Avocado pasta is a warm pasta dish made with cooked pasta, avocados and other ingredients like olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, basil, salt and pepper. Popular variations of the dish can be made by inclusion of additional ingredients like mushrooms, asparagus, peas, chicken, salmon or tuna. Avocadoes may be used in pureed or mashed form, and may be raw or cooked. They lend a smooth, buttery taste to the pasta dish.
Ingredients and Preparation
Avocado pasta is made with avocados, pasta such as spaghetti or fettucine, olive oil, garlic, basil leaves, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Avocados may be used in mashed or pureed form.
To prepare the dish, one can process the various ingredients except pasta together to make a creamy sauce which is then tossed with cooked pasta. Alternately, garlic and avocados can be cooked in heated olive oil to prepare a sauce with other flavoring ingredients and cream. The cooked pasta is tossed with this sauce. Avocado is mashed in the sauce, and some of the avocado pieces may be retained in the dish for texture.
Serving
Avocado pasta is served warm, immediately after preparation, and does not reheat well. It is served in warmed pasta serving bowls as a starter or side dish. Common accompaniments to the dish are green salad and crusty bread. It may also be served as a one-dish meal by itself.
Variations
- Chicken Avocado Pasta: Diced chicken breasts, which have been browned in olive oil, are used in combination with mashed avocados and cheese for this pasta dish.
- Avocado Mushroom Pasta: This consists of cooked pasta, a mushroom sauce and sliced avocado. The mushroom sauce is made with ingredients like flour, milk, onions, garlic, mushrooms, chili flakes, nutmeg and cheese.
- Shrimp Avocado Pasta: Garlic, avocado and shrimp are cooked in heated oil and then added to cooked pasta along with seasonings.
- Avocado and Pesto Pasta: The sauce for this pasta is made by processing together pine nuts, basil, garlic, olive oil, salt, parmesan cheese and avocado.
- Salmon Avocado Pasta: This can be made by preparing a sauce with white sauce and mashed avocado and salmon, which is mixed into cooked pasta.
Nutritional Information
Avocado pasta shares the health benefits of avocados, which are known to have anti inflammatory and anti cancer properties. Avocados are rich in anti-inflammatory nutrients like flavonoids and polyphenols. They are also known to help in regulating cholesterol. They are rich in folate which helps in prevention of congenital birth defects, and also beneficial for blood pressure regulation and eye health. Pasta is also a rich source of complex carbohydrates and folic acid. A single serving of avocado pasta contains about 448.7 calories, 28.1g fat of which 4g is saturated fat, 3.9g is polysaturated and 18.6g is monosaturated, 12.2mg sodium, 556.1mg potassium, 47.3g carbohydrate and 9.6g protein. Exact calorie count differs with recipes.
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