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Home » Recipes » Dinner

Creamy Rigatoni With Sofrito Avocado Sauce

Quick and easy, creamy rigatoni pasta gently tossed in an avocado and sofrito sauce. Made with a Puerto Rican twist, using adobo. It's a delicious dinner recipe that’s perfect for a busy weekday summer night.

Rigatoni pasta in a creamy avocado sauce in a gray bowl. Topped with chili flakes.
by Aly Michell Dated: June 7, 2021 Last Modified: August 28, 2023 4 Comments
227 shares
(This post may have affiliate links. Please see my disclosure.)
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  • Why Are We Using Sofrito? 
  • Why You’ll Love This Recipe
  • Recipe FAQs
  • How To Store 
  • Creamy Rigatoni With Sofrito Avocado Sauce

If you’re into a creamy pasta dish - this recipe won’t disappoint! This is not your typical spaghetti and vegan meatball recipe. 

We’re using the magic of ripe avocado to make our creamy base. Keeping this vegan, plant-based, and straight-to-the-point. We’re also using thick and tender rigatoni pasta. 

I scored a bag of avocados, and it was time to use them up before they quickly turn into a brown, squishy mush. So, pasta it was! Besides, as much as I love a classic avocado toast, I wanted dinner. A filling, delcious, carb-loaded dinner after a hard workout.

This dish is great on its own, but if you want more on that dinner plate, go for breadsticks, a side salad, garlic bread, or even a fun side of baked zucchini fries. 

So, let's talk about the title for this recipe. Maybe "sofrito" thrown in there doesn't make a lot of sense. But it does.

The secret ingredient is homemade Puerto Rico sofrito. It’s made with a mix of aromatic vegetables and herbs, which helps bring flavor to this recipe, without having to set aside time to chop. 

Why Are We Using Sofrito? 

Using sofrito simplifies this recipe and we won’t have to worry about chopping or crushing, for example, garlic and cilantro. 

Typically sofrito is used as a cooking base for Puerto Rican dishes including Puerto Rican rice, stewed mushrooms, and habichuelas guisadas. However, it’ll be used to serve a different purpose in this dish. 

We’re doing things a little different here, but trust me on this. Sofrito will make this recipe super easy to make without having to slide out the chopping board.

My biggest tip when it comes to sofrito? Make batches of the stuff so you always have it handy in your fridge or freezer.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

  • It’s perfectly refreshing, made with flavorful plant-based ingredients including homemade sofrito, ripe avocado, and olive oil. 
  • It’s as easy as boiling pasta and throwing ingredients into a blender. It’s a no-fuss, quick recipe. 
  • This creamy rigatoni pasta recipe uses authentic Puerto Rican flavors, including adobo, making it one-of-a-kind.  

More Refreshing Summer Recipes You’ll Enjoy:  

  • Dairy-Free Mac & Cheese
  • Creamy Pesto Gnocchi 
  • Nut-Free Basil Pesto 
  • Creamy Potato Salad 
  • Chickpea Salad Sandwich 

Be sure to also try out our tomato-based One-Pot Pasta recipe!

Recipe FAQs

How To Boil Rigatoni

It’s best to go with the instructions on the pasta’s packaging. For mine, I started with a pot of boiling, salted water. 

Then, I boiled the rigatoni until al dente, which takes about 13-14 minutes. Be sure to not overcook the pasta, or they’ll turn into mush and the texture won’t hold up. 

Where To Find Sofrito

Homemade Puerto Rican sofrito in a jar

Sofrito is best homemade. Although it may look intimidating to whip up, you’re essentially just blending a bunch of vegetables and herbs including onion, garlic, cilantro, and peppers. 

If you don’t have sofrito on hand, you can add the ingredients for sofrito directly into the avocado sauce blend, you’ll just need to cut down how much of the ingredients you add. Go for 1 garlic clove, a few slivers of onion, red bell pepper, green bell pepper, and a bit of cilantro. 

Latin grocery stores will typically sell sofrito, both frozen and in the jar. The frozen stuff will taste a lot better. You might also be able to find jarred sofrito in the ethnic or Latin aisle of a grocery store. 

Tips For The Perfect Creamy Rigatoni 

  • Use ripe avocado. It doesn’t need to be overly ripe, just ripe enough to blend and bring a hint of sweetness. An avocado is ripe when you’re able to give it a gentle press/squeeze, and there is some give. I used a large Hass avocado in this recipe.
  • Use a quality blender to reach a creamy consistency. Vitamix is a great option, but it’s on the pricier side. For a more affordable blender, check out Oster’s Blender Pro 1200 - which is what I use. 
  • A touch of olive oil and water will smooth out this sauce. If you prefer to go oil-free, swap out the olive oil for more water

How To Store 

If eating later, transfer the pasta into an air-tight container. Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Color may change due to the avocado's exposure to oxygen.

Flavor is best the same day or a day after.

Creamy avocado rigatoni topped with red chili flakes.
Rigatoni pasta in a creamy avocado sauce in a gray bowl. Topped with chili flakes.

Creamy Rigatoni With Sofrito Avocado Sauce

Aly Michell
Quick and easy, creamy rigatoni pasta gently tossed in avocado and fragrant sofrito sauce. Made with a Puerto Rican twist, using adobo. A delicious dinner recipe that’s perfect for a busy weekday summer night.
5 from 2 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes mins
Cook Time 15 minutes mins
Total Time 20 minutes mins
Course Dinner, Lunch
Cuisine American, Fusion, Puerto Rican
Servings 4
Calories 329 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 8 ounces rigatoni pasta
  • 1 large ripe avocado halved, deseeded, scooped out
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 4 tablespoons sofrito
  • ½ teaspoon adobo
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • 1 teaspoon nutritional yeast optional

Instructions
 

Pasta

  • Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Once at a boil, add the rigatoni noodles and cook until al dente, about 10-15 minutes. Alternatively, cook according to package instructions.

Avocado Pasta Sauce

  • While the pasta cooks, place the avocado, olive oil, sofrito, adobo, water, and nutritional yeast (optional) into a blender. Blend well until creamy. 
  • Toss to combine the cooked rigatoni pasta with the avocado sauce. Best served and enjoyed right away. Or, chill for at least an hour. 

Video

Notes

  1. Best served and enjoyed right away. Or, chill for at least an hour. 
  2. Sofrito is a blend of vegetables and aromatics made in a blender or food processor. It’s an easy dish that I usually make in bulk and store in the freezer. This allows me to have plenty on hand for when I am ready to use it. 
  3. The avocado shouldn’t turn brown right away. However, after a while, even when properly stored, the color may darken. 
  4. The flavor is best when eaten the same day or up to 2 days. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1-ServingCalories: 329kcalCarbohydrates: 48gProtein: 9gFat: 12gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 8gSodium: 116mgPotassium: 400mgFiber: 6gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 84IUVitamin C: 14mgCalcium: 21mgIron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Tag @plantbasedandbroke on Instagram and show it off to us!

Did you try out this Creamy Rigatoni With Sofrito Avocado Sauce recipe?

Please leave a comment below, share it, rate it, or tag a picture @plantbasedandbroke on Instagram and hashtag it #plantbasedandbroke. Show off that creation with us.

227 shares
Category: All, Dinner, Entrees, Popular, Spring, Summer

About Aly Michell

Over 10+ years of plant-based eating and cooking on a budget!

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Comments

  1. Lisa

    November 08, 2021 at 10:56 am

    5 stars
    My whole family loved this pasta. The avacado makes it super creamy! Thank you!!! It is also really easy to make.

    Reply
    • Aly Michell

      November 08, 2021 at 6:24 pm

      Hi Lisa! I am glad you and your family loved the pasta. Thank you for trying out the recipe!

      Reply
  2. SAHIL SAINI

    June 08, 2021 at 10:07 pm

    5 stars
    It came out great!

    Reply
    • Aly Michell

      June 12, 2021 at 1:40 pm

      Yay! Glad you loved it! ^_^

      Reply
5 from 2 votes

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Hi, My name is Aly Michell! I create plant-based recipes that are easy, accessible, using everyday cookware.

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