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A white bowl filled with avocado penne pasta topped with cherry tomatoes.

Avocado Pasta with Herbs (Vegan, Gluten Free)

5 from 5 votes
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Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 4
Author: Christin McKamey
This Avocado Pasta with Herbs is so colorful, flavorful and healthy. It's also easy to whip up in just 15 minutes, using only your food processor (and boiling the noodles). No other cooking required!
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Equipment

  • Food Processor
  • Medium/Large Pot (to boil pasta)

Ingredients

  • 8 ounces pasta of choice (penne works well) - gluten free if desired
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil - optional
  • 2-3 garlic cloves* - minced
  • 2 medium ripe avocados - pitted and skins removed
  • 1 cup fresh basil leaves - loosely packed, stems removed
  • 1 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley - stems removed
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk - (or other plant based milk)
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground sea salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
  • 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast - optional
  • 1 cup cherry tomato halves

Instructions

  • In a large pot, cook pasta according to package directions, to al dente. Drain. Transfer pasta back into pot and set aside. Do not rinse.
  • Meanwhile (while cooking the noodles), in a food processor, add lemon juice, olive oil, minced garlic, avocados, basil, parsley, almond milk, sea salt, black pepper, crushed red pepper and nutritional yeast (if desired). Process until smooth and creamy. Note: you may need to stop and stir the sauce and blend again if ingredients get stuck to the side.
    2 images showing the ingredients for avocado pasta sauce blended in a food processor.
  • Add pasta to a large bowl. Then add the avocado sauce to the pasta and stir to blend well. The pasta will warm the sauce slightly, or you can heat over low heat on the stove until desired temperature (this pasta can also be eaten cold).
    2 photos showing before and after of combining avocado pasta sauce with penne pasta.
  • Top with cherry tomatoes and serve immediately (see notes below for storage instructions). This recipe makes 4 small servings (about 1 cup each). Add additional sea salt (Fleur de sel French salt is recommended), red pepper flakes, and/or nutritional yeast before serving, if desired. 
    A white bowl filled with avocado penne pasta topped with cherry tomatoes.

Video

Notes

  • Storage Instructions: Avocado tends to brown pretty quickly when exposed to air. It's best to serve this immediately, if possible. However, you can store for a few hours (or overnight) using this method:
    1. Add the pasta to a resealable glass or plastic container.
    2. Cover the pasta with wax or parchment paper and press down so it’s flat and there is as little air touching the pasta as possible.
    3. Over the paper, add the top of the container and seal. See photo in post for example. Basically, the less air that touches the avocado sauce, the better, and the sauce will last longer without browning. 
  • *The garlic cloves used in this recipe are not going to be cooked, so if you don't love garlic, err on the side of less.
  • This dish makes about 4 cups pasta, roughly 1 cup per person. Because of the high fat content, it's recommended to have this pasta with a side salad or other healthy side dish for a fuller meal. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1cup | Calories: 364kcal | Carbohydrates: 52g | Protein: 10.5g | Fat: 13.6g | Sodium: 178mg | Sugar: 3.1g
Did you make this recipe?Mention @veggie__chick or tag #veggiechick