It turns out that one of the things that I’ve always loved about food remains true in the blogging world: it brings people together. As part of the Honest Cooking team I have been introduced to many new people through food and recipes. Through this recipe, I met Julie Andrews, the creative force behind this yummy family-friendly recipe and the blog, Tastefully Julie. In fact, meeting new people has been one of my favorite parts about blogging in general.
When I saw this Creamy Avocado Pasta recipe over on Honest Cooking I knew that it was perfect for my family because we all love avocados so much. The only change I made to the recipe was to use only a squirt or two of lemon juice rather than the juice of half a lemon. My family also likes to add chicken or chicken sausage, and feta crumbles to the pasta. The first time we had this dish my mind was spinning with all of the different applications for this sauce. Outside of pasta dishes, the creamy avocado pesto is like an Italian-style guacamole that is also flavorful simply as a dip for breadsticks and veggies.
It was nice to meet you, Julie! And from my family to yours: thank you for the yummy recipe!
{*With my interest in natural food dyes which actually started with making naturally-dyed green foods for St. Patrick’s Day, I love the fact that Julie made this green pasta for St. Patrick’s Day!}
- Spaghetti or other noodles
- Cooked chicken or chicken sausage, optional
- Feta crumbles, optional
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3 small garlic cloves
- 1½ ripe avocados, pitted
- A couple squirts of lemon juice, to taste
- 1 teaspoon dry basil (or 1 tablespoon fresh)
- ½ tsp salt
- Dash of black pepper
- ¼ cup milk
- Parmesan cheese for serving
- Cook pasta according to directions on box.
- While the pasta cooks, process the garlic and olive oil in a food processor a blender until the garlic is at least coarsely chopped.
- Add the remaining ingredients except the milk and process until smooth.
- Add the milk and process until incorporated.
- Drain the noodles and spoon the sauce mixture into the hot pasta pot. Add the pasta and stir well until fully combined or let each person add sauce to taste to their noodles.
- Serve with fresh grated cheese of your choice.
- My family likes to add feta crumbles and cooked chicken or chicken sausage chunks to the pasta dish.
- Julie's Tip: The avocado mixture should be the consistency of a thick yogurt after processing. It will thin out when combined with the hot pasta.
