5 Ingredient Creamy Goat Cheese Pasta
This creamy goat cheese pasta uses a simple sauce with just a few ingredients. It’s a quick and easy dinner idea but you’d never know it from the taste!
Not surprisingly, I cook a lot. And sometimes a recipe turns out fantastic but I know I’ll never make it again because it was just too complicated. There’s something satisfying about tackling a difficult recipe, but once you’ve done it… it’s not as magical to do it again. However, when something turns out fantastic and it’s super easy then I know it’s going to be a regular feature at the dinner table. When I took a bite of this goat cheese pasta I couldn’t believe it was so easy. Seriously, get excited.
Goat Cheese Pasta Ingredients
- Pasta– For the best results, use regular or whole wheat pasta, not gluten-free pasta. The starch of the pasta helps thicken the sauce. If you do make this with chickpea pasta or another type of pasta, your sauce might be a bit thin.
- Goat Cheese– Because we’re using so few ingredients, it’s important to use high quality goat cheese.
- Asparagus– Fresh asparagus adds a lovely texture to this dish and it’s an easy way to add vegetables to your plate!
- Olive oil– A little olive oil helps make the sauce creamy.
Best Pasta to Use
I’ve made this recipe with regular pasta, whole-wheat pasta, and chickpea pasta. All of them will work, but I did find that the pasta water from the chickpea pasta made the sauce just a tiny bit thinner than when I used the pasta water from regular pasta. I still like using chickpea pasta for this recipe since it has so much protein and fiber, but it does produce a slightly different sauce.
Tips for Creamy Goat Cheese Pasta
- This goat cheese pasta is best served right away. I don’t recommend saving leftovers and reheating, because the texture of the sauce can get a bit dry after it’s been cooled and reheated. Feel free to cut the recipe in half if you’re just making dinner for two!
- I’d recommend getting a high-quality goat cheese since the flavor really shines in the sauce. We have a local vendor here in Richmond that sells fresh goat cheese at the farmer’s market and it’s perfect in this sauce.
- Adding your asparagus and pasta into the same pot means you only have one pot to wash when you’re done! It’s also faster because you only have to boil water once!
Substitution Ideas
- Feel free to swap in other vegetables! I love making this with peas or broccoli. You can also use spinach, just wait to add it until you’re mixing the sauce. The spinach will wilt slightly when mixed with the warm pasta.
- I usually make this with plain goat cheese but I’ve also used a garlic and herb flavor that was delicious as well!
How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
If you have leftovers, store them in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4 days. When reheating, drizzle with a little olive oil, then microwave on 50% power for 3-4 minutes, stirring every minute until heated through. The sauce may dry out a little, which is why a drizzle of olive oil is recommended.
What to Serve with Goat Cheese Pasta
Looking for the perfect side dish to pair with this recipe? Try this Lemon Kale Salad recipe, topped with avocado to add more greens to your plate. Don’t miss this list of delicious side dish recipes to serve with pasta!
Print5 Ingredient Creamy Goat Cheese Pasta
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 10 mins
- Total Time: 15 mins
- Yield: Serves 4
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Pasta
Description
This creamy goat cheese pasta uses a simple sauce with just a few ingredients. It’s a quick and easy dinner idea but you’d never know it from the taste! If you love the tangy flavor of goat cheese, you’ll love this recipe!
Ingredients
- 8 oz whole wheat rotini pasta
- 5 oz soft goat cheese
- 1/2 pound fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2″ pieces
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
- Add the pasta to the boiling water. When there are 4 minutes left in the cooking time, add the asparagus to the pot of pasta and cook until the pasta al dente and the asparagus is tender.
- Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water and then drain the rest of the water from the pot.
- Add the pasta water, olive oil, and goat cheese to the now-empty pot.
- Cook over low heat, whisking until the cheese is melted and the sauce is smooth.
- Add the pasta and asparagus and stir until evenly coated.
Looking for more ways to enjoy goat cheese? Try this goat cheese pizza with caramelized onions! The recipe only takes 60 minutes from start to finish, including making the pizza dough! Or you can use a pre-made flatbread and enjoy this goat cheese flatbread! If you have a little leftover goat cheese and you’re not sure what to do with it, try it in this strawberry goat cheese salad!
What’s your favorite goat cheese recipe?
Wow, I knew right away that I would like this, but I didn’t expect the ingredient list to be so short. You weren’t kidding when you said this was simple!
For a simple snack, I love goat cheese on crackers with pepper jelly. Oh man, wish I had some right now!
Ohhh that sounds really good! I need to get my hands on some pepper jelly 🙂
Anything with goat cheese speaks to my soul. So does anything easy, this looks amazing.
This looks so good, Liz! I absolutely love goat cheese, especially when it’s in pastas!
Is it weird that I don’t like goat cheese? I will eat it if it comes on certain salads but that’s about it. This pasta does look rather delish though! I bet I would like it if I tried it.
Haha not at ALL! I’m not a big fan of cheddar cheese unless it’s in macaroni and cheese!
I’ve made a similar pasta dish. I love using goat cheese to make the sauce- so good!
xo,
Tiffany
shoeschampagne.blogspot.com
Sheesh, when are you going to be on the Food Network already?! This is gorgeous and I thank you for blowing my mind @ 7:00 am haha 🙂
My favorite thing about your recipes is that they are sooooo easy!! I’m a fan of simplicity!
Aw, thanks Jess!
I LOVE goat cheese, I love cheese. I couldn’t live without cheese, and potatoes 😉 Will be making this over the weekend so thanks for the suggestion love 😉 Have a great weekend Liz! -Iva
I hope you like it, Iva! Happy Friday!
Just want to say that I made this tonight and it was AMAZING – will be happening again next week. 😀
Yay!!! I’m so glad you liked it 🙂
Wow, this looks so easy! I absolutely love goat cheese, so I could see myself making this. Anything with 5 ingredients or less is a win in my book.
Same here! The less ingredients, the better!
I’ve made this numerous times in the last couple years. My daughter is lactose intolerant and gallstones exacerbated the dairy issue but goat cheese doesn’t bother her at all. I’ve had to do some ingredient swaps at times like using gnocchi because I didn’t want to go to the store for pasta. I’ve also wilted fresh spinach in it when I didn’t have asparagus on hand. I even added shredded rotisserie chicken to it once because my husband is a carnivore. It has been a consistently great recipe, even when I made swaps or added meat. The sauce is always the same. I am just mindful of what will and won’t work with the goat cheese. This is a go-to recipe when my daughter is needing some saucy pasta love. Great job!
This does look delicious and so easy! Thanks for sharing.