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This Creamy Goat Cheese Pasta with Asparagus and Peas is one of my go-to spring and summer pasta dishes.
GoGo, my wonderful mother-in-law, made a version of this dish for Easter earlier this year and we all loved the flavors. With inspiration from her meal, I’ve made my own rendition at home.
Packed with creamy goat cheese, asparagus, peas, and fresh herbs like tarragon and chives, this simple meal comes together easily but packs a lot of flavor! It’s bright, creamy, and oh-so-satisfying! Plus, it’s a great way to get your kiddos to eat some greens (I promise that they’ll love it!)
ingredients:
- Curly Pasta
- Kosher Salt
- Frozen Peas
- Asparagus
- Unsalted Butter
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Shallots
- Garlic Cloves
- Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
- Dry White Wine
- Fresh Tarragon
- Fresh Chives
- Goat Cheese
- Lemon Juice
- Freshly Ground Black Pepper
step-by-step:
step one: cook the pasta
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Once boiling, add the pasta and 1 tablespoon salt. Cook the pasta until it’s just shy of al dente, about 2 minutes less than the package directions. Add the peas and asparagus and cook for 2 more minutes until the pasta is al dente and vegetables are tender. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water, then drain and set aside.
step two: sauté the garlic and shallots
In the same pot, reduce the heat to medium and add the butter and oil. Once the butter has melted, add the shallots, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring, until shallot is tender, about 2 minutes.
step three: add the herbs
Add the wine, tarragon, and chives to the skillet. Continue to cook, stirring, until the wine has reduced by half, about 2 minutes.
step four: build the sauce
Add the goat cheese, 1/4 cup reserved pasta water, lemon juice, 1 teaspoon salt, and pepper. Stir until the cheese has melted and the sauce is smooth.
step five: add the pasta
Remove the pot from heat and add the pasta and vegetable mixture. Toss to combine, adding an additional 1/4 cup of pasta water if needed.
step six: garnish and serve
Garnish with red pepper flakes, tarragon, and chives. Serve and enjoy!
This creamy pasta is so versatile! You could add the same amount of cream cheese and a splash of lemon juice to mimic the tanginess of goat cheese. Alternatively, try it with ricotta, which has a mild and slightly sweet flavor, and a little more lemon zest or juice to perk the whole thing up!
Sure! I think this would be delicious with grilled shrimp or chicken served on top.
I hope that you and your family love this Creamy Goat Cheese Pasta with Asparagus and Peas as much as mine does. Comment below and let me know what you think!
looking for more creamy pasta recipes? try these!
Sausage, Broccoli, and Pesto Pasta
Saucy Green Pasta with Calabrian Breadcrumbs
Creamy Goat Cheese Pasta with Asparagus and Peas
Ingredients
- 12 ounces curly pasta, such as trottole or fusilli
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 2 cups frozen peas
- 1 bunch of asparagus, woody ends removed, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup roughly chopped shallots (from about 1 large shallot)
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, optional, plus more for serving
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh tarragon leaves, plus more for serving
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh chives, plus more for serving
- 6 ounce log goat cheese
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Once boiling, add the pasta and 1 tablespoon salt. Cook the pasta until it’s just shy of al dente, about 2 minutes less than the package directions. Add the peas and asparagus and cook for 2 more minutes until the pasta is al dente and vegetables are tender. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water, then drain and set aside.
- In the same pot, reduce the heat to medium and add the butter and oil. Once the butter has melted, add the shallots, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring, until shallot is tender, about 2 minutes.
- Add the wine, tarragon, and chives to the skillet. Continue to cook, stirring, until the wine has reduced by half, about 2 minutes.
- Add the goat cheese, 1/4 cup reserved pasta water, lemon juice, 1 teaspoon salt, and pepper. Stir until the cheese has melted and the sauce is smooth.
- Remove the pot from heat and add the pasta and vegetable mixture. Toss to combine, adding an additional 1/4 cup of pasta water if needed.
- Garnish with red pepper flakes, tarragon, and chives. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Photography by Eat Love Eats.
I forgot to buy asparagus so I used broccoli instead and it was delish! Also, I could not find fresh tarragon at my grocery store, so I used about a tablespoon of dry tarragon and it was good!
glad you liked it!!
This was good! I added two leeks (thinly sliced and cooked down for about 3 minutes before the shallots/garlic.) I think a great replacement for the goat cheese would be some sort of fun flavored Boursin cheese… like, of course the standard garlic and fine herbs, but they have a shallot one, a truffle one, any of them would be a good little add on!
Can you sub a different cheese for the goat? Cream cheese? Thanks!
Cream cheese + a splash of lemon juice could be a good sub to help mimic the tanginess of goat cheese.
OR Ricotta + lemon zest/juice – Ricotta has a more mild creaminess, and a little lemon perks it up. Great if you want a slightly milder flavor than goat cheese if you just don’t love goat cheese in general! Enjoy!!
Modified based on my fridge stash – 8oz ricotta instead of the goat cheese and a combo of dill & basil pesto instead of the chives & tarragon. Did not disappoint. Would absolutely come back to try the recipe as written!
This was perfect to use up my farmer’s market goat cheese before it expired. I also subbed in ingredients based on what I had, but it still tasted great. Also l loved how light and fresh it was despite being a creamy pasta dish. Instead of asparagus, chives, shallots, & tarragon, I used frozen bell peppers, fresh oregano, white onion, & fresh cilantro. I also doubled the red pepper flakes bc I prefer pretty spicy food. Overall definitely a recipe I will make again.
Glad you could work off this recipe with the ingredients you had on hand!
Hi! I am thinking of making this for Easter but are serving at church and then attending service so will need to get home and get lunch on the table quickly. Would it be okay to reheat this in a Steam Oven? Or with pasta water on the stove?
I am not familiar with a steam oven but think this would be best on the stove with pasta water!