Recipe: Gluten-Free Creamy Avocado Pasta

My roommate is finally coming around to the glorious, delicious, healthy wonders of the innocent and sometimes intimidating avocado.  It’s true.  She has eaten guacamole for the first time and enjoyed it.  And now…she even let me replace an Alfredo sauce over a pasta with something a little different and a little healthier…avocado.

Seriously.

And…to be honest, I once again have Pinterest to thank for this recipe turning up.  Not only is this version gluten-free, but it’s full of healthy fats and delicious flavors.  Better yet, it’s so versatile…you can dress it up however you want.  While the regular recipe called for toasted pine nuts (yeah…I can’t afford those), I instead crumbled up some blue corn tortilla chips as a garnish.  Voila.  Add whatever seasonings suit your fancy.  Get creative.  Just know…you are in for a decadent, creamy treat.

Recipe: Gluten-Free Creamy Avocado Pasta

Servings: 4
Time: Prep 10 minutes; Cook 1 hour 10 minutes

Ingredients:

• 10 – 12 small Campari tomatoes, quartered
• 3 – 4 tbsp olive oil
• 4 servings of pasta noodles (I used Hodgson Mill Gluten-Free Penne)
• 2 ripe avocados, seed and skin removed
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/4 cup pine nuts
• grated fresh Parmesan cheese
• salt and cracked black pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 300 ºF.

Wash and quarter the tomatoes.  Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Drizzle with 1 – 2 tbsp olive oil, just enough to make the tomatoes glisten.  Bake for 1 hour in the oven.

Ten minutes before tomatoes are finished, fill a large pot with water and a sprinkle of salt.  Bring to a rapid boil.  Add the dry pasta to the water and cook until al dente.

While the pasta is boiling, add 2 tbsp olive oil, avocado, garlic, salt and lemon juice to a food processor.  Pulse until the ingredients are smooth and creamy.

Strain the pasta, and combine with the sauce in a large bowl, until all the pasta has been covered.

Add the roasted tomatoes, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and pine nuts. Add some salt and black pepper to taste.

~*~*~

I never, ever would have thought to make a sauce out of avocado, but it works brilliantly.  I loved the green hue it coated the pasta in.  It was light and colorful.  You won’t miss the creamy, heavy Alfredo sauce because the avocado easily balances it out.  The roasted tomatoes give the dish a needed sweet and tart zing that helps level off that creaminess of the sauce.  And the saltiness of the Parmesan cheese is a great topper for seasoning it to perfection.

Avocados are a fantastic food.  They contain up to 30% healthy fats that are essential to your diet and your body.  They can help reduce the risk of heart disease, help reduce inflammation from arthritis or the onset of arthritis.  They are a natural belly flattener and can help your body actual absorb nutrients better when combined with other fat burning foods.  Avocados also reduce the signs of aging, regulate blood sugar and promote eye health.

What’s not to love?  So, go ahead…give this recipe a try.  I promise…you’ll never go back to that heavy, fattening Alfredo sauce.  This also veganizes the recipe.  Sweet!

Avocado was a surprise sauce for me…but in the end…I loved it.  Top it off and spice it up however you like.  The possibilities…are endless.