Tomato Avocado Pasta #recipe from Molly MacRae

 

Ripe tomatoes and avocados are the key to this amazing dish. It’s best in summer when the tomatoes come straight from the garden or farmers market. Sometimes we break down and make it in the dead of winter, though, and it’s still good. It just makes us sigh and look forward to the red tomato days of July, August, and sometimes September. It makes a great leftover lunch, too.  

Tomato Avocado Pasta

(adapted from Pasta e Verdura by Jack Bishop)

 

Ingredients

3 or 4 ripe tomatoes (medium-size, about 1 1/2 pounds - that's a delicious 1 1/2-pound tomato in the picture!)

2 or 3 ripe avocados

4 cloves garlic, minced (although I count 5 cloves in the picture)

2 tablespoons drained capers, minced

1/4 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano (2 tablespoons minced fresh)

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes or to taste

12 ounces pasta (we use campanelle)

 

Directions

In a bowl big enough to hold all the ingredients (including the cooked pasta), mix the oil, lemon juice, oregano, salt, and red pepper flakes. 

Peel and pit the avocados, cut into 1/2-inch cubes, and toss with the oil and seasoning mix in the bowl. Add the capers and garlic. 

Core and cut the tomatoes into 1/2-inch cubes and toss with avocados. Set aside for 20 minutes to let the flavors blend.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pot according to package directions. When done, drain, and toss into the bowl with the tomato avocado mixture. Mix well. 

Serve with garlic bread or a slice of any good bread (there will be wonderful juice to sop up).

 

Look for Molly’s new series—the Haunted Shell Shop Mysteries—available now!

Book 1: Come Shell or High Water

The Boston Globe says Molly MacRae writes “murder with a dose of drollery.” She’s the author of the award-winning, national bestselling Haunted Yarn Shop Mysteries and the Highland Bookshop Mysteries. As Margaret Welch, she writes books for Annie’s Fiction. Her short stories have appeared in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine and she’s a winner of the Sherwood Anderson Award for Short Fiction. Visit Molly on Facebook and Pinterest and connect with her on Twitter  or Instagram.