Creamy Avocado Pasta with Lemon and Garlic

This creamy avocado pasta with lemon and garlic is ready in less than 30 minutes with the help of our sponsor, Barilla, available at Walmart. 

You know when you’ve been so busy the whole weekend and then realize you completely forgot to come up with a game plan for dinner on Monday night? This is the meal I make when that happens. And wouldn’t you know? it happens more often than not. 

Luckily avocados are in season right now and we can go pick a few off our neighbor’s tree (after asking of course) to use when we need them. Our lemon tree is doing quite well too so pairing the two flavors together make for a pretty delicious meal pairing. 

One thing I love about this meal is that it uses ingredients I either always have on hand or have readily available with little effort. We try and stock our pantry with must-have items like Barilla Whole Grain pasta and sauces. Not only are they great for meals in a pinch, but I also know that my family is getting a meal that meets their nutritional needs. 

Barilla Whole Grain pasta is a great source of fiber and is made with 100% whole wheat. My family is getting 56g of whole grain in each serving of pasta. It also pairs perfectly with lean proteins like salmon or chicken but can hold it’s own as a full meal as well, just like this recipe. 

Normally we make creamy avocado pasta and pair it with salmon when we have it on hand, but if we don’t, we can forgo the lean protein and just eat this dish as a full meal. I’ve also been known to throw some shrimp into the dish as an alternative option. The creaminess of the avocado adds to the delicacy of the seafood. And who doesn’t love the flavor of garlic and lemon with salmon and shrimp? 

Creamy Avocado Pasta with Lemon and Garlic

  • 6 ounces Barilla Whole Grain Linguini
  • 4 tablespoons olive oil (divided in half)
  • 1/4 cup onion (diced)
  • 2 cloves garlic (minced)
  • 2 tablespoons Barilla pesto
  • 1/2 avocado (diced & mashed)
  • salt to taste
  • Saute onions and garlic in 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Set aside.
  1. Saute onions and garlic in 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Set aside.
  2. Cook Barilla Whole Grain Linguini according to package directions. Drain and add to a heated pan with 2 tablespoons olive oil.
  3. Add sauteed onions and garlic and Barilla pesto to pasta and cook 1-2 minutes.
  4. Add mashed avocado and stir to combine. Remove from heat and serve.

Serving size: 1/2 cup of pasta

What’s your favorite springtime flavor to pair with pasta? 

Looking to save a little more than time on this quick and easy dinner? Grab a coupon from Ibotta to use at Walmart when you’re stocking up on your favorite Barilla pasta and sauces! 

Find more great recipes to enjoy with your Barilla pasta and sauces by following this Pinterest board for simple, delicious pasta dishes inspired by Barilla. 

Love this recipe? Check out a few more: 

Pin this article for later! 

Click the Pin button on the image below to save for later. 

Easy Dinner Solutions for the Busy Mom

I found easy dinner solutions with Campbell’s® Sauces as part of a sponsored post for Socialstars. #CampbellsSauces

Easy Dinner Solutions for the Busy Mom - dinner ready in less than 30 minutes! #CampbellsSauces

This pregnancy has thrown all thought of meal planning and cooking out the window. When I find myself at a loss for what to make for dinner around 4pm I frantically call the husband to see if he can save the day. But there are only so many weeks of burgers, pizza, and tacos before it all starts to taste the same.

So I’ve decided to get a bit more serious about planning. I mean… not too serious but just enough to find some good staples to keep around for those days I’m tempted to call the husband to the rescue.

Luckily I found a great cooking aid – Campbell’s Skillet Sauces!  [Read more…]

Social Fabric is Like a Lasagna Recipe #LuvSoFab14

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Sometimes it takes a while to find out where you belong. What you want to do when you grow up, who your friends are, how you better yourself on so many different levels. And I think I’ve finally succeeded on figuring these out with the help of Social Fabric and Collective Bias.

Friends, community, support. These are the words that come to mind when I think of Social Fabric and what the SoFab community has done for me.

Now I have the chance to finally meet the SoFab family I’ve come to love in person at SoFabCon’14 in Arkansas this May.  [Read more…]

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So I reached out and asked my blogging friends what they do with leftovers. And I’m so glad I did. Some of these dishes may sound a little weird, and others sound absolutely amazing. But they all have one thing in common. They’re delicious! [Read more…]

Caprese Salad Pasta with Chicken Sauté {Quick Dinner Recipes}

Caprese Salad Pasta with Chicken Saute quick dinner recipes #shop #sauteexpress
I’ve always been a huge fan of quick dinner recipes. Ones that don’t take a lot of time to prepare and just fall together easily. No worrying about if I remembered the vegetables or started the rice. My favorite quick fix meals are easy chicken recipes that my kids will eat.

Since the weekends are usually my time to kick back, relax, and enjoy some family time, I make sure I have some quick dinner recipes up my sleeve to make mealtimes easier. And luckily now I have Land O’Lakes Sauté Express® Sauté Starter to help me out.

The caprese salad pasta I made took less than 15 minutes to prepare and all I chopped up were the tomatoes and cheese. Nothing hard or time consuming about that. I didn’t even add salt and pepper before putting the chicken in the pan.

quick dinner recipes caprese salad pasta ingredients #shop #sauteexpress

Quick Dinner Recipes

As a busy mom with two little ones I have a few 30 minute meals up my sleeve that take little to no thinking on my part. Except for the fact that I need to have all of the ingredients on hand.

But now my life has been made easier… finding these Sauté Express® Sauté Starter packages from Land O’Lakes has allowed me to keep making delicious and tasty meals for the family but has cut the cooking time in half.

Another lifesaver? Chicken tenders! They take like a third of the time chicken breasts take to cook and are just as good. Plus the kids love the size.

quick dinner recipes chicken pasta close up #shop #sauteexpress

Caprese Salad Pasta with Chicken Sauté

  • 2 servings spinach linguini pasta
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes
  • 1/2 cup mozzarella, diced
  • 1/2 cup basil pesto
  • 1 Land O’Lakes Sauté Express® Sauté Starter in garlic & herb
  • 1/2 pound chicken tenders

Fill a pot with water and bring to a boil. Add spinach linguini and cook until al dente as per the instructions on the packaging.

While water is coming to a boil, cut the cherry tomatoes and toss with the diced mozzarella and pesto in a small bowl.  Set aside.

When pasta is cooking, grab a saute pan and add Sauté Express® Sauté Starter. Cook on medium low heat until bubbling. Add chicken to the pan and cook until browned on each side, about 7-10 minutes. Place cooked chicken on a plate and remove from heat.

Once the pasta is done cooking, add the noodles to the caprese salad mixture (tomatoes, mozzarella, and pesto) and toss well. Serve pasta on a plate and top with sauteed garlic & herb chicken.

quick dinner recipes caprese salad pasta with chicken saute dish #shop #sauteexpress

What’s your favorite quick fix meal?

10 Fantastic Eggplant Recipes

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We’ve had a surplus of eggplant in the garden so I’ve been going crazy trying to figure out how to use it all up. But I’m lucky. My friends are superstars and have the best eggplant recipes to try.

From eggplant philly sandwiches, to ratatouille, to eggplant parmesan these dishes are not only delicious, they have helped me go through my eggplant. The problem is I have three more almost ready to harvest.

We’ll definitely continue to be creative when it comes to making dishes. I’m thinking an eggplant chili next! What do you think? What should I make? [Read more…]

10 Minute Dinners with Success® Rice

This awesome 10 Minute Dinners recipe and post is sponsored by Success® Rice

10 Minute Dinners Lemon Garlic Shrimp

While I love to cook and get enjoyment out of feeding my family delicious meals there are some nights when I just don’t want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen. So I’ve come up with a few 10 minute meals to turn to on those nights I’m just too tired to cook a lot.

Luckily I don’t have to compromise flavor or nutrition when I make these 10 minute meals. I just use simple pantry staples like Success® Rice and whatever else I might have on hand to create different variations of similar dishes.

Last night we were in need of a 10 minute meal and I turned to my freezer and pantry. And that’s where Garlic Lemon Shrimp over Rice was created.

I pulled out the Success® Rice I had purchased on my last trip to the grocery store, some onions, garlic, lemons, cooking sherry, cornstarch and frozen shrimp, and got to making dinner. 10 minutes later dinner was served!

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The Ultimate First Street Ice Cream Cookie Sandwich Recipe

I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™ and Smart & Final.

First Street Ultimate Ice Cream Cookie Sandwich #ChooseSmart

Mother’s Day is all about mom’s favorite things, right? And I know that my mom – and mother in law – loves sweets. Since it’s been so warm lately I knew she’d appreciate something cool if she were down here (don’t worry mom, we can make these again!).

So when I headed out to Smart & Final to pick up some ingredients for an awesome dessert to serve on Mother’s Day, I knew that First Street ice cream would be the perfect base for any dish.

I thought bringing my husband along with me as we shopped would be a bad idea but he inspired this dish when he asked if he could pick up some chocolate chip cookies too. Genius!! Why not make ice cream sandwiches?

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Living in So Cal I am constantly craving something spicy to eat. This burger? It’s the perfect amount of mild heat I need to make the meal tasty. And the best part? I don’t have to shell out much money to create a restaurant-quality gourmet burger.

I was hoping to also include some delicious Wholly salsa as well but my store didn’t carry it. I’ll be heading out again to purchase some from another retailer before the super bowl because you better believe that these are going to be on the menu! With Wholly salsa.

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Spinach and Bacon Mac and Cheese

Spinach and Bacon Mac and Cheese

Spinach and Bacon Mac and Cheese

One of my favorite comfort foods is mac and cheese. There’s just something about the creamy goodness of the sauce and the filling, tasty noodles that screams satisfaction. I know that after every serving of mac and cheese I’ll have a smile on my face and a very full belly.

A few years back I was watching Ina Garten and she made her Grown Up Mac & Cheese. After watching her make this dish I’ve never made mac and cheese the same again! With a few key tips I took from Ina I’ve created a family favorite that we make at least once a month: Spinach and Bacon Mac and Cheese.

What I absolutely love about this dish is, like many of my favorite dishes, it’s a “whats left in the fridge” kind of meal. You can use just about any cheese you have on hand and throw in any vegetable you think might be tasty. Some nights it’s broccoli, other nights it’s frozen peas. Last night it was spinach.

So skip the boxed mac and try something that is sure to become a quick family favorite. You will not be disappointed!

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