Avocado Pasta with Asparagus and Peas

I love all pasta recipes.

Most of the time I don’t care if the pasta is real (gluten) or imitation (non-gluten); it’s all about the sauce and other ingredients.

Over the years I’ve tried a lot of gluten free pastas and really by the time you put a sauce on it you can’t tell a lot of difference. One thing I did once when I was trying not to eat too much pasta was I made Zucchini Pasta with Pine Nuts and most of the “pasta” was zucchini noodles and I used about a quarter size of whole wheat pasta. That turned out really good because the real pasta kept the zucchini pasta from going too limp and gave it a little more body for holding the sauce. I will do that one again.

I found this Avocado Pasta recipe at wellplated.com. Not sure how I happened upon this but I’m glad I did. I added some chopped fresh spinach to the skillet because I wanted to make sure there was plenty of vegetables and “green” color; it did the trick.

If you’re a pasta fan like me maybe you keep your pantry stocked with all kinds of shapes and textures of pasta. If you do, then you are prepared to throw together a quick and easy meal.

BLAST FROM THE PAST: Looking for the best hushpuppy you will ever put in your mouth? Then try my dad’s recipe and see some great pictures of him with his fish and garden; this is the BEST Hushpuppies My Dad’s Way you will try.

When the pasta is almost done add in the asparagus pieces for a few minutes.

Add in the avocado sauce and toss to combine.

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Avocado Pasta with Asparagus and Peas

Ingredients

• 8 ounces orecchiette
• 1 pound asparagus cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 medium ripe avocado halved and peeled with the pit removed
• 1 clove garlic peeled
• 1/4 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves plus additional for garnish
• 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves plus additional for garnish
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt plus additional for cooking the pasta
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta. About 3 minutes before the pasta is due to finish cooking to al dente (according to package instructions), add the asparagus and cook an additional 3 minutes, or until the pasta is al dente. Reserve 1 cup pasta water, drain the pasta, and set aside.
2. While the pasta cooks, prepare the sauce. Add the avocado, garlic, Greek yogurt, parsley, basil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper to a food processor or blender. Process on high for 20 to 30 seconds, until smooth, stopping to scrape down the bowl as needed.
3. In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium low. Add the green onion and cook 2 to 3 minutes, until soft. Add the arugula and peas and cook another 2 minutes, until the arugula is wilted. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the drained pasta and asparagus. Add the avocado sauce and toss gently to combine, adding a bit of the reserved pasta water as needed if the pasta is too thick or clumping together. Taste and add additional salt and/or pepper as desired. Serve immediately.