Creamy Avocado Pesto
If you are anything like me, you can never eat too much avocado. Sliced, diced or mashed, I put the fruit in or on practically everything. That said, this was my first time putting it on pasta. I was a bit nervous at first. I didn't want my avocado pesto to resemble guacamole on pasta. Luckily, it didn't. It was creamy and full of flavor.
This post originally appeared on KQED's Bay Area Bites.
Ingredients
- 1 cup Cherry Tomatoes
- 2 avocados
- ½ lime, juiced
- 2 cloves garlic
- 4 servings pasta, linguini or spaghetti
- ⅛ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup pine nuts, chopped
- Cilantro, chopped (for garnish)
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to directions.
- In a medium skillet, add just enough olive oil to coat the pan over a medium-high heat. When the oil has warmed, it will appear water-like and begin to shimmer.
- Add the cherry tomatoes, let them cook for a few minutes so that they sear. Flip the tomatoes so they sear on the opposite side. When both sides are seared, remove them from the heat.
- Add the garlic to the food processor and mince it.
- Pit the avocados. (See my video on pitting avocados)
- Add in the remaining olive oil and the lime juice and mix well. Then add in the lime zest and avocado meat, puree until slightly chunky.
- Toss the cooked pasta with the avocado sauce and the tomatoes.
- Chop the pine nuts and the cilantro separately to be used as garnish.
- Garnish and enjoy!