Tasty Tuesday: Creamy Bacon Avocado Pasta

Believe it or not, I really don't like summer.  I hate being hot.  I hate the sweaty, sticky feeling of stepping outside on a ridiculously humid day.  I have an extreme phobia of all bugs, and, unfortunately, they seem to be everywhere in the summer.  I also prefer fall and winter clothing ... Give me sweaters and hoodies and boots over shorts and tank tops and sandals any day.

Summer isn't all bad, though.  I have to admit that fresh vegetables, light meals, and ice cream/gelato/frozen yogurt are just a few of the perks.  And today's recipe, with its combination of avocado and fresh tomatoes, seems very summery to me.  I definitely didn't want to wait until the weather cools down and everyone is searching the internet for pumpkin everything to post this!

Eric and I love avocados, and we've been buying a bag of them every time we go to Costco.  I wasn't really very creative with them for a long time, though.  We'd usually just make guacamole, a spread for sandwiches, or throw chunks of it into a burrito bowl.  I've seen a lot of different uses for avocados while searching Pinterest and various food blogs, though, and when I saw a recipe for a creamy avocado pasta sauce, I knew I needed to try it.

I made several changes to this dish, and I was really excited about the end result.  It didn't photograph as well as I would have liked, but we both thought it tasted great ... And that's really all that matters, right?

See what I mean?  Not exactly the most photogenic dinner I've ever made.

Creamy Bacon Avocado Pasta

Adapted from a recipe on Two Peas & Their Pod.


Ingredient List:

• 1 box short pasta (I used Garofalo organic casarecce from Costco)
• 2 avocados
• 5 slices bacon (I used turkey bacon to make it a little healthier)
• 20 grape tomatoes, cut in halves or fourths
• 2 cloves garlic (or, if you're lazy like me, the equivalent of jarred, pre-minced garlic)
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tbsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp cilantro

Instructions:

1.  Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

2.  Add the pasta to the boiling water.  Cook according to package instructions until al dente and drain.

3.  Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp.  As with the Cheesy Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta I previously posted, you'll want the bacon to be so crispy that it easily crumbles (whether you usually eat it that way or not).

4.  Once the bacon is crisp, remove it from the skillet.  (I just placed mine on a paper towel lined plate and set it to the side.)

5.  Add the avocados, garlic, onion powder, black pepper, sea salt, crushed red pepper flakes, and cilantro to a food processor or blender.  Blend until the ingredients form a smooth and creamy sauce.

6.  Pour the sauce over the drained pasta and mix thoroughly.

7.  Crumble the bacon on the plate.  Add the crumbled bacon and tomatoes to the pot of pasta and avocado sauce, mixing until everything is well combined.

I served this meal with a fresh green salad.  (And, just so you know, this recipe is best on the day it's made.  The leftovers weren't bad, but the sauce seemed to lose some of its flavor and creaminess after it was reheated.  If you're cooking for one person, I'd consider cutting the recipe in half to avoid having a lot of leftovers.)