time to cook but this is a perfect example of why my excuses don’t work haha. Thanks, Noelle!
This looks wonderful! Can’t wait to try it!
Hey Suzy! Thank you for stopping by! I hope you make it and enjoy it :)