Looking for a deceivingly quick family dinner that can be made in less than 15 minutes with minimal ingredients and effort? Then, I got you! This warm Avocado Spinach Pesto Pasta is made with eight simple ingredients as well as a hidden veggie (go spinach!), and is easily customizable to your family’s food preferences. It will surely have any picky eater going back for seconds! Perfect for babies 6+ months, toddlers, kids, and adults alike.

White bowl with bowtie pasta with a creamy avocado, spinach pesto sauce with a hand putting Parmesan on top. The bowl is sitting on a blue napkin on a white countertop with a small bowl of Parmesan next to it.

Avocado Pasta With Spinach Video

Tonight, you will not be getting takeout!

Because you now have this little gem of a recipe, that takes less than 15-minutes, requires ZERO percent brain power, and can be made at the same time you load the dishwasher with all of those dirty school lunch bento boxes (why are there always SO MANY afterschool dishes?!).

It all starts with making your favorite box of pasta. Any shape, size, or style will work here. Let’s not make this more complicated than it should be.

Then, for this creamy avocado spinach pasta, we’re blending up a ripe avocado, a handful of spinach and basil, a few cloves of garlic (measure that with your heart), a little olive oil and fresh lemon juice, and some Parm. The result is a light, flavorful sauce that ALWAYS has my kids going back for seconds, and sometimes even thirds!

Yes, you can:
🍤 Add some protein, such as cooked shrimp or chicken
🍅 Add in quartered cherry tomatoes, cut in half mini mozzarella pearls, and toasted pinenuts
🥒 Use zoodles instead of pasta, if that is your thing

#momhack—Want fewer dishes and to save even more time? Double this Avocado Spinach Pesto so you can use one serving for dinner tonight and freeze the second portion in a stasher bag or freezer baggie for another dinner later in the month. Just toss the frozen baggie into the fridge the night before to defrost, or pop the block of frozen pesto into a microwave-safe dish and microwave for 1-2 minutes.

Plus, this recipe is great for the entire family. You can serve it to your baby for a chunky stage 3 puree or for baby-led weaning, separated out so your toddler can dip the pasta into the pesto, my kids love adding their own toppings, and of course, adults love this as well. It’s great for dinner and if there are in any leftovers, you can certainly pack it into a packed lunch for the next day.

Ingredients

Spread of ingredients for avocado, spinach pesto pasta, and a white countertop, with labels showing which each one is, pasta, spinach, basil, olive oil, garlic, lemon, Parmesan, avocado all the way backgrounds.

Let’s Do This!

A silver sauce, pan with boiling water and pasta.
Cook pasta to the directions on the pasta. My kids love bowtie pasta but any pasta will work here.
A food processor on the white countertop with spinach basil, Parmesan, lemon juice, and avocado, getting ready to be mixed together.
While the pasta is cooking, add in the basil, spinach, avocado, lemon juice, Parmesan, garlic, olive oil and salt to a food processor.
A silver food processor on a white countertop with a avocado, spinach pesto sauce mixed together.
Turn the food processor on and let process until the pesto is creamy. I found scraping the sides every 30 seconds or so helps make this go faster.
A silver sauce, pan with bowtie, pasta, and a huge spoonful of spinach, avocado pesto on top.
Once pasta is cooked, add it back to the pot and add in most or all of the avocado spinach pesto.
A silvers size pan with bowtie pasta mixed with a creamy green avocado, spinach pesto.
Stir in the pesto into the pasta.
Blue plate and blue bowl with blue fork with a blue napkin, full of a bowtie pasta with a creamy avocado, spinach pesto sauce with the pork roasting on top of the bowl on top of a white countertop.
Spoon the pasta into bowls, sprinkle with a little more parm and serve.

Add-Ins

This wonderful avocado spinach pasta offers many add-in or variation options if you’d like! Here are a few of my favorites.

  • Top with halved or quartered cherry tomatoes
  • Boost the protein with shrimp or diced chicken
  • Stir in some cooked peas or broccoli
  • Serve with crumbled bacon on top
  • Sub “zoodles” or zucchini noodles for the traditional pasta
  • Top with feta cheese
  • Add in cut mini mozzarella pearls
  • Add in toasted pinenuts
White bowl with bowtie pasta with a creamy avocado, spinach pesto sauce with a hand putting Parmesan on top. The bowl is sitting on a blue napkin on a white countertop with a small bowl of Parmesan next to it.

Get the recipe: 15-Minute Avocado Spinach Pasta (Toddler & Kid approved!)

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Looking for a deceivingly quick family dinner that can be made in less than 15 minutes with minimal ingredients and effort? Then, I got you! This warm Avocado Spinach Pesto Pasta is made with eight simple ingredients as well as a hidden veggie (go spinach!), and is easily customizable to your family's food preferences. It will surely have any picky eater going back for seconds! Perfect for babies 6+ months – adults.
Yield: 4 servings
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Total: 15 minutes
Author: Michele Olivier
Course: Main Course
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Ingredients 

  • 8 oz pasta, bowtie or any other pasta shape you prefer
  • 1 ripe avocado
  • 1/2 cup baby spinach, not packed
  • 1/2 cup fresh basil, not packed
  • 1/4 cup parmesan, plus more for servings
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions 

  • Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add pasta, and cook according to the package directions. Once cooked, drain and place back into the pot.
  • Meanwhile, in a food processor, add the avocado, spinach, basil, parmesan, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper.
  • Turn on the food processor and let run for 1-3 minutes, scrapping down sides every 30 seconds or so. If the pesto is too thick, you can add in 1 tbsp of olive oil at a time until you reach your desired consistency.
  • Add as much Avocado Spinach Pesto to your pasta as you prefer. Sprinkle with a little more parmesan and serve.

Notes

Age: 9+ months
Storage: This avocado spinach pasta is best eaten right away. However, you can place leftovers in the fridge for 1-3 days. Because of the avocado in the sauce, it may start to turn brownish in color.
You can minimize browning by storing the pasta with a squeeze 2 more tbsps of lemon juice on top and then press plastic wrap down directly on the surface. Cover with an airtight lid.
Recipe Tips:
  • Use ripe avocados. The key to getting that extra smooth, creamy sauce is making sure your avocados are very ripe. Underripe avocados won’t result in the best texture.
  • Cooking for little ones. When making pasta for babies, cook it fully, a little past al dente, so it’s easily squishable. If the rest of your family prefers a little firmer pasta, just take out portions for them and cook the rest a little longer for your baby.
  • Get out your kitchen shears. Use these to cut spaghetti and other noodles in your baby or toddler’s bowl to save time and make it easier for little ones to eat.
  • Make it dairy-free. Simply omit the cheese or use a dairy-free substitute.

Did you make this recipe?

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Medically reviewed and cowritten by Jamie Johnson, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN), and Lauren Braaten, Pediatric Occupational Therapist (OT).