THINGS YOU WILL NEED
6 ounces of angel hair pasta (or spaghetti if more accessible)1 avocado
1 to 3 minced garlic cloves (to taste)
1/4 cup of chopped basil (about six mid-sized leaves)
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
1 tablespoon of olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
SERVES
2 people
PREP TIME
About 15 minutes
This recipe is quick, easy to make and a great way to meet the hurdle of cooking in a cramped on-campus setting. Not to mention the sauce is creamy and delicious — it tastes far more sophisticated than it is.
Start by boiling a pot of water. While that’s heating up, start making the avocado sauce. Cut the avocado in half. Store the half that isn’t already designated for the sauce in the fridge for another time, or add it to make a thicker sauce. Chop about six leaves of basil, mince the garlic cloves, and mix them together vigorously. One to two cloves of garlic will probably be more than adequate, but garlic fiends can add a third. Add half of the total avocado amount, and mix until the ingredients form a paste. You can also use a blender for these steps, though you don’t have to — the back of a spoon can do the job as well. Add in the olive oil, the lemon juice and the remainder of the avocado if you’d like. Continue to mix until the texture is even throughout.
Once the water reaches a boil, put the pasta in to cook. For one person, a serving is a handful of raw pasta that, when held between the first finger and thumb, is about the diameter of a quarter. If you use angel hair instead of spaghetti, add a few drops of olive oil so the noodles don’t stick together while they’re cooking. Angel hair takes about four minutes to cook to an “al dente” state, which will give it a slightly chewy but firm bite. Spaghetti will take slightly longer. Test the noodles while they’re cooking to make sure they are not getting too saturated or staying too dry. Once the pasta is boiled to your taste, drain it and rinse it with cold water to stop the cooking.
Drain the pasta, spoon it into two bowls and pour the avocado sauce over it. Mix thoroughly. Add any salt or pepper, garnish with basil, and enjoy! This is a dish best served immediately, since the avocado in the sauce will start to brown if it’s left out for too long. This is a good, simple dish for closing out the summer season. Plus, it doesn’t take too long to make, so it’s perfect for a college student in a hurry who still wants a home-cooked meal.
