By some magic stroke of luck, the asparagus at the store this week is HUGE and gorgeous and exceptionally fabulous. Instead of forcing my hubby to eat more balsamic butter pasta (I am obsessed with the dish. But I am pretty sure hubby is 5 seconds from kicking me out of the kitchen permanently the if I make it one more time…), I decided to force him to endure another one of my obsessions with this perfectly ripe asparagus…. GOAT CHEESE.
He really did bring it on himself though. He was the one who aided my love for goat cheese by fixing me a delicious surprise lunch of crostini with goat cheese and fresh from the garden tomato and basil. I figured I could float on the coattails of that and force him to love goat cheese even more when paired with pasta and asparagus.
Guess what?
It worked!
Well not as much as I would like of course. He is at a steady plateau of love for goat cheese and my obsession continues to rise to insane proportions of ridiculousness. All I can say is I am ever-so grateful to have the opportunity to purchase two 10 oz logs of goat cheese for only $9. All hail the almighty Costco….
Now I am going to hunker down for a weekend of baking for a certain special someone’s birthday… You can look forward to some pretty sweet treats in the next week. 🙂
Happy Weekend!!
Asparagus, Goat Cheese, and Lemon Pasta
ingredients
- 1 lb penne pasta
- 1 lb asparagus spears trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 Tbsp lemon zest
- 2 tsp chopped fresh oregano
- 1 5 oz log soft fresh goat cheese
- Fresh lemon juice to taste
instructions
- Cook pasta in a large pot of salted water until about three minutes early of what the package directs. Add asparagus to the pot and cook until firm-tender with the pasta, another 2 minutes. Drain both pasta and asparagus together, making sure to reserve one cup of pasta water.
- In a large bowl, combine lemon zest, oregano and cheese, smashing up the cheese with the back of a fork. Add drained pasta and asparagus to bowl, along with a couple Tbsp of the pasta water. Toss until smoothly combined, adding more pasta water as needed to thin out the cheese. Season with salt and pepper, and add lemon juice to taste.
about meghan
Meghan Yager is the recipe developer, food photographer, and creative force behind Cake ‘n Knife, where everyday moments are celebrated with bold, flavor-forward recipes. From cozy cocktails to bold appetizers and indulgent desserts, her approachable style brings people together around food worth sharing. Meghan’s work has been featured by Good Housekeeping, Oprah Daily, Today, Woman’s Day, and The Huffington Post. She lives in Denver, where she brings big flavor and a little sass to every bite.
