I was very excited to try out this recipe because I love pesto, and I have never made one out of avocado. I was also excited to make it because it was a healthy recipe, until I deviated and added a small white potato and replaced water with olive oil (I'm Italian, after all)...
Maybe it was because I had 2 large avocados, but the recipe made enough for 1.5 lbs of pasta instead of 1 lb. To save the extra pesto for later use, add a few thin slices of onion over the top (this slows the browning process), cover and refrigerate. Try to use withing 3-5 days. The pesto will become darker on top, but you can simply scoop that off and use the bright green pesto that preserved underneath.
You might be wondering why I said to reserve 1-2 tbs of pasta water. Well, adding reserved pasta water to your pesto adds a bit of starch (also loosens the pesto), creating a perfect marriage between pasta and pesto. This trick holds true for all pestos, or at least the ones that I have made. Potato was my own addition, so feel free to omit from the recipe.
Ingredients: 1 lb brown rice & quinoa fusilli pasta (Trader Joe's) or similar
1 small white potato, finely diced (optional) 1-2 tbs reserved pasta water 2 cloves of garlic Juice from 1 lemon 2 very ripe avocados 1/2 cup pine nuts 2 bunches of fresh basil
1/4 cup olive oil Salt & pepper to taste
Directions:
In a large pot of water, place diced potato and bring to a boil. Season with salt and add pasta, cooking according to package instructions. If you are using the brown rice & quinoa pasta, DO NOT OVERCOOK OTHERWISE IT WILL GET GUMMY.
In a food processor or blender, place remaining ingredients and blend until smooth and creamy. Pour contents into a large serving bowl. Add 1-2 tbs reserved pasta water to the pesto and stir until combined. Pour drained pasta into bowl and stir until the pasta is coated in the pesto.
Recipe inspiration from Nicole Mejia on Instagram (founder of Fit&Thick)