Avocado Pesto Pasta

Okay so I debated and debated about putting the nutritional information on this recipe - please don't freak out! Yes, the numbers are a lot higher than most of the things that I post on here. But you have to remember that a GOOD deal of that is from the avocados. Avocados are high in calories and in fat but they are really good for you. They are packed with good for you monounsaturated fats (MUFAs) that are really good for your heart. This is information from http://www.avocado.org/nutrition/:

"Avocados provide nearly 20 essential nutrients, including fiber, potassium, Vitamin E, B-vitamins and folic acid. They also act as a "nutrient booster" by enabling the body to absorb more fat-soluble nutrients, such as alpha and beta-carotene and lutein, in foods that are eaten with the fruit."


See? Lots of benefits. But still, if you are on a diet or watching/counting calories you will want to be moderate about your avocado intake. And if you want a comparison:

Source: http://www.avocado.org/nutrition/

Okay, so back to my recipe. This recipe contains NO cheese and NO butter and it was amazing. It was creamy and delicious and my husband absolutely went gaga over it. I loved the texture that the avocados contributed - you would have sworn that I made this dish with all different kinds of creams or cheeses. And it is also meatless! It comes together in the time it takes to boil your noodles. Really. I didn't add the tomatoes this time around but I would love to try it with some sundried tomatoes. It doesn't NEED it but it would be yummy. They have a great brand that you can find that are dried sundried tomatoes - not packed in oil. Fantastic meal! Try it!

This recipe and picture are courtesy of Chef Chloe and can be found at this site here: http://chefchloe.com/entrees/avocado-pesto-pasta.html

AVOCADO PESTO PASTA

From Chef Chloe

Servings 6

Nutritional Information per serving (calculated on MyFitnessPal.com): Calories 432, Carbs 55, Fat grams 19, Protein 11 (Calculated on whole wheat linguine and Classico Traditional Basil Pesto)

• 1 pound linguine (I used 13.25 ounces of whole wheat 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)

*All of these ingredients can be replaced with 1/2 of an 8.1 ounce jar of Classico Traditional Basil Pesto. That is what I did because I didn't want to buy the rest of the ingredients individually.

Bring a large pot of generously 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.