Creamy Avocado Pasta with Roasted Veggies
Wonderful meatless main dish recipe with lots of roasted veggies, gluten free pasta in a creamy avocado-basil sauce. Garnish with pine nuts and parmesan cheese. This recipe is easily vegan by using eggless noodles, and omitting the parmesan cheese.
Ingredients
- 1 pint grape tomatoes halved
- 1 cup red onion cut in strips
- 1 leek green top removed, sliced
- 1 red bell pepper sliced in thin strips
- 1 orange or green bell pepper sliced in thin strips
- 1 yellow bell pepper sliced in thin strips
- 1 head broccoli florets cut in pieces
- 4 oz. can sliced mushrooms or 8-oz. fresh sliced mushrooms
- 1/3 to 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1 tbsp. salt
- 1 tsp. pepper
- 16 oz. gluten free penne pasta see note for cooking directions
- 1/2 to 1 cup reserved water from cooking noodles I used ½
- 4 ripe avocados pit and skin removed
- 4 cloves garlic peeled, I used half with the roasted veggies and the rest for the sauce
- 1/2 tsp. sea salt or kosher salt
- juice of one lemon
- 1-2 tbsp. fresh basil chopped
- 3 tbsp. olive oil
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/3 cup pine nuts
- grated fresh Parmesan cheese
- salt and cracked black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300 ºF.
- Wash and halve the tomatoes.
- Place on a greased baking sheet.
- Add red onion, peppers, leeks, and broccoli florets (if you have fresh mushrooms add them also).
- Pour 1/3 to ½ cup olive oil in cup measure.
- Brush tops of vegetables with olive oil until they glisten.
- Sprinkle with 1 tbsp. salt and 1 tsp. pepper. (Use more if desired).
- Bake for 30 minutes in the oven.
- Meanwhile, fill a large pot with water.
- Bring to a rapid boil.
- Add the dry gluten free pasta to boiling water and cook at a rapid boil – about 2 minutes.
- Turn off heat and allow pasta to sit in hot water for 7-10 minutes.
- Drain.
- This is really important. If you cook the noodles to complete doneness they will shred and not hold their texture when you stir everything together.
- While the pasta is boiling, add 3 tbsp. olive oil, avocados, 2 cloves garlic, ½ tsp. salt, fresh chopped basil or 1 heaping tablespoon dried basil, water, and lemon juice to a food processor.
- Pulse until the ingredients are smooth and creamy.
- You may have to stir several times to get all the ingredients creamed well.
- Strain the pasta, and place in a large serving bowl. (Reserve 1 cup pasta water).
- Pour the avocado sauce over the pasta.
- Add reserved pasta water (I used ½ cup).
- Gently stir the roasted vegetables into the other ingredients in serving bowl or serve them over top of pasta/sauce ladled on plates.
- Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and pine nuts.
- Add some salt and black pepper to taste.
Notes
NOTE: This dish works best with substantial pastas like linguine and fettuccini, and tubular pastas like rotini and penne.
NOTE: If you use fresh basil, I highly recommend you use no more than 2 tablespoons or it will overpower the flavors in the sauce and veggies. This is one of those few recipes that I actually prefer dried basil over fresh.
NOTE: For best results when cooking gluten free pastas (especially rice-based pastas), bring water to a rapid boil. Add pasta and boil 2 minutes. Turn off heat (keep pasta covered with lid). Allow pasta to stay in hot water and finish cooking – about 7-10 minutes. Drain. (Reserve at least one cup of the pasta cooking liquid for this recipe!)
NOTE: This recipe makes a lot. You can easily halve the recipe.
NOTE: I chose to mix the avocado mixture and noodles and then layer the roasted veggies, pine nuts and parmesan cheese on top of individual servings.
UPDATE - OCTOBER 2016: Ronzoni now makes a gluten free pasta with brown rice flour, white rice flour, corn flour and quinoa which is quite good. You can boil it for the regular amount of cooking time and the pasta does not break apart.
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