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 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 Rican 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 rice, stews, and beans. 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

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.

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