Creamy Avocado Pesto Pasta

I don’t know about you, but I get REALLY lazy on Monday night when it comes to cooking. Mondays are by far, the worst, when it comes to having enough motivation or inspiration to actually cook something. Lo and behold I got a post on my Facebook timeline of a video for this easy and quick avocado pesto pasta recipe and some longing stares, indicating I should make it. So I did, with a few modifications to the original recipe. And yes, this IS quick, easy, and delicious with very little cooking involved. Just cook your pasta, blitz the pesto in the blender, combine and your dinner is ready. Voila!

Creamy Avocado Pesto Pasta

Ingredients

• 1 lb. bag of any pasta of your choice, I used fusilli
• 2 ripe avocados, flesh scooped out
• 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 1 pint grape tomatoes
• 1/2 cup peas, fresh or frozen
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• a healthy bunch of basil
• 4 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• salt and freshly-ground pepper to taste
• 2 tbsp. parmesan (optional)

Method

1. Cook the pasta according to package instructions, drain and reserve
2. Heat up a small pan over medium heat, add 1 tbsp. of olive oil and the garlic. Sauté for a few minutes over medium-low heat, just until it’s slightly brown and nicely toasted. I like doing this before throwing it into the pesto to take the raw edge off – it still retains amazing flavor without the unpleasantness.
3. Once the garlic is done, throw together the avocados,  garlic, basil, lemon juice, olive oil, and salt. Blitz in the food processor or blender to a creamy, smooth consistency.
4. Cut up the grape tomatoes by simply cutting them in half, lengthwise. Take the frozen peas, put them in a bowl and stick them into the microwave for 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and the peas to the pasta. Add the creamy avocado pesto, mix well, and enjoy. Top with some more chopped basil and the freshly-ground pepper to finish and parmesan, if using.