Zucchini noodles are one of my favorite quick, healthy swaps for traditional pasta. They take only minutes to make with a spiralizer and provide a light, fresh base for many sauces. My first zoodle dish was a classic Zoodles alla Rustica with tomato sauce. For this recipe I took a different route and paired zoodles with a silky, creamy avocado sauce.
I first encountered avocado pasta sauce online and was skeptical about using avocado warm, but the result is delicious. Avocado’s mild flavor and naturally creamy texture make it an excellent base. The sauce gets most of its brightness from lemon juice, a garlic roast, and grated Parmesan, while basil and pine nuts add fragrant, nutty notes.
This avocado sauce works beautifully with zucchini noodles, but it’s equally good on traditional pasta. If you use regular pasta, swap 1 ½ cups of plain water for ¾ cup of reserved pasta water so the sauce reaches the right consistency. When cooking pasta, reserve the pasta water, drain the pasta, combine the pasta water and avocado sauce in the pot, warm it gently, then toss in the pasta. The sauce thickens as it heats, so a little extra liquid helps it coat the noodles evenly.
A tip for storing avocado-based sauces, dressings, and guacamole: press two layers of parchment paper directly onto the surface of the sauce to prevent browning. It keeps the avocado green and fresh for several days.
Zoodles with a Creamy Avocado Sauce
Ingredients
- a head of Garlic
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 3 tablespoons Pine Nuts
- 5 Zucchini
- 2 Avocados
- ¼ cup Fresh Lemon Juice
- 10 Basil Leaves
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan plus some extra for serving
- 1 ½ cups of Water or ¾ cup Pasta Water if making pasta
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Roast the garlic by slicing off the root end, placing the bulb root-side down on a sheet of foil, drizzling with olive oil, and wrapping it securely. Roast for about 25 minutes until soft. If you’re short on time, skip roasting and use 1–2 cloves of raw minced garlic instead.
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Spread the pine nuts on a baking sheet and toast them for 2–3 minutes alongside the garlic until golden. Remove them from the heat right away to avoid burning and let cool.
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Make the sauce: halve and pit the avocados, then scoop the flesh into a blender. Add lemon juice, basil leaves, salt, grated Parmesan, two tablespoons of toasted pine nuts, and the roasted garlic (or raw garlic if you skipped roasting). Blend until smooth. Add water gradually—about ½ cup at a time—until the sauce reaches a creamy but not watery consistency. Avocados vary in size, so adjust the liquid as needed.
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Warm the sauce in a large skillet or saucepan over medium heat. Once gently heated, add the zucchini noodles and let them simmer in the sauce for about 5 minutes, until tender but still slightly firm.
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Serve immediately, garnished with extra grated Parmesan and the remaining toasted pine nuts.