Description
Heavenly creamy green goddess pasta brings Italian and California cuisine together in one luxurious dish. Herb-packed sauce and perfectly cooked noodles combine for a fresh, elegant meal you’ll want to savor again and again.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 ripe avocado
- ½ cup (118 ml) fresh basil leaves
- ¼ cup (59 ml) fresh parsley
- ¼ cup (59 ml) fresh spinach (optional)
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil
- ¼ cup (59 ml) water (plus more as needed for thinning)
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) nutritional yeast or grated parmesan (optional)
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 12 ounces (340 g) pasta of choice (spaghetti, linguine, fusilli, or gluten-free)
- 1 cup (237 ml) steamed broccoli or peas (optional for extra greens)
- ¼ cup (59 ml) reserved pasta water (as needed)
- Red pepper flakes (optional)
- Extra herbs (optional)
- Parmesan (optional)
Instructions
- Pasta Preparation: Heat a generously salted water pot until vigorously boiling, submerge pasta and cook per package instructions. Extract and reserve 1/4 cup pasta liquid before draining, then set aside cooked pasta.
- Sauce Creation: Combine avocado, basil, parsley, spinach, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, water, and nutritional yeast or parmesan in a blender. Pulse until achieving a silky, uniform texture. Modulate consistency by incrementally introducing water. Season with salt and pepper to enhance flavor profile.
- Final Integration: Transfer pasta into original cooking vessel or expansive mixing bowl. Generously coat noodles with verdant green goddess sauce, utilizing reserved pasta liquid to facilitate smooth distribution and optimal sauce adherence. Ensure each pasta strand is thoroughly enveloped in the vibrant, herbaceous coating.
Notes
- Save the starchy pasta water as a secret weapon for achieving the perfect sauce consistency. A splash helps bind the green goddess sauce to the noodles, creating a silky, smooth coating.
- Process the sauce ingredients until completely smooth, scraping down the sides of the blender. Longer blending time ensures a creamy, uniform texture without any chunky herbs or garlic bits.
- Easily adapt the recipe for different diets by swapping ingredients. Use gluten-free pasta for a celiac-friendly version, or replace nutritional yeast with vegan parmesan for a dairy-free alternative.
- Serve the pasta immediately after tossing with sauce to maintain optimal temperature and prevent the avocado-based sauce from separating or becoming too thick.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Dinner, Lunch
- Method: Blending
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 5
- Calories: 350
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 200 mg
- Fat: 15 g
- Saturated Fat: 2 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 12 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 50 g
- Fiber: 6 g
- Protein: 10 g
- Cholesterol: 5 mg