So long, move over hot dishes and stews. It’s time to say hello to chilled soups and pastas, because praise the Lord, summer is finally here!
I may have a lot going on in the medical realm right now, but my, oh my does the sun make my bones happy! Summer is absolutely beautiful. Thank goodness we don’t live in a place like Narnia, where winter is eternal. I think my cheerful spirit would slowly shrivel up and die if that were the case.
And if summer wasn’t already fabulous enough by itself, in less than one month Alex and I will be singing alongside his awesome mom Heidi and aunt Mindy at the U2 concert in Chicago. I know, I wish I could bring all of you with me too. Because c’mon, who doesn’t like U2? Bono and the Edge are the perfect combination of musical talent and overall awesomeness. It just doesn’t get much better than those two! (If you’re not convinced of this, I highly suggest listening to U2’s live, unplugged Jimmy Fallon performance.)
While this pasta definitely doesn’t have anything on U2 in the music department, it’s a new favorite in the Gaskill kitchen. If I put this recipe up against 10 of our other favorites, it definitely earns five stars. This creamy avocado pasta is the ultimate summer pasta, and it’s ridiculously easy to make!
There are really only three major steps:
1) Boil the noodles
» I am in love with Banza Shells. They are 100% gluten free and made from chickpeas!
2) Chop up the tomato and sauté the chopped asparagus
3) Blend together avocado sauce ingredients
The best part about this pasta? It’s another way to enjoy avocados. Just like U2 music, you can never have enough avocados!
- 6 ounces shell pasta
- 10 stalks asparagus, chopped
- 1/2 cup tomato, chopped
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic pepper
- For the avocado sauce:
- 1 avocado, peeled and seeded
- 1 garlic clove
- 3/4 cup kale
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoons nutritional yeast (optional)
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions; drain well and set aside.
- In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat and cook asparagus until slightly tender, about 8-10 minutes.
- To make the avocado sauce, combine avocado, garlic, kale, lemon juice and nutritional yeast in the bowl of a food processor. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- In a large bowl, combine pasta, avocado sauce, tomatoes and asparagus.
Haha, I too am glad I don’t live in Narnia (or Winterfell for that matter)! This salad looks perfect for the season, absolutely delicious! 🙂
Thank you Sam! And yes, so true! I need to catch up on the Game of Thrones hype … I am way too far behind!
Number one, so jealous that you get to see U2! Number two, this pasta looks wonderful.
Thanks, Erin! Maybe I’ll upload some photos from the concert to the blog! Have you ever been to one before?
This looks awesome, Lauren! All of my favorite things – that avocado sauce is calling my name. Looking forward to meeting you tonight!
Thanks, Katie! Looking forward to meeting you too! Hope you’re enjoying this BEAUTIFUL day we are having. Total paradise. 🙂
Never thought about using avocado before – what a fun idea!
Let me know if you try it Dani! 🙂
Oh my gosh!! This looks AMAZING. Avacado pasta is my fav and this just looks like it takes it to the next level. Will definitely be trying this out thank you 🙂