Creamy Goat Cheese Pasta with Asparagus and Peas
Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 12 ounces curly pasta I use trottole or fusilli, sub gluten-free pasta
- 2 cups frozen peas
- 1 bunch of asparagus woody ends removed, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup loosely chopped shallot about 1 large shallot
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes optional, more for serving
- ½ cup dry white wine
- ¼ cup chopped fresh tarragon leaves more for serving
- ¼ cup chopped fresh chives more for serving
- 6 ounces goat cheese see note
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Once boiling, add the pasta and plenty of salt (I use 1 tablespoon) and cook until almost al dente, 2 minutes less than the package directions. For the final two minutes, add the peas and asparagus and continue to boil 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 shallot, 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, ¼ cup pasta water, lemon juice, 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 ¼ cup of pasta water as needed.
- Top with additional herbs and red pepper flakes as desired.
Notes
It is important to use a log of goat cheese instead of the pre-crumbled. The log melts much better than the crumbles!