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Ok, I have a confession.
Sometimes when I cook, I totally know what I am doing. I have an idea in my head and a plan to execute it. This is great and things go smoothly.
But then there are the times, when I am so indecisive. It’s like I am a chicken running around with its head cut off. Except I have a very sharp, very large knife in my hand.
Yeah, this is scary. My face gets all red and things are just a mess.
You know what though, when I do not know what the heck I am trying to make is when some of my best recipes are born.
Sure, it is chaotic and I make a HUGE mess and I create a whole lot of dishes for me to wash (which if you are wondering, the combination of hot soapy water and winter does not do well for my hands). And yeah, some of them do not turn out. But the ones that do, tend to be my most creative. Which = deliciousness!
So, here is the story of the pasta.
Basically, I was just going back and forth about what I wanted to make. I had a million ideas and just could not decide on one. Finally I decided. A tomato based italian pasta. Yeah, tomatoes. Not avocados.
So literally in the middle of adding parsley and olives to the pan filled with tomatoes I decided I did not want to make this. I suddenly had this idea brewing for avocado pasta. Then I remembered the the wedge of mediterranean gouda (gouda cheese with mediterranean herbs) sitting in my fridge.
And then I put the two together and made something awesome.
Guys, this is so easy, so simple, and so good. If you don’t have gouda cheese swap in parmesan that would be awesome too! You could even make this vegan by skipping the cheese, but we are not vegans and the cheese adds awesome flavor and creaminess. What can I say, we really like cheese.
And avocados. Obviously.
Creamy Avocado and Gouda Cheese Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 pound fettuccine pasta
- 2 medium size ripe avocado's, pitted and removed from skins
- 1 clove garlic
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
- 1/2 cup milk or plain almond milk, I used skim milk
- 3/4 cup mediterranean gouda or gouda cheese, finely shredded or grated
- 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped, plus more for garnish
- 1/2 cup toasted pine nuts
- salt and pepper to taste
- crushed red pepper flakes, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Bring several cups of water to a boil in a medium sized pot. Add your pasta and cook according to package directions. Reserve a large coffee cup of the pasta water before draining. (Note that the pasta does not continue to cook in the sauce, so cook until desired doneness)
- Meanwhile, make the sauce by placing the avocado, garlic and lemon juice into a food processor. Process until smooth. Make sure there are no longer any chunks of avocado, and then add the milk and process again until smooth. Add in the basil, cheese and a pinch of salt and pepper. Process until smooth and creamy and you no longer see any cheese shreds. You want the sauce to be as smooth as possible.
- When pasta is done cooking (don't forget to reserve some of the cooking water), drain in a strainer and place the pasta into a large serving bowl. Pour on the sauce, add toasted pine nuts and toss until fully combined. Add a little of the reserved pasta water to thin the sauce a bit. Garnish with fresh basil, crushed red pepper flakes and black pepper. Serve immediately.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
Green and ready for spring!
Shared with: Inside BruCru Life, Lil Luna, Chef In Training, Buns In my Oven, Foodie Friday Friends, Tidy Mom, Taste and Tell, Cheerios and Lattes, Somewhat Simple, Mom on Timeout, I Heart Nap Time, Fine Craft Guide, The Country Cook, Whipperberry, Chef In Training
This looks AMAZING! Definitely going on my menu for this week! I wouldn’t have thought to add gouda to the avocado sauce… looking forward to trying this!
YUM!! Love me some good pasta 🙂 Thanks so much for coming to (link) party with me… I hope you’ll come again next week to Super Saturday Show & Tell! http://www.whatscookingwithruthie.com xoxo~ Ruthie
Hhhmmm…this looks so yummy. I am pinning it. I love your photography and styling. It’s beautiful.
Thanks fo pinning!
This looks beautiful and sounds delicious! Pinning to remember to try soon!
Thank you and thanks for pinning!
I have everything except the cheese and I will
get it tomorrow.. thanks so much for sharing this.
Looks like my kind of food!
sandy
Hope you like it!
This looks absolutely WONDERFUL! You pretty much had me at “avocado” lol! What an interesting combination, but I bet it totally works!!!
I would love it if you would come share this on my new Link Party…the FESTIVE FRIDAY FIESTA! (Ole!)
Here is the link if you’re interested in stopping by!
http://the-home-girl-blog.blogspot.com/2013/03/welcome-to-festive-friday-fiesta-link.html
Thanks so much for sharing this! Hope you have a great evening! =D
Thanks so much, I will come and stop by!
I love this esp now that avocado is in season! Can’t wait to try! Got you from Simple Living and Eating Foodie Friday link party. Just pinned this!
I would love this! I wish my boyz liked pasta… oh, well, maybe I’ll make a batch for myself 🙂
Great use of Avocado!
oh my god! why did i never think of avocado pasta? what a dope. it sounds delicious i’ll be making it friday night!
I was just wondering what the leftovers looked like (if there were any because I would eat all of it!!) Did the avocado go brown in the fridge afterwards?
Yes! It did go brown, but it still tasted amazing! I would recommend this pasta be eaten right away, other wise it is just not pretty and people eat with their eyes first!
You don’t have any nutritional facts on this do you? I was just wanted to see how healthy 🙂 Looks awesome!!
Sorry, I do not. I just know I used real food, nothing processed and all healthy! Hope you enjoy it!
You could enter the recipe in a calculator like myfitnesspal.com to get an idea of nutritional content.
I love Gouda. I love avocado. I love pasta. This recipe sounds like pure heaven to me! I’ve Pinned it, and can’t wait to give it a try. Meanwhile, I wanted to invite you to join my How To Tuesday link party, if you haven’t already joined . It would be wonderful to have you!
http://housewifehowtos.com/linkage/link-party-2/how-to-tuesday-link-party-12-and-features/
Thanks so much for pinning!
This is a combination I would not have come up with but it looks fantastic. Plus it is a quick recipe. Awesome! Thanks for sharing.
I love avocado! This is like a “fancy” mac and cheese but so much better with the avocado. I am pinning this now! Thanks so much for the recipe.
Thanks so much for pinning!