Creamy Avocado and Spinach Pasta

Headnote

This pasta is built on the quiet richness of avocado and the clean green depth of spinach. Olive oil gives the sauce its sheen and carries the flavor without heaviness, while the pasta provides the necessary structure and warmth. The result should be supple, vivid, and finely balanced, with a sauce that clings rather than pools.

Recipe essentials

Dish category: Pasta

Cuisine or origin: Contemporary

Course type: Main course

Yield: 1 serving

Serving size: 450 g

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 12 minutes

Total time: 22 minutes

Difficulty: Easy

Equipment

Medium saucepan

Large sauté pan

Colander

Blender or food processor

Tongs

Ingredients

Pasta

120 g dried pasta

10 g olive oil

Green sauce

120 g avocado, peeled and pitted

80 g spinach

20 g olive oil

Method

1. Bring a medium saucepan of water to a full boil. Add the pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, or until just tender with a slight firmness at the center. Drain well, reserving a small amount of the cooking water if needed for loosening the sauce.

2. While the pasta cooks, place the spinach in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Stir for 1 to 2 minutes, just until fully wilted and dark green. Transfer immediately to a blender.

3. Add the avocado and 20 g olive oil to the spinach. Blend until completely smooth and pale green, scraping down the sides as needed. The sauce should be thick, glossy, and uniform.

4. Return the drained pasta to the warm sauté pan. Add 10 g olive oil and toss briefly over low heat for 30 seconds to coat the pasta evenly.

5. Add the avocado-spinach sauce to the pasta and toss gently for 1 minute over low heat until the noodles are fully coated and the sauce is warmed through. If the sauce is too tight, loosen it with a small amount of the reserved cooking water. The finished pasta should be silky and cling lightly to each strand or shape.

Plating and serving

Twirl or mound the pasta into a warm shallow bowl, drawing the sauce evenly across the surface. Serve immediately while the sauce remains glossy and the color is bright.

Professional notes

Use avocado at full ripeness; underripe fruit will give the sauce a dull texture and a flat finish.

Keep the spinach just wilted so the color remains vivid and the flavor clean.

The sauce must be blended smooth enough to coat the pasta without visible fibers or grain.