Creamy Avocado Pasta Salad is loaded with diced California Avocados, plump tomatoes, crispy bacon and fresh basil all tossed with a creamy avocado ranch dressing!
Creamy Avocado Pasta Salad is perfect for bringing to potlucks and parties! It’s always a hit!
One of the fantastic perks of being a California Avocado Ambassador is when my monthly shipment of California Avocados arrive at my door. This past year I have gotten a new delivery guy, and apparently out of all the packages he brings to my door he has taken notice of the avocados.
When he knocked on my door this last time he handed me the box and said, “These must be very good!”
“Oh yes, they are the absolute BEST! They’re California Avocados!”
Did you know that California produces approximately 90% of the nation’s avocado crop?
Fun fact – I was born in California. Only the best things are born there… wait what?! 😉
But seriously people, this Creamy Avocado Pasta Salad is divine. The dressing is a combination of ranch and fresh avocado. I squeezed just a bit of lime juice in there to give it the perfect zip. Then I diced up even more avocado and tossed it in the salad. The crispy bacon crumbles in there give it just the right amount of crunch and smokiness.
I served this salad with some ribs and a side of grilled corn on the cob. Everyone absolutely enjoyed it, and practically licked their plates clean.
Go grab some California Avocados and dig in!
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Creamy Avocado Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 16 oz large shell pasta
- 1 California Avocado, diced
- 1 ½ cups grape tomatoes, halved
- 6 strips thick cut bacon, cooked and crumbled
- 2 tablespoons fresh basil, ribboned
For the Dressing:
- 1 cup ranch dressing
- 1 California Avocado
- 1 lime, juice of
- 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
- 1/4 tsp salt
Instructions
- Prepare the pasta according to package directions. Once tender drain the pasta and run cold water throughout to cool the pasta down. Place in a large bowl.
- To prepare the dressing add all the dressing ingredients to a blender and process until smooth. Pour over the cooled pasta and toss to coat.
- Fold in the diced avocado, grape tomatoes, bacon, and basil. Season with additional salt and pepper if desired. Enjoy!
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Nutrition
Disclosure: I am honored to have a long term, compensated relationship as a brand ambassador for California Avocados. All opinions expressed are my own! For more great recipes featuring California Avocados, be certain to visit the recipe section of their website.
I thought the recipe was very tasty. My shells were a little chewy? How long do you cook the shells? I made half the recipe for the two of us. Next time I will use more bacon, add cucumbers & fresh tomatoes instead of cherry tomatoes & a little less dressing. Will definitely make again. Thanks for the recipe. I have made several of your recipes and always love them!
Cook the shells until they’re al dente, or a little longer if you feel they were too chewy for your taste. I’m so glad you are enjoying the recipes! Thanks for commenting!
Made it…it’s way too saucy for our taste….it’s good, but too saucy…maybe cut back on the dressing mixture by 1/4.
I think this would be better with a mayonnaise base. The ranch dressing is too pungent and overpowers the avocado.
Delicious! The dressing is so tasty! awesome 🙂
Can I substitute ranch dressing for yoghurt
Any substitute suggestions for the ranch dressing? It’s the only thing in this recipe that I can’t have! Thanks in advance!
Making this tomorrow for my family. Replacing pasta with Riced Cauliflower for lower carbs.
This looks so good
Can this be made ahead of time
You can make this ahead of time, but I would only make it up to a day or two in advance since the avocado will want to start to brown. Keep it covered tightly in the fridge.
What are the calories and carbs to this?
Does the dressing turn brown at all if refrigerated?
I think that’s why there’s lime in it
Delicious! The dressing is so tasty!
Hi! I just did this recipe, I want to thank you because it is so awesome and quick to prepare, and of course, delicious. I didn’t have all of the ingredients and it is kind of late here to go to the grocery store, haha, so I replaced the ranch dressing with cream and the cilantro with mint, it was so refreshing! Also, I used fettuccine and didn’t use the bacon (not because I don’t love it, but because I clearly have to go to the grocery store, lol). Anyway, I loved it! Thanks. 🙂
Just made this 🙂 Bringing it to a 4th July BBQ, hope it people love it! The beau was my taster and he said it tasted like a BLT. He loved it!
I wasn’t sure if I could make this over night and keep it in the fridge. To decrease my cooking time for the morning of, the prior night I made the pasta shells – put them in the fridge. Cut the bacon into pieces and pan fried.
I made the dresses with an immersion hand blender and it was really easy. Didn’t need all the dressing. Thanks for the recipe!
I’ve discovered just this year how much I LOVE avocados! I’ve saved your Creamy Avocado Pasta Salad and I know my family will empty to bowl!
Oh yes bring on the pasta….looks delicious!!
I want to be an Avocado Ambassador – now that sounds like a dream job! This is such a creamy, healthy, delicious looking summer pasta salad 🙂
It’s amazing how creamy avocados are. You know I don’t think I have used avocado in a pasta salad before. I like the idea. I pinned it.
Hmmm this looks good, I pinned it! I’ll have to find some gluten free pasta, but it sound delish!
This looks great! Can’t wait to try it.
Now that we live in California, I cannot get enough avocados. Before moving, I never understood the love for them because where we lived they never quite got to the market in good shape. It was always a gamble, either still green (yet bruised) or overripe & rotting inside; but no matter which way they came, they were always really expensive.