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Shells with Gazpacho Sauce and Avocado
© Melanie Acevedo

Shells with Gazpacho Sauce and Avocado

Contributed by Quick From Scratch Pasta
  • ACTIVE:
  • TOTAL TIME:
  • SERVINGS: 4
  • FAST
  • VEGETARIAN

The bounty of late summer—tomatoes, red peppers, cucumber and dill—goes into this refreshing sauce. The gazpacho is pureed in a food processor or blender, and so you don't need to spend a lot of time cutting the vegetables into neat dice the wa...

  1. 1/2 cup chopped red onion
  2. 2 cloves garlic, smashed
  3. 1 jalapeño pepper, seeds and ribs removed
  4. 1/2 large red bell pepper, seeded
  5. 1 cucumber, peeled and seeded
  6. 1 pound plum tomatoes (about 5), seeded
  7. 1 3/4 teaspoons salt
  8. 1/2 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
  9. 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
  10. 1/4 teaspoon wine vinegar
  11. 1/4 cup dried breadcrumbs
  12. 1/4 cup olive oil
  13. 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
  14. 1 avocado
  15. 3/4 pound medium pasta shells
  1. In a food processor or blender, combine the onion, garlic, jalapeño pepper, bell pepper, cucumber, tomatoes, salt, pepper, cumin, vinegar, and breadcrumbs. Pulse until chopped. With the machine running, add the oil in a thin stream. Add the dill and pulse once to combine. Dice the avocado and add it to the sauce.
  2. In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the pasta until just done, about 10 minutes. Drain the pasta and toss with the sauce.
Notes

Spicing It Up

If you like your gazpacho a little spicier, try one of these quick additions:

• Leave some seeds in the jalapeño.

• Add a dash of Tabasco sauce.

• Add a pinch of cayenne.

Suggested Pairing

Beer suits this dish better than any wine. Serve your own favorite or a cold, light Mexican beer such as Corona.