This creamy avocado pesto requires just 4 ingredients (two of which are salt and pepper!) and only 5 minutes to make. In combination with homemade gluten free pasta, it makes the perfect filling, nourishing, quick mid-week meal. (It’s also perfect in wraps, as a dip, on toast… or on a spoon.)
Last week we talked about gluten free pasta. We were all excited because it’s easy and quick to make, and all sorts of things have suddenly become possible. Gluten free ravioli? Gluten free lasagna? It’s all at our fingertips, and I’m already brainstorming away. If I could, I’d live in the kitchen, making pasta all day long.
For now, we’ll make do with this quick and easy creamy 4-ingredient avocado pesto recipe, which goes beautifully with our gluten free tagliatelle. (And note that I include salt and pepper in the 4-ingredients… so it’s kind of a 2-ingredient recipe.)
Ingredients for avocado pesto
This avocado pesto is simplicity itself. Just look at this ingredients list:
Avocados. (Well, duh.)
Mint. (You can sub in basil, but I prefer the freshness of mint.)
Salt.
Pepper.
Optional: you can add a squeeze of lemon juice for an extra zing, but that’s completely up to you.
This recipe is a bit of a non-recipe, if we’re being honest. It’s more like… an idea. You can easily customise it to fit your tastebuds – you can swap mint for basil, add some garlic or some chilli… there’s no right or wrongs here.
And because all you do is blend everything together, it’s easy to taste-test as you go. I’d always advise you to add things slowly – you can always add more, but can’t remove the ingredient once it’s in there.
And in goes the pasta…
Once you’ve prepared the pesto, all that’s left to do is mix in the cooked pasta. I wouldn’t drain the pasta at all, just transfer it straight from its cooking pot into the pesto. There’s a good reason for this: transferring the cooked pasta from its pot means that you’ll also add some of the cooking water alongside. This amps up the creaminess + smoothness factor by about a bazillion.
Sprinkle a bit of chopped mint on top – and voila: you’ve got yourself a quick (gluten and dairy free!!!) mid-week meal. And it really is quick: you can make the avocado pesto while the pasta is cooking, so it shouldn’t take you more that 10 to 15 minutes.
That’s right. 10 to 15 minutes for a filling, nourishing meal that also happens to look quite pretty, with its shades of green.
But you can also use this creamy avocado pesto on other things: in wraps, as a dip, on toast… on a spoon. So go get yourself some avocados, and get blending!
P.S. Note that the allergen information in the title refers to the pesto – with the pasta, the meal is not vegan or paleo… but it is still gluten and dairy free (and delicious)!
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Creamy 4-Ingredient Avocado Pesto (Gluten & Dairy Free, Vegan, Paleo)
This creamy avocado pesto requires just 4 ingredients (two of which are salt and pepper!) and only 5 minutes to make. In combination with homemade gluten free pasta, it makes the perfect filling, nourishing, quick mid-week meal. It's also perfect in wraps, as a dip, on toast… or on a spoon.
NOTE: The quantities below feed 2 peckish people or 1 really hungry person.
Ingredients
- 1 medium ripe avocado
- 9 - 12 mint leaves (9 if the leaves are large-ish, 12 if they are smaller)
- salt and pepper (to taste)
Optional add-ins:
- 1/2 - 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- pinch of chilli flakes
Instructions
In a blender or food processor, blend all avocado pesto ingredients (with any optional add-ins) until smooth and creamy.
Mix in with pasta, spread onto a wrap, or use as a dip – and enjoy!
The avocado pesto keeps well in a closed container in the fridge for 3 - 4 days. (If you want to prepare the avocado pesto in advance, I recommend adding the lemon juice to prevent the avocado from going brown.)
Looking for more HEALTHY vegan recipes? I’ve got you covered!
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