March 22, 2021

15-Minute Vegan Avocado Pasta

Name: 15-Minute Vegan Avocado Pasta
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: 10 ounces bucatini, spaghetti or fettuccine; 2 garlic cloves, peeled; 1 ripe avocado; 1 cup baby arugula; Juice of 1 lemon; 1/4 cup olive oil; 1 teaspoon kosher salt; 1/2 teaspoon black pepper; Chopped parsley or chives for serving

With garlic, arugula, lemon juice and olive oil, this 15-minute vegan avocado pasta is an easy weeknight dinner with a simple no-cook sauce.

When I bought a few avocados at the grocery, I didn’t have an exact plan to how use them. Maybe it was seeing them all neatly stacked on the display that tempted me.

My mind immediately went to a salad or a southwestern omelet, and of course, guacamole too.

But the week turned out to be more hectic than usual, so I completely forgot about those avocados.

By the time I did get around to them they were ripe, very ripe. They were to the point of being slightly soft to the touch.

When you have avocados that are this ripe, they are perfect to turn into a sauce for pasta.

And the best part about it is that it’s a sauce that doesn’t need any stovetop time. I just puree it in a food processor or blender and stir it right into the noodles.

The heat from the pasta when it’s pulled from the hot cooking water is enough to warm the avocado sauce as you stir everything together in a bowl.

There are so many reasons to love a no-cook sauce including being able to make the pasta and sauce at the same time.

Why Avocado and Pasta?

Avocado is not a typical ingredient for pasta, but its creamy consistency beautifully coats noodles. Think of it as a healthy version of a cream sauce.

Since the sauce is thick, I prefer it with longer noodles like bucatini, spaghetti or fettuccine. Skip anything fine like angel hair because it won’t hold up to it.

Besides avocado, the sauce is a mixture of garlic, arugula, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper.

With those flavors, then it just makes sense with pasta.

How To Make 15-Minute Vegan Avocado Pasta

First, I get a pot of salted water on the stove. Once it reaches a boil and is bubbling away, I drop in the pasta.

That gives me about 10 minutes to tackle the sauce which is more than enough time.

I mince a couple peeled garlic cloves in the food processor. Then I add the rest of the ingredients, scooping out the flesh of an avocado, along with arugula, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper.

Next, I switch on the motor and puree the ingredients until they are smooth and combined.

When the pasta is al dente, I use tongs to move it to a large bowl. I like to do it this way to keep a bit of the cooking water clinging to the noodles.

Finally, I stir the avocado sauce into the pasta.

After I divide the vegan avocado pasta onto plates or into bowls, I finish it with chopped fresh herbs like parsley or chives.

This is a great option for a quick and easy weeknight dinner. You can also add vegetables like roasted tomatoes, sautéed mushrooms or grilled corn.