Avocado Creamy Pasta Dish (Printable)

A fresh pasta dish featuring creamy avocado sauce, bright herbs, and a hint of lemon zest.

# What You'll Need:

→ Pasta

01 - 12 oz spaghetti or linguine

→ Avocado Sauce

02 - 2 ripe avocados, halved and pitted
03 - 1 small garlic clove
04 - ¼ cup fresh basil leaves
05 - 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
06 - 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
07 - ½ tsp sea salt
08 - ¼ tsp black pepper
09 - 1–2 tbsp water, as needed for consistency

→ Garnish

10 - ¼ cup grated Parmesan or vegan Parmesan (optional)
11 - Fresh basil leaves
12 - Lemon zest

# How to Make It:

01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions until al dente. Reserve ¼ cup pasta water, then drain.
02 - In a food processor or blender, blend avocados, garlic, basil, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper until smooth, adding water gradually to achieve a creamy texture.
03 - Return drained pasta to the pot. Gently toss with avocado sauce, adding reserved pasta water incrementally to create a silky coating.
04 - Divide pasta among plates. Top each portion with grated Parmesan if desired, additional basil leaves, and lemon zest.
05 - Serve immediately to preserve optimal flavor and texture.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • Ready in 20 minutes, so it works perfectly for weeknight dinners when you're hungry but don't want to spend hours cooking
  • Naturally creamy without any cream or dairy, which surprised me the first time I made it
  • Feels fancy enough to serve to guests, but honest enough to eat alone with a glass of wine
02 -
  • The reserved pasta water is not optional—it's the secret that transforms this from nice to absolutely silky. I learned this by not using it once and ending up with a thick, broken sauce.
  • Avocados brown when exposed to air, so have everything ready before you blend them. Lemon juice helps slow this down, but making and eating this pasta quickly is the real solution.
03 -
  • If your blender struggles with avocado, add the lemon juice first—the acidity helps break it down and prevents gluey texture
  • For a sauce with a tiny bit more texture and visual interest, blend everything except a quarter of one avocado's worth, then gently fold in small chunks by hand

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