This dish is just scrumptious. Adding avocado to the Pesto helps to make it rich and creamy — without using cheese. Score! Also, this is definitely a kid-friendly dish. My son couldn’t get enough of it and it truly was super simple to whip together. Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS: 

1 pound of pasta of your choice (I used fusilli)

1 bunch of fresh basil, reserve some leaves for garnish

1/2 cup pine nuts

2 avocados, pitted and peeled

2 tablespoons lemon juice

3 cloves of garlic

1/2 cup olive oil

sea salt

freshly black pepper

1 cup of sliced sun-dried tomatoes, optional but highly recommended

INSTRUCTIONS 

1.) Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

2.) Meanwhile, make the pesto by combining basil, pine nuts, avocados, lemon juice, garlic and oil in a food processor. Process until smooth. Season generously with salt and pepper.

3.) Toss pasta with pesto. Add the sun dried tomatoes and toss again. Divide pasta among serving bowls and garnish with extra basil leaf if desired.

*This recipe is from Chef Chloe’s cookbook Chloe’s Kitchen