pinterest recipe: creamy veggie pasta

Ok, so I wanted to do one new pinterest recipe a week.  It's been a little over a week, but I'm going to blame it on Chad being out of town and me going back to work last week. :)

I pinned this recipe for creamy veggie pasta with garlic brown butter breadcrumbs that intrigued me... especially the bread crumbs.  I did not have panko breadcrumbs, so used regular bread instead.  They were still very tasty and added a nice garlicky kick to the dish, but I'm thinking the panko ones would have been a little crisper and added a nice texture contrast.  So next time I make it I'm going to make sure I have panko breadcrumbs on hand.

I made a few other adjustments, but overall it was a very tasty dish.  I liked the creamy avocado and garlic from the breadcrumbs, with a little heat from the red pepper flakes.  I went back for seconds, and would be excited to eat the leftovers for lunch.

I also used all frozen veggies, so it was very quick to make.  The asparagus in the original recipe sounds delicious in it, but asparagus is expensive this time of year, so I rarely buy it.  I opted for broccoli, peas, and edamame, all of which I had in the freezer.

creamy avocado pasta and garlic breadcrumbs

Ingredients:
8 oz. whole wheat linguine
1 c. peas
1/2 c. edamame
1 - 2 c. broccoli
1 avocado
1/2 c. chopped ham
1/2 c. plain greek yogurt
1/3 c. parmesan cheese
2 T. cream cheese
2 cloves minced garlic
1 T. olive oil
red pepper flakes

bread crumbs:
1/3 c. panko or regular bread crumbs (1 slice of bread)
2 cloves minced garlic
1 T. butter

Instructions:
Bring water to a boil in a pot and cook noodles 8-10 minutes, or until al dente.  Drain noodles, reserving 1 c. of the pasta water.

If using frozen veggies, thaw in the microwave (don't cook, just thaw) and set aside.  If using fresh broccoli, saute with olive oil for about 5 minutes, or until tender crisp.  Remove from skillet and set aside.

For the cream sauce, mash 1/2 of the avocado with the cream cheese until fairly smooth.  Add yogurt and 2-3 T. of reserved pasta water.  Stir until combined.

To make the breadcrumbs, combine breadcrumbs and garlic in a small bowl.  Melt 1 T. butter and pour over the breadcrumbs (I didn't take the time to brown the butter).  Stir to combine and set aside.

Heat skillet to medium and add garlic, 1 T. olive oil, and veggies.  Cook for a couple minutes to warm the veggies.  Add the avocado cream sauce and ham and stir to combine.  Add in the pasta, parmesan cheese, and 1/4 c. of the pasta water.  Stir until creamy, adding more pasta water if needed.  Season with salt & pepper to taste.

Cut remaining avocado in slices.  To serve, top pasta with avocado slices, breadcrumbs and red pepper flakes.

Serves 3-4.