Here's a super creamy and spicy avocado pasta recipe ready in under 30 minutes. It's a savory, mildly spicy dish perfect for a weeknight dinner.
Enjoy a satisfying meal by making this no-cook avocado sauce and tossing it with the cooked pasta.
Why You'll Love This Spicy Avocado Pasta Recipe?
- Flavorful: This pasta is made with fresh basil, jalapeno, avocado, and garlic cloves—all these flavorful additions give the pasta a whole new face. This spicy avocado pasta turns out fabulous whenever I make it home.
- It's Creamy With a Hint of Heat: The avocado pasta sauce is coated with a creamy sauce with gentle heat. But don't worry—you can adjust the heat to your preference. Make it mild or super hot. You'll find the detailed instructions below.
- Simple Pasta Featuring Avocado: This easy-to-make spicy avocado pasta is an excellent weeknight dinner option. Half an hour is all you need to enjoy a satisfying meal.
The Ingredients
- Avocado: Ripe avocados are best for creating a creamy texture. Remove the skin and the stone.
- Olive Oil: Provides rich, classic Italian flavors that beautifully meld with the other ingredients. If you are thinking of swapping, choose any cooking oil with a neutral taste.
- Garlic: Fresh garlic has a robust flavor, so I prefer it. However, you can also substitute garlic powder.
- Lemon Juice is an ingredient that brings all the other ingredients together and enhances the richness of the avocado.
- Basil: Basil is the one ingredient that makes this dish more flavorful; I highly advise adding it fresh for the best vibrant flavor.
- Jalapeno: These infuse the dish with mild heat. Feel free to customize the heat to your liking; just add the flesh for minimal heat or use it with its seeds and the white membrane for a profound heat.
- Pasta: I went with bow-and-tie pasta because it has a satisfying texture. However, penne pasta is perfectly suitable as it can hold the creamy sauce and works well for this recipe.
The Directions
Prepare the Pasta: Cook the pasta according to the package instructions. Drain and set aside, reserving some pasta water for later use.
Make the Avocado Sauce: Add the avocado flesh, jalapeno flesh, lemon juice, garlic, three tablespoons of pasta water(we've reserved earlier), olive oil, and basil to the food processor and blend until smooth.
Combine: To a large bowl, add the cooked pasta and the avocado sauce. Toss gently until the pasta is evenly coated with the sauce(If the sauce is still too thick, add 2 to 3 tablespoons of pasta water).
Serve: Serve the pasta warm, sprinkled with Parmesan cheese if desired. Enjoy!
Storing Ideas
This avocado pasta is best enjoyed as soon as it's made, as its color can change after a couple of hours. Always make the pasta and avocado sauce fresh, and if needed, store the pasta in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 hours. After this time, the avocado may start discoloring, and the flavors will diminish.
If reheating is necessary, do so gently in the microwave, without overcooking it.
Cooking Tips and Tricks
Choosing the Right Pasta: The type of pasta is crucial for holding the creamy sauce. As discussed earlier, pasta types like penne, rigatoni, and bow-and-tie pasta are excellent for this recipe, as their shape allows them to hold this creamy avocado sauce.
Adding Lemon Juice: Incorporating lemon juice into this recipe is essential not only to enhance the acidity but also to maintain the color of the avocado(for a couple of hours).
Cooking the Pasta Al Dente: Getting the right texture for the pasta is very important.
For Extra Creaminess: You can toss in half a cup of Parmesan cheese for a super creamy texture. Sour cream or Greek yogurt are also excellent choices for rich creamy texture.
Frequently Asked Questions
This pasta dish is best to enjoy immediately, as the avocado sauce can turn brown(due to the avocado's natural oxidation properties). If you need to prepare ahead, prepare the pasta and combine it with the avocado sauce when ready to serve.
Yes, you can add meat proteins like chicken, turkey breast, shrimp, or salmon. For a vegetarian option, you can tofu or chickpeas.
Adding lemon juice helps preserve the color of the avocado for a couple of hours when stored in an air-sealed container.
Vegetables like spinach, cherry tomatoes, bell peppers, or zucchini can enhance the textures and flavors of the dish. Sauté them lightly before adding them to the pasta.
Other Pasta Dishes For Your Dinner
- Spicy pasta with Chickpeas
- Creamy corn pasta
- Roll-up Lasagna
- Shrimp Bruschetta
- Dairy-free alfredo sauce
Printable recipe card
Spicy Avocado Pasta
Ingredients
- 12 ounces pasta penne or fettuccine
- 2 avocados ripen, peeled, and pitted
- 1 jalapeno
- ½ cup fresh basil leaves
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon salt or as required
Instructions
Cook the Pasta
- Cook the pasta according to package instructions until al dente. Drain the pasta and reserve ½ cup of the pasta water.
Make the avocado sauce
- To a blender jar or in the food processor, add the avocado flesh, jalapeno flesh, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, and basil.
- Blend until smooth(If the sauce is too thick, add some reserved pasta water a little at a time until it reaches the desired consistency).
Combine
- In a large bowl, toss the cooked pasta and avocado sauce.
- Toss gently until pasta is coated with the sauce evenly.
Serve
- Serve immediately and ENJOY this spicy avocado pasta.
Nutrition
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