Avocado Pasta with Basil and Bacon
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This Avocado Pasta with Basil and Bacon is a simple recipe with big flavor. The combination of the avocado, bacon, and fresh basil will have you coming back for more and more!
Why We Love This Recipe
- It comes together quickly and you may even have the ingredients on hand.
- While I prefer to serve it warm, this avocado pasta works as a chilled salad as well.
- Such a great summer pasta to serve!
What Ingredients are in Avocado Pasta?
One of the reasons this recipe has earned its way into our recipe index is because it is so. dang. easy. Here is what you’ll need:
Ingredient Notes:
- Pasta – I used Farfalle (bow tie) pasta but it would also work great with penne, rigatoni, or rotini. Whole wheat pasta would work as well.
- Bacon – I prefer to cook bacon in the oven. It’s hands off and comes out perfect every time.
- Basil – Fresh basil is a must.
- Garlic – You can put freshly minced garlic but I recommend using a microplane grater and grating it in.
- Pecorino Romano Shredded Cheese – You can find this at most grocery stores. You can also sub shredded Parmesan cheese.
How to Make Avocado Pasta
After your pasta is cooked and drained, toss it into the large bowl with all of the ingredients. Add salt and pepper to taste. That’s it! Seriously!
Pasta Pro Tips
Here are some general tips in order to make pasta like a pro!
- Salt the water. This adds a lot of flavor to the pasta AND helps it come to a boil faster.
- Don’t overcook it! I almost always err on the shorter cooking side when given a range.
- Use a big pot and plenty of water. Fill your pot with at least 2 quarts for each 1/2 pound of pasta. This will help prevent your pasta from sticking together during cooking.
- Stir right away and every couple of minutes. Pasta will want to start clumping together if you don’t give it a stir.
- Don’t rinse your pasta after it’s been drained. While it may seem logical, don’t run cold water over your hot pasta. You’ll risk losing the flavorful starches that will help sauces cling to it later.
Recipe FAQs
In an airtight container, leftovers will last a few days. The avocado can get brown and mushy even with the lemon juice.
Yes! You can use gluten-free pasta. My favorite is chickpea pasta from Banza brand.
More Avocado Recipes
You can freeze any leftover avocado or use it in any of these recipes.
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Avocado Pasta with Basil and Bacon
This avocado basil pasta recipe can be thrown together with very few ingredients. The simplicity does not compromise the taste!
Ingredients
- 12 ounces of farfalle (bowtie) pasta
- 2 medium avocados, diced
- 6 slices of bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled (try baking it using this oven method)
- 2/3 cup chopped fresh basil
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3 cloves of garlic, grated or minced finely
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, plus more to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
- 1/2 cup shredded Pecorino Romano cheese (sub: shredded Parmesan)
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Instructions
- Cook pasta according to directions, making sure to salt the water once it comes to a boil. Drain.
- Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine avocado, cooked and crumbled bacon, basil, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, pepper, salt, and cheese.
- Add the cooked and drained pasta to the other ingredients and toss to combine.
- Taste and season with more salt and pepper, as needed. Serve warm or cold.
Notes/Tips
Gluten-Free Version: Use gluten-free pasta. My favorite is chickpea angel hair pasta or linguine from Banza brand.
I used Farfalle (bow tie) pasta but it would also work great with penne, rigatoni, or rotini. Whole wheat pasta would work as well.
You can sub shredded Parmesan cheese for the Pecorino.
Pasta Pro Tips
- Salt the water to adds flavor and help it come to a boil faster.
- Use a big pot and plenty of water to help prevent your pasta from sticking together.
- Stir right away and every couple of minutes to keep it from clumping together.
- Don’t rinse your pasta after it’s been drained or you’ll risk losing the flavorful starches that help sauces cling to it.
Very good combo of flavors and nice change from other pasta salads.
Thanks for the review!
This recipe was surprisingly full of flavor for such simple ingredients. I couldn’t find fresh basil, so I used lightly dried. It basically made a fresh pesto, which I love. I will definitely make again!
Thanks for your feedback and review, Renee. Glad to know the dried basil still does the trick. Fresh basil can be hard to find when it’s not in season.
This dish was quite good, and I’m sad because there isn’t much leftover for lunch tomorrow! I thought it may be too simple tasting, but it wasn’t at all. Loved the combo of lemon and olive oil, and I’ve needed to use my garden basil somehow. I didn’t do anything different, recipe as it 🙂
Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment and review, Whitney. So glad you liked it.
I made this recently and it was yummy! The whole family loved it. I added halved grape tomatoes, a couple of handfuls of chopped baby spinach and some spring onions I wanted to use up. So good! Thanks.
Thanks for the feedback. Love those additions!
Hi! I’m brand spanking new to cooking and blogging. I cooked and froze several of your meals over a few days and I wrote about my experience. Loved your recipes and how healthy they are! This one was my favorite! I even made a simple version for my baby 🙂 Hope you check it out! I plan on trying many more!
Hi Hannah! I saw that and loved your post. Shared it on our FB page, actually. 🙂
Yummy!!! We liked this a lot!!! May have to try some add-ins the next time around, but thought it was delicious as is! 🙂
Glad you tried it. What would you add in? I’ve tried cherry tomatoes. And, I’ve also made without the bacon and still delicious.
Tracey, what delicious add-in ideas! I can’t wait to them them.
I loved this, made it last night. I added a can of chic peas and some fresh grape tomatoes sliced in half. I also just added the avocado to each serving individually so we can eat it as left overs. Thanks, WE LOVED IT!!
Oooo! I am really excited about this one :). Might have to try it for dinner.