Monday, April 26, 2010

Pasta with Goat Cheese and Asparagus




So I recently wrote that we've been eating more and more vegetarian meals lately, and here I go adding meat to a meatless pasta dish.  Contradictory much?  I saw roasted garlic chicken sausage at Trader Joe's the day I made this, and I thought it would make a nice addition.  This is seriously one of the easiest dinners I've made in awhile, and its super flavorful to boot.  The asparagus and chicken sausage roast while the pasta cooks, and then its all tossed with a goat cheese simple sauce.

Joey wasn't the biggest fan of this dish, but I really loved it.  I'm pretty much obsessed with asparagus right now (not that you can tell, right?), and I'm always obsessed with goat cheese, so this was destined to be a winner in my book.  Easy, relatively healthy, and delicious.  What more can you ask for in a weeknight dinner?


Pasta with Goat Cheese, Asparagus, and Chicken Sausage
serves 4
adapted from Everyday Food:  Fresh Flavor Fast
  • 2 bunches of asparagus (2 pounds), tough ends removed
  • olive oil
  • 3 Tablespoon unsalted butter cut into small pieces
  • kosher salt and ground black pepper
  • 4 links Roasted Garlic Chicken Sausage (optional)
  • 12 ounces short pasta shapes
  • 5 ounces fresh goat cheese, softened
  • 2 Tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
  • 2-3 Tablespoons snipped fresh chives, for garnish
Preheat oven to 450.  Toss asparagus with olive oil, salt, and pepper, and place them on a baking sheet.  Slice chicken sausage into 1-inch pieces, and place on the baking sheet alongside the asparagus.  Roast until tender, tossing the asparagus and turning the sausage, about 10-15 minutes.  Slice asparagus into 2-inch pieces.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Add 1 Tablespoon of salt, and cook the pasta until al dente.  Reserve 1 1/2 cups of the cooking water, and drain the pasta. 

Whisk together the goat cheese, butter, Parmesan, and 1/2 cup of the pasta water.  Season with salt and pepper, and whisk until smooth.

Return the pasta to the pot, and toss with the goat-cheese mixture, asparagus, and chicken sausage.  Add pasta water a few tablespoons at at time, until a thin sauce coats the pasta. 

Divide evenly among shallow bowls, and garnish with chives.


13 comments:

Dorothy at Belle of the Kitchen said...

This past looks so pretty and good! Bonus that it's healthy, too. The sausage is a great addition, and I'm with you on the asparagus obsession! I come home with a couple of bunches every week!

MrsSchoon said...

Looks so good and easy, too!

melissa said...

Goat cheese + sausage + asparagus - you're speaking my language. Yummm. This is going on the "to be made" list.

Michelle said...

I need to have this right now.

Lauren said...

I'm totally with you when it comes to an obsession with both asparagus (roasting is definitely the best way to cook 'em!) and goat cheese. This meal looks delicious!

Erin said...

This looks fabulous- it has all my favorite ingredients in it!

A Bowl Of Mush said...

I'm bookmarking this recipe for dinner!

Love the ingredients, sounds so delicious!

Shannon said...

I just made this tonight and it was so tasty!! Very easy and very delicious!

Leah G said...

Just made it. It was super easy and good. Will use turkey sausage next time I think!

Danielle said...

I made this Friday night for my husband and I. I love goat cheese and he does anything with sausage. It came out great and we can't wait to have it again. Thanks for sharing!

brandirroberts said...

I made this last night for my parents and boyfriend. It didn't take much time to make and was a very filling meal. I used asiago cheese and spinach chicken sausage and it was super delicious! I wasn't too fond of the cheese sauce that went with the pasta, but everyone else thought it was great. I might use a store bought alfredo sauce of something next time.

Chung-Ah | Damn Delicious said...

Wow, I'm loving every ingredient in this dish. And it looks easy to make, making it a perfect weeknight meal. I'll be sure to make this in the coming weeks! :)

K. said...

i know this was a 2010 post, but thanks to foodgawker i made it tonight—really wonderful! thank you for the great recipe. super delicious!

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