follow @dadaeats for more healthy, easy recipes!
A healthy and delicious dinner that’s also quick and easy to make? hellloooooo Creamy Avocado Pesto Pasta! 🥑
A great use for your avocados if they’re all going ripe at once. with a simple to make pasta sauce that you can make in a blender made from all real ingredients, you are going to love how quickly you can get a healthy dinner on the table! I used hemp seeds instead of pine nuts to make the pesto so this sauce also has a little boost of plant-based protein + omegas (great for my fellow friends with PCOS, too)!
I know you’re going to love this recipe, hope you enjoy!
Ingredients
1 1/2 ripe avocado
1/4 cup hemp seeds
1 1/2 cups basil
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic
Juice of 1 lemon (plus more to taste if desired)
red pepper flakes
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes
12 oz short pasta like fusilli or penne
Flaky salt
Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Add tomatoes to a lined baking sheet and drizzle generously with olive oil. Season with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Place in the oven for 30-40 minutes, or until the skin starts to soften and tomatoes look like they’re about to burst. Set aside.
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to instructions on package. While pasta is cooking, make sauce.
In a high-speed blender, combine avocado, hemp seeds, basil, olive oil, garlic, lemon juice plus red pepper flakes, kosher salt, and black pepper to taste. Add cold water to thin to desired consistency - you want the sauce creamy and thick, not too watery. Adjust to taste with salt and lemon if needed.
Drain pasta and add sauce. Mix until thoroughly incorporated and sauce coats pasta nicely. Mix in the roasted tomatoes. Finish with extra hemp seeds, flaky salt, red pepper flakes, black pepper, and a drizzle of olive oil. Serve immediately (can also be chilled as a pasta salad)!
