Italy and Mexico, while residing on separate continents and whose culinary fares are distinct in both flavor and presentation, can merge to form a delectable meal. In the middle of the coldest winter weather, we’ve got elegant comfort in a bowl with an avocado-based version of a traditional pasta Alfredo dish.
Alfredo always incorporates generous amounts of butter, cream, and cheese in its repertoire. But if you’re vegan or simply crave that luscious creaminess the dish is known for without the dairy, you’ll be happy to know you can achieve that velvety goodness with nature’s green fruit, the avocado. If you feel like adding Parmesan shavings, that’s perfectly delicious, too!
A few other key ingredients like toasted pine nuts or walnuts, olive oil, lemon juice, freshly cracked black pepper, basil or parsley and, of course, ripe avocados, make this a simple wonder.
And, if you’re buying a bunch of avocados to make this delicious pasta for a large family gathering, keep these handy tips in mind: Ready-to-eat avocados have dark green to black skin that yields to gentle pressure. If you’re holding out for a couple of days, look for green fruit with black speckled skin. Here’s a handy video to walk you through all of your tasty avo-purchasing options.
The beauty of this recipe, apart from ease and accessibility, is it’s a one-blender or food processor marvel. You combine everything until creamy smooth, later tossing the pasta with your avo-alfredo and a little bit of the pasta cooking water to loosen your “alfredo.”
Have some leftover sauce that you haven’t tossed with pasta yet? Treat it like guac by pouring a little water over your sauce before covering with cling film and storing in the fridge for a day or two. Easy-peasy and ready for your next snack or meal.