Creamy Avocado Pasta | Food-4Tots | Recipes for Toddlers

27 June 2012 | 47 comments
Posted in 30-minutes recipe, Featured Articles, One-dish meal, pasta, Vegetarian, Western

RECIPE FOR CREAMY AVOCADO PASTA
Source: Adapted and modified from Oh She Glows
Serving: 2-3 (Best for 2 adults and one kid)
Ingredients for creamy avocado sauce:
1 medium size ripe avocado (pitted, roughly cut)
1 clove of garlic (roughly chopped)
2 tsp lemon juice (note 1)
½ tsp salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2.5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup chopped cilantro or herbs such as basil or parsley (optional)
160g pasta of your choice (I used durum wheat spaghetti)
For garnishing:
Handful of roasted chopped walnuts (note 2)
Handful of green peas (note 3)
Lemon zest (from 1 lemon) – (note 4)
Methods:
Put water in a large pot and bring to a boil. Add salt and pasta, reduce heat to medium, and cook until Al Dente for about 8-10 minutes (depending on the brand).
Drain the pasta but reserve 4 tbsps of pasta water. Return pasta to the pot with the water.
Make the avocado sauce. Place chopped avocado, chopped garlic cloves, lemon juice, olive oil and cilantro or herbs (if use) into a food processor. Blend until smooth and creamy. Season with salt and black pepper.
Pour sauce onto the pasta from step (1) and toss until the pasta is fully coated with the sauce. Transfer pasta to individual serving plates. Sprinkle green peas, walnuts and garnish with lemon zest. Serve immediately.
Notes:
Add one extra teaspoon for more lemony taste.
I used raw walnuts from US. To roast the walnuts, preheat oven at 160°C. Rinse lightly and pat dry with kitchen towel. Arrange walnuts in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake for about 15-20 minutes or until fragrant and toasted. Give it a stir once or twice. Set aside to cool. Roughly chopped.
Thaw frozen green peas and blanch over boiling water for about 1 minute or until cooked. Immediately remove from the boiling water and plunge into an ice bath (a bowl full of ice and water). Immense the green peas in the ice bath until they are completely cool and then drain. This method is called “shocking” which will halt its cooking process completely and maintain the green hue of the green peas. If you want to skip this step, add green peas to step (1) 2 minutes before the end of the cooking time.
You can use a zester or grater to zest your lemon. You can also use a vegetable peeler too. First, wash and scrub the fruit. Rinse and pat dry with a paper towel. Carefully peel off a strip of the orange rind working from top to bottom. Only outer yellow layers are needed as the white part will give a bitter taste to the dish. Take one strip (or a few), flatten it on the cutting board. Slice (julienne) the peel into very thin strip.
This dish needs to be served immediately as it does not reheat well due to the avocado in the sauce.
Other ingredients that can be added to this dish are chicken, shrimp, salmon, bacon, ham, sausages, broccoli, toasted pine nuts and grated parmesan cheese.

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47 Comments

Little Corner of Mine says:
27 June 2012 at 10:59 am
You had me at creamy and then avocado sauce, what a great way to enjoy avocado!
Reply
- food-4tots says:
  28 June 2012 at 4:25 pm
  LCOM: Quick, go and try it out! You’re going to love it. 😉
  Reply
Joanne says:
27 June 2012 at 11:15 am
This is definitely one of my favorite dishes! And such a delicious way to use avocado.
Reply
- food-4tots says:
  28 June 2012 at 11:38 pm
  Joanne: It’s also our favourite too! 😉
  Reply
The Sudden Cook says:
27 June 2012 at 11:48 am
I have yet to try any recipes using an avocado – this just might be my first.
Reply
- food-4tots says:
  28 June 2012 at 11:39 pm
  The Sudden Cook: Do give it a try! Hope you’ll like it! 😉
  Reply
evelyn says:
27 June 2012 at 2:13 pm
So far, I have only tried making smoothies with avocado and my family loves it! I shall try this receipe and I love best is that it takes only 5 mins to make the sauce 🙂
Reply
- food-4tots says:
  28 June 2012 at 11:40 pm
  Evelyn: This is really a quick and easy pasta dish. Hope it suits your family’s palate. 😉
  Reply
Angie@Angie's Recipes says:
27 June 2012 at 5:38 pm
I always love simple yet delicious dishes. This looks scrumptious with avocado sauce.
Reply
- food-4tots says:
  28 June 2012 at 11:42 pm
  Angie (Angie’s Recipes): Do give it a try! 😉
  Reply
Priya says:
See Also
These Weight Loss-Friendly Dinner Recipes Take No Time To Make After A Hectic Day Mark Sisson's Fave Keto Recipes 20 Recipes That Are Perfect for an Elegant Afternoon Tea Party 21 Protein-Packed Vegan Recipes for Lentil Lovers
27 June 2012 at 8:18 pm
Wat a fantastic,super delicious and mouthwatering dish.
Reply
- food-4tots says:
  29 June 2012 at 10:21 am
  Priya: Thanks!! 🙂
  Reply
MaryMoh says:
27 June 2012 at 9:12 pm
That’s such a healthy creamy sauce for pasta…creative! I don;t really know how to use up avocado except to make avocado drink with condensed milk.
Reply
- food-4tots says:
  29 June 2012 at 10:22 am
  MaryMoh: Maybe give this recipe a try so you will have one more interesting way to use avocado. 😉
  Reply
TasteHongKong says:
27 June 2012 at 11:57 pm
Love how fast such healthy sauce could be made and how versatile it could pair with various ingredients. I have an appetite for it to go with pine nuts, broccoli and salmon now : ).
Reply
- food-4tots says:
  29 June 2012 at 10:24 am
  TasteHongKong: Love your creative combination!! 🙂
  Reply
Nami | Just One Cookbook says:
28 June 2012 at 1:43 am
I already can’t wait to try this. I have a bag of avocados waiting for me to use! Never thought of using avocado for pasta. Sounds fun and delicious!
Reply
- food-4tots says:
  29 June 2012 at 10:24 am
  Nami (JOC): It’s a new discovery to me too. I was so excited when I first chanced upon this recipe. 😉
  Reply
Alice says:
28 June 2012 at 9:08 am
What a great idea in using Avocado! Love it.
Reply
- food-4tots says:
  29 June 2012 at 10:25 am
  Alice: It’s really a great choice for working mom like you. Do give it a try! 😉
  Reply
Little Inbox says:
28 June 2012 at 11:09 am
This is a great idea and it’s definitely healthier. I’m thinking of intrducing it to my girl’s diet. Still thinking how to…
Reply
- food-4tots says:
  29 June 2012 at 10:26 am
  Little Inbox: Besides pasta, you can make dessert and drink too. You may like to check out these recipes from my blog. 🙂
  Reply
wokandspoon says:
See Also
New recipes! – The Green Room Recipes
29 June 2012 at 5:30 am
My 2 girls loved avocado when they were babies but now just push it aside! I’m still a big fan. Lovely pasta dish.
Reply
- food-4tots says:
  30 June 2012 at 11:34 pm
  Wowandspoon: Maybe this dish will win back their love for avocado. Do give it a try. 😉
  Reply
Christine's Recipes says:
29 June 2012 at 9:40 pm
We love avocado, but ever tried avocado with pasta. Sounds great! Must give it a go some time.
Reply
- food-4tots says:
  30 June 2012 at 11:07 pm
  Christine’s Recipes: Yeah, for a change. 😉
  Reply
tigerfish says:
29 June 2012 at 11:35 pm
5 minutes and no cooking? I ‘m sold. I usually use mashed avocado as spread on toast/sandwich + veggie omelette as sandwich filling.
Reply
- food-4tots says:
  30 June 2012 at 11:08 pm
  Tigerfish: Unbelievable right? Must try, must try!! Thanks for sharing your way. I will give it a try. 😉
  Reply
Carolyn Jung says:
30 June 2012 at 3:12 am
I had no idea that kids were so adverse to avocados. What a shame that is since avocados are one of life’s creamy-dreamy pleasures to eat. I can’t say I’ve ever tried avocado in a pasta sauce. But I can totally see how its lovely texture would lend itself to that.
Reply
- food-4tots says:
  30 June 2012 at 11:09 pm
  Carolyn Jung: Maybe this will be a better and interesting way to introduce avocado to the kids. 😉
  Reply
Janine says:
30 June 2012 at 7:22 pm
I think it might be because avocados used to be very expensive and parents tended to steer clear of it. my mom didn’t buy avocados at all when i was younger, and it was only recently that i bought some to experiment with, and to my surprise, it was really good! love how you styled the photos – the peas look like a good refreshing ‘pop’ to the creamy pasta!
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- food-4tots says:
  30 June 2012 at 11:22 pm
  Janine: Avocado used to be a very pricey fruit one decade ago. So, not many are willing to explore it. Luckily, my ex-colleague taught me how to use it. Thanks for your compliment! 😉
  Reply
food-4tots says:
8 September 2012 at 11:11 pm
Yoges: I don’t recommend the method you mentioned. It’s better to consumer it as soon as possible to prevent the avocado being oxidized.
Reply
Luishu says:
17 October 2012 at 12:16 pm
Great recipe!! Tried it with peas and bacon bits, and it was a success with my 18mth fussy eater girl and veg adverse hubby..haha!!
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- food-4tots says:
  18 October 2012 at 10:19 pm
  Luishu: Thanks for the feedback!! Wow!! I’m so so so glad to hear it!
  Reply
ying says:
10 May 2013 at 2:49 pm
Ms Low, What can i say? It’s so nice i cant believe myself for making this simple yet nutritious lunch for my son. Thank you very much for sharing so many wonderful recipes. You are my shi fu!!!
Reply
- food-4tots says:
  12 May 2013 at 11:44 pm
  Ying: It’s my pleasure to share. So glad to hear such a sweet feedback! Thank you! Thank you! 😉
  Reply
lilis says:
13 April 2014 at 12:28 pm
I dun know. I tried this recipe just now. The strong garlic taste seems spicy to me. I throw whole thing and made another breakfast for my son.
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- food-4tots says:
  14 April 2014 at 8:56 pm
  Lilis: Thank you for sharing your feedback. You may consider to cut down the amount of garlic in your next attempt. If you don’t like the taste of raw garlic, you can pan-fry lightly the garlic first before blending it with avocado. 🙂
  Reply
Crissy says:
25 June 2014 at 7:22 am
This recipe is always a hit! Easy, fast and so so good. And I’m not even vegan!
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- food-4tots says:
  4 July 2014 at 10:34 pm
  Crissy: Thank you for your kind feedback!! So glad it suits your palate! 🙂
  Reply
Tobius says:
12 October 2014 at 9:01 am
I didn’t think this would be good as I really hate avocaddo’s, but I thought I would at least try it, and this was actually quite good, and I will make again…
Reply
- food-4tots says:
  17 October 2014 at 9:54 pm
  Tobius: Great to know that this dish has managed to change your perception about avocado. 🙂
  Reply
ACH says:
16 April 2015 at 12:11 pm
Hi there, I am trying to get my daughter to put on weight as she’s only at the 3% at 22 months. I am thinking to try avocado on her.
You mentioned about dipping avocado sticks into mayo and toasted sesame. For that do you choose very ripe avocados? Also, is it you roast the sesame seeds in a pan and then add to the mayo? Is there particular brand of mayo that you use?
I am desparate to help my girl gain weight. So far she hasn’t liked any of the avocado smoothies or spreads I prepared. But I shall press on to try whatever I can find!
Thanks in advance 🙂
Reply
- food-4tots says:
  24 April 2015 at 4:54 pm
  ACH: If the avocado is too ripe, the texture will be very soft and mushy. Yes, I dried fry (without oil) the sesame seeds in a pan first. I used to buy Kraft but can’t find it lately. I am using Waitrose now. 🙂
  Reply
Kathy says:
1 April 2016 at 10:31 am
Thank you for this recipe, possible to freeze?
Reply
- food-4tots says:
  7 April 2016 at 1:25 pm
  Kathy: No, I wouldn’t advise you to do so. 🙂
  Reply

Creamy Avocado Pasta | Food-4Tots | Recipes for Toddlers - Part 2 (2024)

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