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Spinach / Avocado Pesto


Garlicky, creamy goodness.

There was a time when pesto required the availability of fresh basil. When making it involved purchasing expensive pine nuts (or cheating with walnuts). When eating it involved the consumption of much olive oil. I dreamed a dream that pesto might be healthier, and cheaper, and maybe even creamy like the pesto at Nib without adding gobs of heavy cream.

 That dream came true when my friend Cassadie mentioned avocado pesto on her brilliant blog. I decided to try this recipe from Perry's Plate, and I actually still follow it in its original form except that I add more garlic, because I add more garlic to almost everything.

 The avocado and yogurt make it creamy without being heavy. And it has a ton of spinach in it, so I don't even have to serve a vegetable with it. Although, in the summer, it's really delicious with sugar snap peas mixed in.

 All of the green in this recipe is spinach. I have tried it with a mixture of spinach and basil, in that short time span between when I plant basil in my garden and when some basil-hungry critter uproots and eats the entire plant. It's good, if you happen to have basil around, but it's creamier with spinach alone because of the way it melts down when cooked.

 This recipe is super easy with an immersion blender.
Before blending: An unappetizing watery mush with yogurt and avocado plopped on top.

After blending: Much better.
The Recipe:
16 oz pasta (I use whole wheat)
1 tb olive oil
3 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
salt to taste
12 oz spinach
1/4 c plain yogurt
1 avocado, cut into chunks
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish
  • Start cooking the pasta.
  • In a medium saucepan over medium heat, saute the garlic in olive oil for about a minute.
  • Add all of the spinach and a generous pinch of salt, and cook until spinach is very wilted.
  • Turn off heat and add yogurt, avocado, and 3 tb pasta water.
  • Blend with an immersion blender while noting how awesome immersion blenders are. (Or, messily dump it all into a blender, blend, and pour it back into the pot, while wishing you had an immersion blender.)
  • Stir in the cheese and season to taste.
  • Add your cooked pasta and garnish with more cheese.

 The Verdict:
Overall grade: A
Overall reason: Pesto without the guilt!
Time to prepare: 20 minutes
Husband quote: Can I have more???

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