02.24.12
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AND BACON [well low-sodium, low fat turkey bacon, that is]! Sorry, I feel that was really important to point out. Not like y’all wouldn’t love a creamy avocado pasta anyway, but I added bacon too. Which, as you know, makes everything taste like rainbows and butterflies.
Although I’d glady throw bacon into everything I eat (bacon smoothie? bacon pancake? bacon coffee?) the reason behind the addition wasn’t chance. Actually, it was due to a bit of Twitter stalking! See, I had plans to make this creamy pasta ever since I ran across the original recipe on Two Peas and Their Pod. It was bookmarked and ready to go.
However, then I saw one of my friends, Maria, tweet that she liked avocado pasta but it needed bacon or tomatoes. And alas, I made a mental to note to add bacon. Which, I’ll argue, made this dish.
But then, amidst a daydream of this pulled chicken BBQ and chicken ragu, I got another idea. Hey, why don’t I add shredded chicken too that’s been slow cooking for 5 hours? Wouldn’t that just be GRAND?
You know what folks, IT WAS! I have this problem where I literally can not stop myself from eating slow cooked shredded chicken. I have no freakin’ clue why. I mean, guys, it’s just chicken. With a dash of salt and pepper and a little chicken broth. But I don’t know, there’s some magical component to it that makes it nearly impossible not to eat. Mixed with avocado and pasta and I’m one very happy girl.
This is the perfect meal if you are craving alfredo pasta but don’t want to eat 50 grams of fat in one sitting. Hey, I don’t blame you. So I tell you, if you LIKE alfredo but want a lighter, creamy pasta dish, TRY THIS.
I think all the world’s problems could be solved if everyone just sat down to this creamy, decadently, super delicious dinner. Don’t you?
Oh and don’t worry friends when you see the nutritional information, the fat grams may be high, but you have to remember, it’s HEALTHY fat. Avocados are loaded withmonounsaturatedfat, which has been shown to fight heart disease and lower LDL (or bad, evil cholesterol). So, keep that in mind.
Now go make this! For dinner tonight? Or, be like me, and eat it for breakfast. Because that works too.
Creamy Avocado Pasta with Chicken (and BACON!)
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes [+ 5 hours for chicken]
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
For the chicken:
- 1 large 8 ounce chicken breast
- 3/4 cup chicken broth
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
For the pasta:
- 3 cups spaghetti noodles, cooked
- 1 1/2 avocado, pitted and scooped out of skin
- 3 – 4 tablespoons light cream
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 -3 tablespoons lime juice
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- *2 pieces of crispy cooked turkey bacon (low sodium)
Directions:
- Place chicken breast, chicken broth, salt and pepper in a slow cooker and set on low heat. Let cook for at least 5 hours, or until chicken is easily shredded. Once done, shred using two forks and set aside.
- In a blender or food processor, place avocados, cream, lime juice, salt and pepper. Blend until soft and creamy. If mixture is too chunky, add additional cream. Add additional lime juice to taste.
- In a large bowl, mix chicken, pasta and avocado sauce together. Crumble baconon topand enjoy!
*Bacon is totally optional. If you’d prefer to cut it out, the pasta is just as good!
Nutritional information per 3/4 cup serving:
Calories: 425
Fat: 22.5 grams
Carbohydrates: 38 grams
Protein: 16.5 grams
Fiber: 14
Weight Watchers Points Plus Points: 11
Leave a Comment | 45 Comments
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Claire
Categories:Food Photography, Like That Try This, Meal Makeover, Pasta, Weight Watchers Recipes
Tags:avocado recipe, featured, healthy pasta recipe, light creamy recipe, Meal Makeover, weight watchers recipes
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Comments
Posted by Jessica lynn on
Friday, February 24th, 2012
I drooled a little bit reading about that. It sounds heavenly and I'm totally making it the next time we have ripe avocados!
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Posted by Kelly on
Friday, February 24th, 2012
This looks amazing!! Love the creamy avocado! :)
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Posted by Cassie @ Bake Your Day on
Friday, February 24th, 2012
I love avocados made into pasta sauce. We eat that about once weekly!
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Posted by Claire Gallam10 on
Friday, February 24th, 2012
I'm now 100%on board. It's amazing!!
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Posted by Liz @ Southern Charm on
Friday, February 24th, 2012
LOVE the addition of bacon! I saw this recipe, but still haven't tried it ... that bacon may push me over the line :)
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Posted by Claire Gallam10 on
Friday, February 24th, 2012
OMG do it! It'll change your life!
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Posted by Jen @ Whittle My Middle on
Friday, February 24th, 2012
Everything is better with bacon! Even the turkey/low sodium kind. Love the idea of using avocados
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Posted by Claire Gallam10 on
Friday, February 24th, 2012
I know, isn't it just the best?
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Posted by Suzanne on
Friday, February 24th, 2012
wha a yummy looking dish!
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Posted by Katie Koonce on
Friday, February 24th, 2012
Whoa!!! This sounds and looks SO GOOD!!! I l adore bacon too! What a great addition!
xx
Epicurean MomReply
Posted by Claire Gallam10 on
Friday, February 24th, 2012
Thank you darlin'!!
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Posted by Maria on
Friday, February 24th, 2012
YUM! Glad I could inspire you :D So I'll bring a bottle of wine and you'll have me over for that, right?
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Posted by Claire Gallam10 on
Friday, February 24th, 2012
Um OF COURSE!
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Posted by Emily @ Life on Food on
Friday, February 24th, 2012
Avocados have been on sale lately and I am going through them like made. I hope they are still cheaper so I can grab some for this dish. It looks so tempting!
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Posted by Claire Gallam10 on
Friday, February 24th, 2012
Omg do it! I love when avocados go on sale!
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Posted by Jackie on
Friday, February 24th, 2012
Bacon AND Avocados AND pasta?! I super love this. I don't feel that bad about eating bacon once I learned that one slice (baked in the oven) only has 45 calories. I am OK with only eating 1 or 2 slices, plus I feel like I spoiled myself so I am less likely to indulge later in the day. It's a win win!
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Posted by Joanne on
Friday, February 24th, 2012
Interesting and appetizing pasta sauce. Less all the meat, it's going on our menu. :) Thanks for sharing.
PS. My hubby would add bacon to everything as well but the Doc said "Oh no you don't!" :) YAY! one for my side.Reply
Posted by Alicia on
Friday, February 24th, 2012
Yum- that looks delish. I'm going to add tomatoes for a BLT-esque pasta.
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Posted by Stephsbitebybite on
Friday, February 24th, 2012
BACON COFFEE!!! Please tell me where I can find that! The avocado makes this dish look so creamy!! YUM
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Posted by Kocinera on
Friday, February 24th, 2012
This dish looks so cool! I love avocado, so seeing that it can be used in pasta sauces is just amazing. Not to mention the bacon, of course. :D
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Posted by Mariela Rivas on
Friday, February 24th, 2012
Is there a particular reason to cook the chicken in the slow cooker? Can I just boil it or cook it in olive oil? Also, can I substitute the cream for something else?
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Posted by Realistic Nutritionist on
Friday, February 24th, 2012
I just prefer the taste of slow cooker chicken! You can cook it anyway you want! You can use light milk or a bit of olive oil.
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Posted by Claudia on
Friday, February 24th, 2012
I've always wanted to try something that tasted of rainbows (butterflies - not so much!). Love the creamy goodness offset by the dutiful (low-sodium turkey) bacon. A definite winning recipe.
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Posted by Kiri W. on
Friday, February 24th, 2012
Mmm, I love my pasta creamy, and this sounds like a great idea. Beautiful dish!
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Posted by FoxyReign on
Saturday, February 25th, 2012
I have not tried mixing avocado with cream based pasta sauce. But it looks very delicious!
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Posted by Colleen on
Saturday, February 25th, 2012
Avocado pasta? That sounds so divine! I can only imagine the piles of pasta covered in creamy sauce...now that's my kind of dinner!
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Posted by Claire Gallam10 on
Sunday, February 26th, 2012
I know right?
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Posted by Baking Serendipity on
Saturday, February 25th, 2012
I love the chicken and bacon addition! I've always made this as just a plain, vegan pasta and am now inspired to try it with the meat.
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Posted by Erin on
Saturday, February 25th, 2012
I LOVE this! I tried it last spring, and it was delicious! I love the addition of chicken and bacon though - you really can never go wrong with that!
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Posted by Melissa (MelissaLikesToEat) on
Saturday, February 25th, 2012
This looks ridiculous! And I mean that in the best way possible! I need to make this! :)
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Posted by Claire Gallam10 on
Sunday, February 26th, 2012
You definitely should!
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Posted by Kristina on
Sunday, February 26th, 2012
omygosh this is maybe the pasta combo... EVER. I've never even thought to use avocado to make a creamy pasta, I love this idea! Marking this recipe for later :)
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Posted by Eliotseats on
Sunday, February 26th, 2012
Sorry to disagree, but I don't think bacon is ever optional! :)
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Posted by Stephanie @ Eat. Drink. Love. on
Sunday, February 26th, 2012
This pasta has three of my favorite things ever! So yummy!
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Posted by Grubarazzi on
Monday, February 27th, 2012
This is a really great flavor combination. I'm going to try to make this without the cream (I'm a dairy-tard) so I'll let you know how it works out!
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Posted by Tiffany on
Tuesday, February 28th, 2012
Made this tonight (with pig bacon) and it was yummy!
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Posted by Grubarazzi on
Wednesday, February 29th, 2012
I made a slightly different version of the avocado sauce (with coconut milk, lemon juice, garlic and a handful of fresh basil). It was sooo good. This was a great share. Thanks!
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Posted by Sarah on
Wednesday, March 7th, 2012
We made this last week, but simply poached the chicken in some stock. Also used low carb pasta, real bacon, and fat free half and half (in place of the cream). Was awesome! Thanks for sharing, I'm surprised I never thought to do this myself! I'm reposting my version on my blog, I think everyone who loves avocados should make this recipe. ASAP, even!
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Posted by Tedwardfox on
Thursday, August 2nd, 2012
Love the original, but I found a way to save time and add flavor. Buy one of CostCo's "big chickens" and dice one of the breast sides plus the thigh meat from one thigh. I left the breast skin on! I also played around with simply dicing a large avocado into the almost ready-to-dish-up pot and gave it a nice stir to knock the edges off the avo-bits rather than blending it. Oh, and I lightly caramelized a small onion cut into rings. And added some shaved Parmesan cheese. And some sesame seeds and a dash of cayenne. And, served it over papardelle pasta (really w-i-d-e noodles). But, other than that it was exactly the same recipe. And, WONDERFUL!!!!!
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Posted by shannon on
Thursday, September 20th, 2012
Made this for supper - except I didn't even have the cream or the bacon - it was still awesome. I will definitely make it again - with the bacon!
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