Pasta with Goat Cheese and Roasted Asparagus

            Many a night, I do not have the time or the energy to prepare a decent meal.  Sometimes, those nights happen consecutively in one week.  If ever there were a week like that it would be this week (Cheerleading Tryout Week).  However, because Chris and I have become pretty committed to our decision to avoid eating out as much as humanly possible, I have worked super hard during this week of tryouts to simply figure it out. 

            I will admit, that this resulted in me preparing dinner last night at 4:30pm and putting the dish in the fridge for Chris to eat when he got hungry a few hours later.  I just ate it right at 5, pretty much on my way out of the door.  With that being said, I couldn’t have picked a better dish to make me feel like I had made the right decision by preparing a quick home cooked meal.  It was SO yummy and really very easy. 

            When I picked this recipe, I was a little nervous what a goat cheese pasta would taste like.  I didn’t want it to be too “goat cheesy,” so I nearly considered dropping it from the meal plan, but something about the photo was just calling my name.  I am also a huge fan of asparagus, so I think that might have swayed me somewhat.  Anyway, suffice it to say that I LOVED this dish!  I even told Chris it might be one of my favorites to date, which is a big deal as I have tried such a variety of recipes so far. 

            So, if you are looking for something new and different for dinner, I would encourage you to give it a try soon.  I should also add that Chris liked the dish, but would not add it to his list of all time favorites.  Finally, I need to add another note of thanks to my friend Elizabeth who shared this May 2007 issue of Everyday Food with me which is where I got the recipe for this little gem.

Slainte!

Recipe:

-1 bunch asparagus

-4 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces

-12 ounces cavatappi or other short pasta

-1 small log of soft goat cheese (5 ounces)

-2 to 3 tablespoons snipped fresh chives (I omitted this)

Preparation:

-Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Bring water to a boil.  Place asparagus (cut into 2 inch pieces) on a large rimmed baking sheet; dot with 1 tablespoon butter, and season with salt and pepper.  Roast until tender, tossing occasionally, 10 to 15 minutes.

-While asparagus is roasting, generously salt boiling water.  Add pasta and cook until al dente.  Set aside ½ cup pasta water, drain pasta and return to pot.

-In a medium bowl, combine goat cheese, remaining 3 tablespoons butter, and ½ cup pasta water.  Season with salt and pepper, and whisk until smooth.  Add goat-cheese mixture and asparagus to pasta; toss to combine, adding more pasta water if necessary for sauce to coat pasta.  Serve pasta garnished with chives (If you choose to add them).

Enjoy!