Last week I was talking about my love for pasta and shared the delicious recipe for my Courgetti with Hearty Tomato Sauce aka raw spaghetti, well this week I am continuing the noodle love affair with this simple yet satisfying Tomato, Avocado and Basil Spaghetti bowl.

For some they may find this a little too simple and boring, for others you may find this completely hits the spot. For me? It has been hitting the spot every single time. For those of you that don’t follow my social media channels on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter (you should definitely join in) I announced my amazing news of expecting a baby Duckworth next year. Yay! I have just uploaded a video on YouTube where I am discussing my first trimester which covers my experiences with a High Carb Vegan Pregnancy from diet to exercise to health. I am currently 15 weeks pregnant so now enjoying the journey of the second trimester. You might be thinking what does this have to do with this recipe?

14 weeks pregnant!

15 weeks pregnant – baby is about 4 inches, about the size of this small avocado!

Well, as mentioned in the video some of my food desires changed around week 6 of the pregnancy. Prior to this in the first few weeks of pregnancy and before being pregnant I did enjoy pasta dishes using gluten free spaghetti and pasta. However, from week 6 I really desired tomatoes in all forms and something different with my usual pasta dishes. I fancied raw and fresh tomatoes, sundried tomatoes, tinned chopped tomatoes and hearty tomato sauces. Tomatoes have appeared A LOT lately in many of my evening meals. I always enjoyed them pre-pregnancy but clearly my body (and baby) want more of them at the moment. And then I really desired making a super simple pasta dish with tomatoes, fresh herbs and creamy avocado. For some reason those particular ingredients were calling my name and I threw them together to create a meal that satisfied every urge. Ever since this random throwdown I have enjoyed this meal on numerous occasions. There was a phase in the second half of the first trimester I was having this meal twice a week for dinners. I have managed to curb this to once a week at the moment as there are many other dishes I am experimenting with and thoroughly enjoying.

If you like simple meals that don’t take long to put together and which you can savour the flavour of each ingredient then you will enjoy this as much as I have been doing. If you need to fancy it up a little then black pepper, chillies, balsamic vinegar and/or good quality Kalamata olives would work well too.

The simplicity of the spaghetti with the juicy fresh tomatoes and rich sundried tomatoes pair perfectly together. The zest of the lime juice and fresh basil add a delicious oomph, whilst the creamy avocado is absolute perfection alongside the pasta. In fact, the avocado with the pasta is my favourite part. I love to serve this with another bowl on the side of a huge fresh salad. Yes I eat a lot, and yes I eat it all up. Feel free to adjust the quantities to suit your appetite.

I hope you enjoy this dish as much as I do, and if you don’t please feel free to post me yours so I can devour every bite (the baby wants it haha).

Here’s the recipe for the Tomato, Avocado and Basil Spaghetti bowl.

DAIRY FREE | GLUTEN FREE | REFINED SUGAR FREE | EGG FREE | NUT FREE | LOW FAT

Tomato, Avocado and Basil Spaghetti

Ingredients

Serves 1

• 250g rice and corn spaghetti, uncooked (gluten free spaghetti)
• Handful baby plum or vine ripened cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
• Small handful (approx. 8 to 10 halves) sundried tomatoes (soak in water the day before if they contain salt then drain before using)
• 1 small avocado or ½ large avocado, de-stoned and cubed
• Juice of 1 lime or lemon
• Handful fresh basil, chopped
• Optional: small handful black Kalamata olives, ground black pepper

Method

1. Boil water in a pan. Use a deep pan. Make sure it fills at least half of the pan, enough to cover the spaghetti whilst cooking.
2. Add the spaghetti to the pan. You can break the spaghetti in half if you prefer, just take enough in your hands to break in half.
3. Cook the spaghetti for 10 to 15 minutes in boiling water or until al dente.
4. Meanwhile, prep the other ingredients. Slice the fresh tomatoes in half, chop the sundried tomatoes into small chunks and chop the avocado.
5. Once the spaghetti is cooked, drain the pasta, then add to a big bowl.
6. Squeeze the juice of 1 lime or lemon over the pasta.
7. Add the fresh tomatoes, sundried tomatoes and half of the fresh basil. Stir everything together.
8. Then add the rest of the fresh basil and chopped avocado.
9. If you have good quality Kalamata olives then add to the bowl.
10. Enjoy!

FEEL GOOD WITH FOOD…AND CARBS!