This post is a twofer – it’s a Friday Favorite (one of my favorite recipes) and a Vegan Staple (an example of how to spice up a fallback vegan food item). This recipe is doing double duty!

S and I share a document on Google Docs (‘scuse me, Google Drive) titled “Yummy Things We’ve Cooked.” Its contents are exactly what you’d imagine – a list of dishes we’ve prepared, eaten, and enjoyed. It’s our go-to source when we’re strained, stressed, or just plain stumped at dinnertime. The dishes in the document range from complex (see: vegan pho) to ridiculously easy (see: colcannon). On the “ridiculously easy” end of the spectrum is one of our top choices for a quick, simple, and satisfying meal – the 15-Minute Creamy Avocado Pasta from the wonderful Angela at Oh She Glows. (Or, as S titled this dish in our document, “Creamy noodles of some kind… what was it?”)

The concept is simple – you just blend a ripe avocado with lemon juice, garlic, olive oil, basil, and salt and toss the resulting sauce with your favorite noodles. Avocado blends like a dream, creating a luscious sauce that perfectly clings to your noodles. The result is a creamy, rich, and incredibly satisfying dish.

Noodly perfection.

The beauty of this dish is that it’s incredibly versatile – don’t like lots of garlic? Use a single clove! Don’t have fresh basil? Omit it! And you can use any type of  noodles – on this occasion, S picked up some locally made black olive and garlic fettuccini, which lent the dish a little extra flavor. Spaghetti or even soba noodles are fine choices, too.

Although we usually eat this dish alone – it’s deceptively filling! – it’d be fantastic with a slice of fresh crusty bread or a simple side salad. If you’re looking for a low-effort, high-rewards dish to add to your meal rotation, try this one – you can thank me later.

What’s your quick weeknight meal of choice? Which OhSheGlows recipes are your favorites?