Looking for a quick and easy dinner recipe that tastes like it was made all day? Ready in 20 minutes, this creamy goat cheese pasta is sure to be your favorite.
Can you ever have too many easy dinner recipes? Even though we cook every day and create easy dinner ideas, there are still nights when we don’t know what to do! But here we have a really delicious recipe that I don’t think could be easier if tried. This Creamy 20 Minute Goat Cheese Pasta is so flavorful and creamy, sweetened with tomatoes and lightly seasoned with fresh basil. The secret of the smoothness is this goat cheese, which gives the sauce a body almost reminiscent of a vodka sauce. Combined with fluffy penne, it’s out of this world! And best of all, you hardly have to think about it.
Want a change? Attempt Creamy instant pasta or cheese tortellini in a creamy marinara!
How to make pasta with goat cheese
This pasta is exceptionally easy to make: it’s actually the stovetop version of our creamy instant pasta. So if you have a pressure cooker and want an even easier recipe (just empty and cook!), check out this recipe. For the stovetop version, all you have to do is cook penne pasta while making a quick marinara sauce.
Because this Goat Cheese Pasta recipe is so quick to make, it’s a must-use fire roasted tomatoes if you can find them Fire roasted tomatoes are sweeter straight from the can and don’t taste bitter like many tomatoes, requiring hours of simmering. If you can’t find fire roasted tomatoes, just search for the best mashed tomatoes you can find. Canned mashed tomatoes are key here. You can also mix in diced fire roasted tomatoes if you can find any.
Another key to this recipe is fresh basil: This and goat cheese are the only ingredients you might not already have in your pantry. Adding whole fresh basil leaves to the sauce gives the sauce a peppery undertone unlike any dried herb you can buy. You can use the leftover fresh basil leaves as a topping for pasta after cooking! (Here’s our tip for keeping basil fresh!)
For the goat cheese pasta sauce, simply sauté tomatoes, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, spices, and basil with some spinach; We added spinach for a nutrient boost. You’ll only simmer while you prepare the pasta – timing doesn’t matter. But if you do it separately we would say at least 10 minutes. When done, add 4 ounces of goat cheese for a creamy and flavorful sauce!
Related: How to grow basil at home
Is Goat Cheese Healthy Or Better For You Than Cow Cheese?
So, goat cheese: is it healthier than cow cheese? Indeed, yes! Goat’s cheese has many advantages over traditional cow’s cheeses such as cheddar or mozzarella. Here are a few reasons to make these goat cheese pasta:
- Goat cheese contains more vitamins and minerals than cow cheese. Goat’s milk contains more essential nutrients than cow’s milk (such as vitamins A and B, calcium, iron, magnesium and potassium).
- Goat cheese contains slightly fewer calories than cow cheese. Goat cheese has only 75 calories per ounce, which is fewer than cow cheeses like mozzarella (85), Swiss (108), and cheddar (115).
- Goat cheese is more digestible. Goat’s cheese contains less lactose than cow’s milk and has a slightly different protein structure. This means that even people who are often lactose intolerant can digest goat cheese!
(Source: Prevention)
On local goat cheese
If you can find something to go with those goat cheese pasta, try buying local goat cheese! Supporting local vendors is so important to the local economy: and what could be more fun than supporting local goats! We have a local goat cheese vendor at our farmer’s market that we like called Cremerie Caprini. It is run by husband and wife team, Kristy and Mike, and they are incredibly dedicated and talented. Their goat cheese is fantastic – and they even let us tour their farm to see how they work. Larson loved baby goats! So be sure to check your local farmers market or grocery store for all the local goat cheese options.
How do you cook pasta al dente?
Let’s finally talk al dente! Overcooking pasta is a common mistake in the kitchen. To cook pasta al dente, read the directions on the package and taste your pasta a few minutes beforehand! (The timing on many packages results in chewy noodles.) You want to catch the noodles just as they’re going from crispy to tender. It should still be firm inside, but not crispy!
This Goat Cheese Pasta Recipe is…
Vegetarian.
The description
Looking for a quick and easy dinner recipe that tastes like it was made all day? Ready in 20 minutes, this creamy goat cheese pasta is sure to be your favorite.
- 8 ounces Penne pasta (regular, not whole wheat)
- 28 ounces Can of Fire Roasted Tomato Passata (or Best Quality Tomato Passata)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 cups Baby spinach, tightly packed (or chopped spinach)
- 8th fresh basil leaves
- 4 oz goat tribe
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the penne al dente, checking package directions a few minutes beforehand to see if they’re soft but still firm. drain.
- Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, combine the mashed tomatoes, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic powder, oregano, kosher salt, spinach, and whole basil leaves. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer while pasta cooks, or at least 10 minutes.
- When the pasta is cooked and drained, crumble the goat cheese into the sauce and add the pasta. Stir until a creamy sauce forms. Serve immediately.
- Category: main course
- Method: Cook
- Kitchen: Italian
Keywords: Creamy Goat Cheese Pasta, Goat Cheese Pasta, Goat Cheese Pasta, Marinara Pasta, Creamy Marinara
Looking for easy dinner recipes?
Aside from these goat cheese pastas, here are some of our favorite easy dinners, many of which are pasta dinner ideas:
