Avocado Pesto Pasta

Photo credit: Chef Chloe Coscarelli

Serves 4 to 6
Time: 60 minutes

I am obsessed with this vegan-friendly recipe for Avocado Pesto Pasta by Chef Chloe Coscarelli! I've made it several times and it's also well-loved by my meat eater husband. My only wish is for the recipe to be lower in fat. I plan on tinkering with it on the next go around. I'll keep you posted on the results. Bon appetit!

Recipe Notes: I've used pesto sauce/spread in place of fresh basil before to save time.  This recipe makes enough pesto sauce for several servings, so half the recipe if you're only cooking for one meal. The pesto sauce keeps for two to three days in the refrigerator and I've used it on burritos the nest day to get rid of leftovers. It tastes delicious!

Ingredients

1 pound linguine

1 bunch fresh basil, reserve some leaves for garnish 

½ cup pine nuts

2 avocados, pitted and peeled

2 tablespoons lemon juice

3 cloves garlic

½ cup olive oil

Sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 cup halved cherry tomatoes or sliced sun-dried tomatoes (optional)

Directions
Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Add linguine and cook according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, make the pesto by combining basil, pine nuts, avocados, lemon juice, garlic, and oil in a food processor. Process until smooth. Season generously with salt and pepper.

Toss pasta with pesto. For an extra touch of color and flavor, top pasta with cherry or sun-dried tomatoes. Divide pasta among serving bowls and garnish each serving with a basil leaf.