Creamy Spinach Pasta Recipe With Avocado – A Vegan Dish

There is just something so comforting about pasta, much less creamy pasta. This spinach pasta recipe with avocado is no different – fully satisfying, delicious, and super comforting for any time of the year. The only difference with this spinach pasta recipe is that it is completely vegan. For those who are not familiar with vegan recipes, this does not mean that this pasta will be lacking in flavor or depth, this just means that this dish is made delicious without the use of dairy, meat, or any other kind of animal products.

While you may be thinking, how would you make a creamy pasta without cream, or at least milk – you are not alone in this mindset. This recipe has so many other great ingredients that make it creamy, so the fact that there is no dairy in it won’t be evident at all while you’re eating it. In fact, you might just even like this recipe better than your traditional fettucine or creamy pasta, as this pasta is light and won’t make you feel too heavy even after a second bowl.

While this pasta may be vegan, it is great for vegans and non-vegans alike. Any time you feel like gathering around for a cozy bowl of pasta, why not try this recipe and see how you feel about it for yourself? Who knows, you may even decide to make this pasta dish a staple around your house.

About Vegan Pasta

So, while this recipe does not contain any dairy, that doesn’t mean that it isn’t creamy and delicious. This pasta has plenty of creaminess to it due to all the other ingredients that make it creamy and delicious. One of these key ingredients is the avocado.

While it may be unusual to use an avocado in the pasta sauce, it’s not unusual to use avocado for creaminess in vegan recipes. Once blended with the other ingredients, the avocado creates a velvety sauce that you won’t even realize is vegan. Although there is no dairy here, the creaminess of the avocado combined with the walnuts creates a unique texture that is both savory and creamy.

What’s so great about this recipe is that it is fresh, homemade, and far less in fat, calories, and preservatives if you were to compare this with a jarred pasta sauce, you’d find in any grocery store. You will taste how fresh this pasta sauce is right away, and you may never want to buy another jar of pasta sauce in your life once you realize how simple this recipe is to make.

The lemon juice within this pasta sauce cuts the creaminess of the sauce to make it light, bright, and flavorful. Too much creaminess can actually be a bad thing, so while there is no dairy or butter in this recipe, the lemon juice will help brighten up the sauce and prevent it from feeling too heavy. It’s a truly flavorful, aromatic dish that is sure to be a hit among your friends and loved ones.

Health Benefits of a Vegan Diet

While this recipe is great for both vegans and non-vegans, the overall health benefits of a plant-based diet include weight loss, more energy, and more consumption of whole foods. This recipe is no different from these principles, as this dish contains avocado, which is chock full of vitamins, as well as walnuts, which is a great option for consuming more whole foods. This recipe also contains plenty of spinach, parsley, and cherry tomatoes, which is great since you just can’t consume enough of these vegetables in one day.

While most people will associate pasta as a heavier dish, the pasta in this dish is the only heavy aspect of it. In a vegan diet, pasta is more of a staple as it contains grains and whole wheat or flour, but it’s also important to choose the right pasta for you. You can go with organic, whole wheat or even vegetable pasta, but if you are sticking to a strict vegan diet, just make sure that your pasta contains no eggs.

A great way to lighten up this dish is by substituting the pasta for either zucchini spirals, sweet potato spirals or even shiitake mushroom pasta substitute. This way you an enjoy all the benefits of this delightfully savory sauce without added carbs or calories that would be brought in from the pasta. This is a great low carb option if you substitute the traditional pasta for vegetable spirals, or even just steamed veggies in general.

Ingredients for Spinach pasta:

• 10 oz spaghetti or fettuccine
• 1 clove garlic
• 2 medium ripe avocados
• 1 cup fresh spinach
• ½ cup walnuts
• ¼ cup vegan parmesan cheese (optional)
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• ¼ cup olive oil
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp pepper
• ½ cup cherry tomatoes (optional)
• ¼ cup fresh parsley (optional)

How to prepare the Spinach pasta:

Step 1: cook spinach

1. Slightly cook spinach leaves in a saucepan, until they soften a little. You’re gong to want to make sure they are softened, but not mushy.

Step 2: add the rest

Place all the ingredients except pasta, parmesan cheese and cherry tomatoes in a food processor and blend until you get a smooth cream. If you’d like it more liquid add more oil or lemon juice.

Step 3: Cooking the pasta

• Cook your pasta following its package indications.
• Serve this avocado spinach creamy sauce with the pasta of your choice.
• Optional: garnish with cherry tomatoes, fresh parsley, and parmesan cheese.

Step 4: Serve and enjoy!

As you can see, this recipe is incredibly easy to make and it is sure to be a huge hit among your friends and loved ones. The best part is, if anyone is unfamiliar with the benefits of a vegan recipe, you can share the process and the information. Most likely, your friends won’t even realize it’s a vegan recipe because the flavor is so great.

It’s a quick and easy pasta dish that is healthy, flavorful, and beautiful to plate. Serve this up with your gorgeous cherry tomato hales and parsley as a garnish. You can also plate this with an extra lemon wedge to add some more color to the place. You can also serve this dish up with some crusty bread to sop up the rest of that gorgeous sauce. This recipe is so versatile, you can add or omit or replace several ingredients to make this a perfect pasta recipe for your lifestyle. Enjoy!

FAQ

Who would enjoy this recipe?

This recipe is great for vegans or non-vegans. It’s a wonderfully flavorful dish that is great for anyone who enjoys pasta in general. The lightness, yet creaminess of the sauce brings in multiple levels of flavor to the palate that will make this dish an instant hit. Also, the fact that the sauce is made of mostly avocados, walnuts and lemon juice would make this dish much more interesting and your friends will probably want to know how you made it. It’s always fun being able to introduce something new to the table, and this dish is no exception.

Do I have to use walnuts?

No. While the walnuts help give this recipe more texture, you don’t strictly have to use walnuts. You could easily switch the recipe for cashews, if you prefer this kind of nut more, or even try a can of chickpeas. This recipe is very versatile, so you are free to switch in other recipe components that you choose. Try it one way, and the next time, try it another way.

Is this pasta healthy?

Yes. Although this is a pasta dish and these kinds of dishes can be heavy, this pasta dish won’t weigh you down because it doesn’t have all that cream and butter that normal pasta recipes have. The only aspect to the recipe that may weight you down is the use of the pasta itself, but if you are more on the health conscious or low carb side, switch the traditional pasta for zucchini noodles or shirataki pasta. It’s equally delicious!

How long will this pasta store?

You can easily store this pasta in your fridge for up to a week. This recipe holds well in the fridge and will be just as good to eat the next day, if there are any leftovers, that is. This is the perfect option to make in bulk, and then ration out portions to meal prep for lunch or more dinners throughout the week. It’s a great, simple recipe that will surely go a long way.