Shells with Gazpacho Sauce and Avocado

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 way you do for traditional gazpacho.Plus: More Pasta Recipes and Tips

Shells with Gazpacho Sauce and Avocado
Photo: © Melanie Acevedo
Yield:
4

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup chopped red onion

  • 2 cloves garlic, smashed

  • 1 jalapeño pepper, seeds and ribs removed

  • 1/2 large red bell pepper, seeded

  • 1 cucumber, peeled and seeded

  • 1 pound plum tomatoes (about 5), seeded

  • 1 3/4 teaspoons salt

  • 1/2 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper

  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

  • 1/4 teaspoon wine vinegar

  • 1/4 cup dried breadcrumbs

  • 1/4 cup olive oil

  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

  • 1 avocado

  • 3/4 pound medium pasta shells

Directions

  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.

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