Creamy Avocado Pesto Pasta with Zucchini Noodles

It’s my belief that no matter how amateur of a chef you are, you should be capable enough to create and experience homemade pesto sauce. The great thing about pesto is that it’s kind of difficult to mess up, as the flavor comes straight from the quality of the ingredients rather than any special cooking techniques. At its core, all you need to make a good pesto sauce is a bunch of fresh basil, olive oil, garlic, a handful of nuts (usually pine nuts, but you can also use pistachios, walnuts, or even almonds), some salt, pepper, and a blender or food processor. You mostly just measure and press a button on your appliance and voila – homemade pesto. The flavor of homemade pesto is also worlds better than the store bought kind in jars, which always ends up being more of a greenish-brown than that bright green that reminds you of the freshness of the ingredients.

That said, one of my favorite ways take the standard sauce to the next level is with this creamy avocado pesto. The magic of this sauce is that it has that wonderfully creamy consistency that coats every noodle of pasta, but utilizes NO cream. The creaminess comes from the avocado, which adds that buttery texture as well as heart-healthy fats while allowing the flavor of the basil to still shine. The lemon juice in the recipe adds a brightness to the sauce, and it also helps to keep the sauce a vibrant green and prevent the avocado from browning. The parmesan is optional if you’re vegan, but otherwise it is highly recommended for some sharp cheesy goodness. All in, this recipe provides 32 g of heart-healthy monounsaturated fat around 600 calories while packing in 15 g of protein and 16 g of fiber per serving, primarily from the avocado, extra virgin olive oil, walnuts, and use of zucchini noodles over regular pasta.

Now about the noodles: yes you can use any kind of pasta here, but the zucchini noodles I used provide the healthiest option that comes with wayy less carbs (if you do use pasta, I recommend a whole wheat spaghetti or fresh linguine). To make the zucchini noodles, I invested in the GEFU Spirelli Spiral Slicer which I found on Amazon for $30 at the time. This simple kitchen gadget is the size of a drinking glass and turns your vegetable into noodles with a simple twist, as you can see in the photo above that used 1 zucchini.

While there are fancier vegetable spiralizers available on Amazon, I really don’t have the counter or cabinet space for something that large in my NYC apartment’s kitchen. The handheld Gefu provides a smaller alternative that still does the job of creating the zucchini noodles with a few twists, taking about a minute to turn 1 large zucchini into 1 serving of zoodles. That said, if you do have the kitchen space and plan to make zoodles regularly, the fancier Paderno Spiral Vegetable Slicer seems to be well worth the investment based on reviews.

For this particular recipe, it helps to make the avocado pesto sauce first, then to cook the zucchini noodles so that you can mix the room temperature sauce with the hot “pasta” and serve while it’s still warm. If you’re using regular pasta, you should go ahead and throw your pasta into the boiling water first and then utilize the cooking time to make your sauce. Toppings-wise, I added a bit of grilled chicken to make it a bit more filling with some extra protein, but this would also go wonderfully with shrimp for a Meatless Monday or Lenten Friday option, or Italian sausage (I’ve made it with the latter successfully multiple times). You’ll want to use 1 zucchini per serving if you’re making zucchini noodles. Again, you can substitute the zoodles for your choice of pasta because after all, this pesto sauce is packed with so much heart-healthy fats that you can feel good about indulging in carbs to go with it.

This recipe will make enough creamy avocado pesto sauce for 2 servings, so if you’re cooking for yourself, you can either divide the measurements accordingly or just pack the extra sauce in a mason jar like I did. The sauce will last in the refrigerator for up to 3 days – just scrape out any part that does manage to get brown (hint: try the sauce in a sandwich, with eggs, or as a veggie dip if you want to change it up from the pasta routine!). One warning: don’t be surprised if the sauce turns brown if you microwave it – purely a reaction of cooking the avocado! As a result, I recommend heating your pasta/zoodles separately and stirring in the sauce to prevent this 🙂