Recipe of the Week

Avocado Pasta. The creamy sauce is made with avocado, Greek yogurt, lemon, and garlic. Add any of your favorite veggies, chicken, or bacon for an easy, healthy meal!

Ingredients

• 8 ounces whole-wheat pasta
• 1 pound asparagus - tough ends trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 medium ripe avocado - halved and peeled with the pit removed
• 1 clove garlic - peeled
• 1/4 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves - plus additional for garnish
• 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves - plus additional for garnish
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt - plus additional for cooking the pasta
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 small green onions - thinly sliced (about 1/2 cup)
• 2 cups fresh arugula
• 1 cup frozen peas
• Freshly grated Parmesan - optional for serving

Instructions

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta. About 3 minutes before the pasta is due to finish cooking to al dente (according to package instructions), add the asparagus and cook an additional 3 minutes, or until the pasta is al dente. Reserve 1 cup pasta water, drain the pasta and set aside.
   

2. While the pasta cooks, prepare the sauce. Add the avocado, garlic, Greek yogurt, parsley, basil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper to a food processor or blender. Process on high for 20 to 30 seconds, until smooth, stopping to scrape down the bowl as needed.
   

3. In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium-low. Add the green onion and cook 2 to 3 minutes, until soft. Add the arugula and peas and cook another 2 minutes, until the arugula is wilted. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the drained pasta and asparagus. Add the avocado sauce and toss gently to combine, adding a bit of the reserved pasta water as needed if the pasta is too thick or clumping together. Taste and add additional salt and/or pepper as desired. Serve immediately.
   

Other notes

• This recipe is plenty satisfying without the meat, but if you’d like to add some to yours, chicken would be delicious (you can sauté some diced chicken with olive oil, salt, and pepper in the pan first, then add it back in at the end). Topping the pasta with grilled chicken or shrimp would be wonderful too.

NUTRITION

• serving: 1(OF 4), ABOUT 1 3/4 CUPS EACH
• calories: 355 
• carbohydrates: 49g
• protein: 15g
• fat: 10g
• saturated fat: 1g
• cholesterol: 1mg
• sodium: 228mg
• fiber: 11g
• sugar: 6g