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  • Makes 10 cups
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This vibrant, healthy gluten-free pasta dish comes together in just 30 minutes and is delicious hot or cold, making it a handy recipe to keep in your weekday-meal repertoire. Nutrient-dense chickpea rotini adds extra heft. Aleppo pepper is made from crushed dried Halaby chiles and has a pleasantly complex flavor (smoky, sweet, and tangy) that rounds out the flavors of the dish, but crushed red pepper will work well, too. Add a little more if you like heat.

Creamy Avocado Kale Pasta in a white bowl on wooden table next to a small bowl of paprika

By Shelli McConnell,

Ingredients

  • 12 oz. dried chickpea rotini pasta
  • 8 oz. fresh thin asparagus, cut into 1-inch lengths
  • 2 cups grape tomatoes, halved
  • 1 cup baby kale
  • 1 medium avocado, halved, seeded, and peeled
  • 1 teaspoons lemon zest
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 3 cloves garlic, chopped
  • ¼ teaspoon Aleppo pepper or crushed red pepper
  • Sea salt, to taste
  • Chopped fresh dill
  • Lemon wedges

Instructions

  1. Cook pasta according to package directions; drain, reserving 1 cup pasta cooking water. Return pasta to pot.
  2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet cook asparagus and tomatoes over medium-high, stirring frequently and adding water, 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time, as needed to prevent sticking.
  3. In a blender combine the next five ingredients (through garlic). Cover and blend until smooth, adding about ½ cup pasta cooking water to make a smooth sauce. Add sauce and Aleppo pepper to pasta in pot. Toss to combine, adding an additional ¼ to ½ cup pasta cooking water as needed for desired consistency. Season with salt.
  4. Spoon pasta into bowls. Top with asparagus mixture and sprinkle with dill and additional Aleppo pepper. Serve with lemon wedges.
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12 Comments

Comments (12)

(5 from 6 votes)
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Aziel24 hours ago
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This dish is so delicious! I have made it for my family, and they all loved it. If you have a toddler, this dish works very well as they can grab the pasta with their hands and they get a good serving of veggies even if they don’t eat the asparagus and/or tomatoes.
Also, I’m allergic to avocados (itchy lips and throat, a little nausea), but this sauce wasn’t strong enough to set off my allergy.

Tricia Wisbrock1 week ago
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My daughter won’t eat asparagus, suggestions for a tried and true substitute?

Richelle1 week ago
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Zucchini

Beth1 week ago
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green beans

Farrah Giannoni1 week ago
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Peas are a great replace!

Annette Russell1 week ago
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I enjoy The recipes that I get from this website they are all always so satisfied

Arrhiannon3 weeks ago
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This is now my favorite pasta dish. I cannot eat kale so I substituted spinach. I also added about a quarter cup each of sliced onion and poblano pepper to the asparagus and tomatoes because I did not have, nor could I fnd, the Alepo pepper where I live. I threw in about a 1/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes, too. Both of us love it and I have made this about five times now! SOOOOOOoooo good and healthy!

Chrisitna3 weeks ago
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The dish was good, although I do feel like the sauce lacked just a little bit of seasoning. I will be making it again, perhaps with a little something extra in the sauce. Great recipe!

Caroline3 weeks ago
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Wow, this was delicious. Couldn’t stop eating it! Thanks again FOK for an easy and tasty dish.

Jerri3 weeks ago
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This dish is excellent! The whole family loved it, and I wish I had doubled the veggies. This is another FOK recipe that will make it into my regular rotation.

Jessica Wehunt3 weeks ago
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I love this recipe. My kids love it. I threw different veggies in it since that’s what I had on hand.

Rachel4 weeks ago
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Sounds yummy, if it makes 10 cups – is a cup a serving? How many cups would you recommend per person?

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about the author

Shelli McConnell

Shelli McConnell graduated with a bachelor of science in consumer food science and a minor in journalism from Iowa State University. She began her career as a home economist in the Better Homes & Gardens Test Kitchen before moving into an editorial position within Meredith Corporation. She has since freelanced for 25 years and has served as an editorial project manager for many books and magazines, including three editions of the Better Homes & Gardens New Cook Book. She has also developed thousands of recipes for publications including Forks Over Knives magazine; Eat This, Not That!; Diabetic Living; Better Homes & Gardens; The Magnolia Journal; and more. Shelli loves to entertain and inspire, so when she’s not in her office, she’s usually in her kitchen.

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