Creamy Avocado Pesto Mac (Printable)

A vibrant mac and cheese featuring creamy avocado basil pesto sauce. Easy, nutritious, and ready in just 30 minutes.

# What You Need:

→ Pasta

01 - 12 oz macaroni or short pasta
02 - 1 teaspoon salt for pasta water

→ Avocado Pesto Sauce

03 - 2 ripe avocados, peeled and pitted
04 - 1 cup fresh basil leaves, loosely packed
05 - 2 cloves garlic
06 - 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
07 - 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
08 - 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
09 - 1/4 cup milk, dairy or unsweetened plant-based
10 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
11 - 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

→ Garnish

12 - Extra grated Parmesan cheese, optional
13 - Fresh basil leaves, optional
14 - Cracked black pepper, optional

# How to Make It:

01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add macaroni and cook according to package directions until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water, then drain pasta in a colander.
02 - While pasta cooks, add avocados, basil, garlic, olive oil, Parmesan cheese, lemon juice, milk, salt, and black pepper to a food processor or blender. Blend until smooth and creamy. Add additional milk one splash at a time if needed to achieve a silky sauce consistency.
03 - Return drained pasta to the pot. Pour the avocado pesto sauce over the pasta and toss gently to coat evenly. Add reserved pasta water gradually, tossing between additions, until sauce reaches desired consistency.
04 - Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper as needed. Serve immediately while warm, topped with additional Parmesan cheese, fresh basil leaves, and cracked black pepper if desired.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It comes together in the time it takes to boil pasta, which means dinner can happen even on the messiest weeknights.
  • The avocado makes the sauce unbelievably creamy without any heavy cream or butter weighing you down.
  • You get that fresh basil flavor in every bite, and it feels like summer even when it is not.
  • It is one of those dishes that sneaks vegetables into comfort food so seamlessly that no one even notices.
02 -
  • Do not skip reserving that pasta water, it is the only thing that will loosen the sauce without making it watery or breaking the creaminess.
  • The sauce will darken if it sits too long because of the avocado, so this is really a make it and eat it kind of meal.
  • If your avocados are not quite ripe enough, the sauce will be lumpy and sad, so give them an extra day on the counter if you need to.
03 -
  • Blend the sauce while the pasta is still cooking so everything stays warm and comes together seamlessly when you toss it.
  • Use the ripest avocados you can find, because underripe ones will never blend smooth no matter how long you run the blender.
  • Taste the sauce before you add it to the pasta and adjust the lemon or salt then, because it is much easier to fix before everything is mixed together.
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