Creamy Avocado Pasta with Cherry Tomatoes and Pine Nuts Recipe
This creamy and nutritious avocado pasta recipe offers a quick and easy meal perfect for busy weeknights. Featuring a vibrant avocado sauce blended with fresh basil, garlic, and nutritional yeast, combined with tender gemelli pasta, roasted cherry tomatoes, and toasted pine nuts, this vegan dish is packed with flavor and wholesome ingredients.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 2 servings
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Blending
- Cuisine: Italian
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
Pasta
- 250 g gemelli pasta
Avocado Sauce
- 1 avocado
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1 ½ tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 handful basil leaves
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 2 handfuls fresh baby spinach
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Salt to taste
- Pepper to taste
Toppings
- 250 g cherry tomatoes
- 3 tablespoons pine nuts
Instructions
- Cook the Pasta: Boil a large pot of salted water and cook the gemelli pasta according to the package instructions until al dente. Once cooked, drain the pasta and set it aside.
- Prepare the Avocado Sauce: While the pasta cooks, add the avocado, garlic cloves, lemon juice, basil leaves, nutritional yeast, baby spinach, olive oil, salt, and pepper to a blender or food processor. Blend until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Set the sauce aside.
- Toast the Pine Nuts: Heat a dry pan over medium heat and toast the pine nuts until they are golden brown and fragrant, taking care not to burn them. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Cook the Cherry Tomatoes: Halve the cherry tomatoes. You can either roast them in a baking dish with a little oil in a preheated oven at 180 °C (350 °F) for a few minutes or sauté them in a pan with a splash of oil until softened. Optionally, add finely chopped garlic to the tomatoes for extra flavor.
- Combine and Serve: Toss the cooked pasta with the creamy avocado sauce until well coated. Plate the pasta and top with the roasted or sautéed cherry tomatoes and toasted pine nuts. Garnish with some fresh basil leaves before serving.
Notes
- Nutritional yeast adds a cheesy flavor and can be found in vegan/vegetarian sections of supermarkets or health food stores; it can be omitted if desired.
- You can substitute gemelli pasta with spirelli or spaghetti for variety.
- Adding finely chopped garlic to the roasted tomatoes enhances their flavor.
