Vegan Avocado Pesto Pasta with Cherry Tomato-Flavor Quotient

The hottest trend this season should be this vegan avocado pesto pasta which is a must try if you want to create a restaurant quality pasta experience at home! Easy, quick & oh-so-delicious – this avocado pesto pasta topped with soft grilled cherry tomatoes will create an elite memory of its own!

When you incidentally create something which you did not originally plan to create in the first place but it turned out absolutely amazing, will you feel bad or good?

Well, I felt overjoyed!

Since I do not follow a vegan diet, I was not specifically looking to create a vegan avocado pesto pasta recipe.

However, during the process of making it, I realized that this can be an amazing vegan pasta recipe! When and how did I get hit with this realization? Fair question!

It happened when I tasted the pasta for seasoning just before adding the cheese.

And I was blown away!

This avocado pesto pasta does not need any cheese whatsoever as it is just incredibly tasty on its own! So skip the cheese and call your vegan friends home for a restaurant style pasta treat!

With softly grilled cherry tomatoes on top of green avocado pesto pasta, this vegan pasta recipe is a keeper!

What is avocado pesto pasta?

A traditional Italian basil pesto is my most favorite discovery since the time I have involved myself in the magical world of culinary wonders!

You will see way too many pesto pasta recipes in my blog with variations to suit our mood for that day!

So what makes this avocado pesto pasta different? This is a special vegan pasta with creamy avocado pesto that’s both rich and dairy-free.

With loads of fresh Italian basil leaves, this avocado pesto pasta is not only creamy, but also supremely flavorful with the authentic Italian vibes!

Ingredients for avocado pesto pasta

Avocado: This superfood has been part of my daily meals for many months now; I can’t tell you how delighted I am to make this avocado pesto pasta using this favorite ingredient of mine!

Avocado is perfect for making a creamy pesto which automatically reduces the need to add a lot of oil to your pesto; yet you are rewarded with a perfectly creamy bite of pasta!

And then the combination of flavorful Italian basil leaves with creamy avocado is just to die for! I honestly regret not making it earlier!

You must avoid making this same mistake and get your hands on a perfectly ripe avocado immediately; then get going with this vegan avocado pesto pasta!

Fresh basil: This Italian herb must be rewarded for its flavor and aroma! Everytime I make pesto, I never fail to wonder how a herb can be so mind-blowingly flavorful!

The quantity of basil leaves is totally up to you; but at a minimum you will need 2 cups of fresh basil leaves. Feel free to use more if you are as hooked to this herb as I am!

Extra-virgin olive oil: A good pesto requires a good quality of extra virgin olive oil and in generous amounts.

However, since we are using avocado in this pesto, I have cut down the oil by half compared to my regular pesto recipe without avocado.

That’s simply because avocado itself is a good source of fat and imparts that much needed creaminess into the pesto.

Walnut: In traditional Italian pesto recipe, pine nuts are used to give the pesto a body & crunch.

However, walnuts are also a good substitute in case pine nuts are not very commonly available in your region. I have used walnuts in most of my pesto recipes which turned out really well!

Garlic: This aromatic is a must to bring together all the pesto ingredients. But you won’t need a lot of garlic – just 6 to 8 small cloves will work their magic on this avocado pesto pasta!

Pasta: Now which pasta is best for this avocado pesto pasta? Let me answer that for you!

Any!

Yes, you heard me right! You can use whichever pasta you like to make this avocado pesto pasta and it will turn out phenomenal every time! That’s a guarantee from me!

You can use penne, which is what I used and is the most common one that I see in restaurants here. Other options of short pastas would be rigatoni, fusilli, farfalle etc.

Even large pastas like spaghetti, fettuccine or tagliatelle will also produce great results!

Cherry tomato: The combination of bright red cherry tomatoes over the vibrant green avocado pesto pasta creates an appetizing platter and will make you hungry instantly!

If you don’t have cherry tomatoes handy, you can use regular tomatoes cutting them into large chunks and then use as instructed for cherry tomatoes.

Red chilli flakes: Add a kick of spiciness to your creamy avocado pesto pasta by adding a teaspoon full of red chilli flakes.

We really adore this subtle kick of chilli in our pastas, but if you are not fond of spiciness, you can absolutely skip this.

Seasoning: Season your pesto while blending with salt to taste. Also season the pasta while tossing it with pesto with salt & pepper.

How to make Avocado pesto pasta?

First let’s see how to make avocado pesto!

Step 1: Take an appropriately ripe avocado which is soft all over, cut it in half lengthwise and separate the halves. Discard the seed and peel the skin off.

Step 2: Cut the avocado into small chunks and set aside.

Step 3: Wash and roughly chop the fresh basil leaves. Roughly chop the walnuts.

Step 4: In a blender jar, add avocado pieces, basil leaves, garlic cloves, chopped walnuts and half of the extra virgin olive oil. Season with salt & pepper to taste.

Step 5: Start blending until the ingredients are processed to transform to a smooth & thick semi-liquid mixture of vibrant green color.

Step 6: Now slowly pour the remaining olive oil to adjust the consistency as per your liking and blend again.

Pro tip: The amount of olive oil required will totally depend on your personal preference how thick or liquidy you want your avocado pesto to be. You may or may not need the full quarter cup of olive oil.

Step 7: Your avocado basil pesto is ready! Now we will make the pasta and prepare other ingredients.

Step 8: Boil 4 cups of water in a large saucepan and add a couple of tablespoons of salt to it.

Step 9: When the water starts to boil, add 2 cups of penne pasta to the saucepan. Cook the pasta on medium flame until they are soft but not mushy i.e. al dente. This would take about 12 to 14 minutes on medium-low flame.

Step 10: Pour the cooked pasta along with the cooking water in a colander placed inside your kitchen sink allowing all the water to drain out.

Step 11: Leave the pasta in the colander while you prepare the remaining ingredient.

Step 12: Wash the cherry tomatoes and drain out all the water. Cut each cherry tomato into half.

Step 13: Heat a non-stick frying pan and once the pan is warm, add a tablespoon of olive oil to it.

Step 14: Add the cut cherry tomatoes, preferably cut side down and let them cook on low for 5 minutes.

Step 15: After 5 minutes, give them a stir, let them cook for another 2 minutes and then take them out in a bowl.

Step 16: Add two more tablespoons of olive oil to the same pan and let it warm up. Now add the cooked & drained pasta to the pan and sauté them for just a couple of minutes.

Pro tip: This above step is optional and I do it out of my personal preference. I feel that quickly sautéing the boiled pasta in olive oil gives the pasta a crunchier texture which I like more than boiled texture. You can skip this step completely.

Step 17: Now transfer the pasta to a large mixing bowl. Add half of the prepared avocado pesto to the pasta.

Step 18: Using a spatula start mixing the avocado pesto with pasta. Each pasta should be coated with the pesto.

Step 19: Add more pesto if you like your pasta to be on the saucier side. You may not need the full quantity of prepared pesto; just use as much as you feel like.

Pro tip: Store the leftover pesto in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months and use in various other recipes!

Step 20: Drop in the sautéed cherry tomatoes and sprinkle red chilli flakes to the pesto pasta and give a final mix. Taste the pesto pasta and adjust seasoning by adding little more salt & pepper if needed.

Step 21: Your avocado pesto pasta is ready! Serve it on a plate, drizzle extra-virgin olive oil over the pasta, pair it with your favorite wine and enjoy!

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