Last Sunday at our house:
Husband: My aunt and uncle invited us over to make heart-shaped pizzas.
Me: That sounds like fun. What time?
Husband: About two hours from now.
Me: Sounds good to me.
Husband: Ummm, why are you still making dinner, then?
Me: This? This is a snack.
Husband: Okay . . . It's just, you know, a whole meal.
Me: (Pointing to myself) Pregnant.
I think sometimes he forgets.
It's not just weird pregnancy cravings that made me want this pasta, though. (Actually, I haven't really had cravings. Are they real, or just an excuse to send the hubby to the store?) It was the goat cheese. I was organizing my boards on Pinterest the other day and ran across this recipe again. It still sounded great to me six or seven months later, and for once I had all the ingredients in my fridge. When I read it over and realized how fast it was to make (again: pregnant) I decided to pull it together and save the leftovers for work the next week.
I hadn't even planned on taking pictures of this to share because I was too hungry to bother, but after a couple bites I decided I needed to pause for a second to snap a few shots before the pasta disappeared into my mouth and headed straight to my ankles. It was definitely tasty enough to share. It's one of those recipes where everything just works well together. I love goat cheese, so the mild tang that it gave to the pasta made me happy, but the garlic toasted pecans really made it for me. If you are a goat cheese lover, you could even increase the goat cheese in the recipe since it isn't over-powering. I wasn't sure I would like the peas, but the sweetness they added in addition to the goat cheese won me over. I would like to try this again sometime with dried cranberries or cherries in place of the peas, since I love those dried fruits in combination with goat cheese. In all, it's a tasty little dish that comes together quickly and is a little different from the norm. That's my kind of meal.
And for the record, I was able to fully do the heart-shaped pizzas justice. Never underestimate the ability of a pregnant woman to eat.
Goat Cheese Pasta with Pecans
Ingredients
- Salt and pepper
- 1/2 cup pecans, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 box (13.25 oz.) medium whole-grain shells or rotini
- 1 bag (16 oz.) frozen peas
- 6 oz goat cheese, softened
Directions
- Bring a 6-quart pot of water to boil. Add 2 tsp salt.
- In a 8- to 10- inch skillet, add olive oil, pecans, and garlic. Cook over medium, stirring occasionally, until golden. Stir in 1/8 tsp salt and freshly ground pepper.
- Add pasta to boiling water and cook 1 minute less than the minimum time on the label, stirring occasionally. Add peas and cook for 1 additional minute. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking water. Drain pasta and peas; return to pot.
- Stir in goat cheese, 1/2 cup pasta water, 1/4 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper. Top with pecan and garlic mixture.
Prep Time: 5 min Cook Time: 10 min Serves: 6
21 Click For Comments:
This looks delicious! I want preggo pictures on the blog, stat!
sometimes its the simple ingredient dishes that are the best! and yes, those cravings are REAL...lol and they will vary from person to person and even pregnancy to pregnancy. I craved raw vegetables with my daughter...but big macs with my second son..and then with my third...the thought of just about anything made me nauseous! lol Enjoy!
I love how different this idea is! I've never thought of using goat cheese in a pasta, but I think I'm going to try :) I'm sure it would give it a great "tangy" taste!
Looks like the perfect pregnant snack to me!
pregnant or not (not, in my case) this was a great dish! so glad you enjoyed and i'm going to try it with pecans next time!! :)
Your story made me laugh so hard! I love that you pointed to yourself and said, 'Pregnant!' I feel the same way. Is there any end to the hunger. In addition to getting up 3-4 times a night to use the bathroom, I also have to regularly have a 4:30 a.m. snack because I'm so famished that there is no way I'll make it to breakfast. I'm amazed I'm not the size of a house yet!
I've only had goat cheese a few times, but I did really like it. I tend to stick to the most basic cheeses (cheddar, mozzarella), I'm just not very adventurous on that front :)
You're funny! I haven't resorted to snacking in the middle of the night, but I know I live and die by my snacks at work. Speaking of which, it looks like it's only 30 minutes until grapefruit time. :)
I'll work on the pics, thanks Amy! I hardly have any right now, so it will be good motivation for me to get my husband to take some.
Great way to use some goat cheese I have. :) Thank You!
I love when I get to use up things from my fridge in a new way. Hope you enjoy it!
What a great flavor combination with the goat cheese, pecans and peas. Love this! I'll be printing this to try soon. Have a great weekend, Nicole!
I really love goat cheese on pasta. I make a version in the summer with fresh green beans and lemon in addition to the chevre. This looks like a great winter-time version!
And keep the funny pregnancy stories coming--we're due within a month of eachother and I love having a pregnant foodie to relate to!
So much deliciousness in this dish. I LOVE goat cheese and pasta, such a perfect combination.
That looks so delicious. I cannot wait to try this one!
Fresh green beans and lemon sounds so good with the goat cheese. Yum!
I'm glad you enjoyed the pregnancy stories. It's nice to have company in this pregnancy weirdness. :)
I'm making this. This sounds so fantastic!
i love goat cheese + pecans together - this sounds so good!
Pasta, goat cheese and pecans. Im sure this tastes amazing!!
This is KILLING ME! Garlic pecans. And goat cheese. And pasta. I mean really, I could LIVE on this pasta dish, forever! When I was pregnant, I wanted dishes like this, for every meal! And snack ;)
Men just don't get it sometimes! This looks delish.
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