Quick, put down the green food coloring! With all the amazing naturally green foodstuffs out there, there’s no need for that stuff, nuh uh.
Case in point:
This Creamy Avocado Kale Pasta is about as green as green can get.
This stuff and a tossed salad and you’ve got a gloriously green dinner for Saint Patrick’s Day. Bonus: It’ll be on the table in 20 minutes. No joke!
Have you heard of avocado pasta? Basically, you puree avocado with a few other tasty morsels and bam! The most luxuriously creamy pasta sauce. It’s brilliant and I wish I’d been the first to think of it, but I wasn’t (from what I can tell, it was Angela from Oh She Glows, which makes perfect sense because she’s always one to come up with such innovative recipes.)
This creamy avocado kale pasta is a riff on that one. I removed a couple of ingredients (basil and olive oil) and added to it (lots of kale and a smattering of pine nuts).
The result is an utterly emerald pasta dish that I definitely do not reserve just for St. Patrick’s Day. It’s an all-the-time thing around here.
(Oh, and bonus: This recipe is totally a sneaky way to usher kale into kale-haters’ diets without them even knowing. If, you know, you are into that sort of thing. 😉 )
Think green!
Creamy Avocado Kale Pasta
Ingredients
- 8 ounces whole wheat spaghetti (or another favorite pasta; we also like this with penne)
- 1/4 cup pine nuts (divided)
- 1 ripe avocado (pitted and peeled)
- 2 cups kale leaves (ribs removed and torn into medium pieces)
- 2 medium cloves garlic
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (more or less to taste)
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt + more to taste
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package instructions. RESERVE 1 CUP OF THE WATER YOU COOKED THE PASTA IN.
- While the pasta cooks, toast the pine nuts. Place in a skillet over medium heat and cook, stirring frequently, until just beginning to brown, about 3 minutes.
- Add 2 tablespoons of the toasted pine nuts to a pitcher of a high-powered blender along with the avocado, kale, garlic, lemon juice, crushed red pepper flakes, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Add 1/2 cup of the pasta water. Puree until completely smooth, adding more water, about 1 tablespoon at a time, if needed to keep it moving.
- Add cooked and drained pasta to your serving bowl. Pour the avocado-kale sauce over the top. Toss to combine. Top with remaining pine nuts. Serve immediately.
Notes
Meat option:
Top carnivores' portions with a few slices of grilled chicken breast.Gluten-free option:
Swap in your favorite gluten-free pasta. I love brown rice pasta. Adapted from Oh She Glows
Creamy Avocado Kale Pesto Pasta – Only 20 minutes and a short list of ingredients and you have an entirely plant-based, utterly creamy, vibrantly green, and absolutely delicious pasta on your hands. And in your mouth. Vegan; meat option
I’m so glad you’re here! I’m a vegetarian home cook, certified plant-based pro, and mom. I’m married to an enthusiastic carnivore, and my mission is to achieve peace in the kitchen – one tasty recipe at a time. These days, I also try not to ask to speak to the manager.
Looks great! Do you think I could sub pecans instead of the very expensive pine nuts here in Maui?
Absolutely – walnuts and cashews work great too. Or pumpkin seeds!