Meatless Monday: Pasta with Goat Cheese, Lemon and Asparagus
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Asparagus season has got to be one of my favorite times of the year. While I like almost every vegetable (hold the cauliflower, please), asparagus is one I really love and try to use as frequently as possible when it comes into season. Which means, if I’m not using it in a dish, it’s inevitably going to be roasted or grilled and stuck on the side of…everything.
This was the first dish I made with asparagus this year (although it took me nearly a month to post it, and I’ve since eaten my weight in asparagus twice over) and it did not disappoint. But, really, considering it also has two of my other favorite ingredients—goat cheese and lemon—how could it?
The original recipe calls for tarragon but I’ve never been a big fan. I decided to add some basil, which complemented the rest of the flavors in the dish beautifully. This meal is done in roughly the amount of time it takes to cook the pasta, so it’s great for an easy weeknight meal.
Pasta with Goat Cheese, Lemon, and Asparagus
Adapted from Bon Appetit via Smitten Kitchen
1 lb. short pasta
1 lb. asparagus spears, trimmed and cut into 1″ pieces
3 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. finely grated lemon zest
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 (6 oz.) log of goat cheese
3 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil
Cook your pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water until it is nearly tender, or about 4 minutes shy of what the package suggests. Add asparagus and cook until firm-tender, another 2-3 minutes. Drain both pasta and asparagus together, reserving one cup of pasta water.
Meanwhile, combine olive oil, lemon peel, and lemon juice in a large bowl. Add the goat cheese, breaking it up as you combine. Add hot pasta and asparagus to bowl. Slowly add some of the pasta water (you probably won’t need it all, I didn’t even use half) until a sauce is formed and everything is combined. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste, and then stir in the basil.
Oh my! This sounds super fabulous. I love goat cheese!
I just sent this recipe to my daughter and she said she made it last week but it was really bland. Any suggestions to make it less bland?
thanks
J
The original does not call for lemon juice, but I added it, and I also prefer basil to the original tarragon. Otherwise just using a good quality goat cheese, and seasoning it well with salt and pepper. I didn’t add a whole lot of reserved pasta water. We didn’t find it bland.
I can’t get enough of asparagus while it’s in season either! It becomes basically a 1-2 times a day consumption/addiction. I’ve ogled this pasta on SK’s site MANY times but still haven’t made it. What am I waiting for?!?!? Thanks for the reminder, love!
So simple, but I LOVE all of those flavors! And I agree…asparagus is a favorite!
Wow, no Cauliflower? That’s one of my Fav’s, but I was also raised on it. We ate Cauliflower 2x’s a Week. I never ate it raw, and don’t think I could. Roasted, fried or a cauliflower patty are the only ways I eat it. This comment is in no offense to you, everyone has different tastes and that’s what makes us all unique!
You and I have opposite vegetable preferences – I love cauliflower, and while I don’t hate asparagus, it isn’t my favorite. But, once it’s coated with goat cheese and mixed with pasta, it’s pretty awesome.