Sun Dried Tomatoes and Goat Cheese Pasta

“Sun-Dried Tomato & Goat Cheese Pasta”

This is one of our all-time favorite dishes – at first glance it didn’t look too tasty, but it’s one of the only dishes I wanted seconds of! It’s very easy, and quite delicious, although not incredibly healthy.

Also, you will notice that the recipe calls for you to make the sauce, then set it aside while you cook the pasta, THEN reheat it again on the stove before mixing it with the pasta. This is a fairly important step not to miss, as it makes a difference in the texture of the sauce. I tried to save time once by not reheating the sauce a 2^nd time, and we were not as satisfied with the taste as before. Still tastes good, but not as good.  Sometimes I use whole wheat pasta.  It's not bad, just a little dry.

~Leah

(From "Pasta Sauces: Simple and delicious easy-to-make recipes" by Christine McFadden)

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon butter

2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

8 oz goat cheese (Crumbled is easier to melt)

1 ¼ cups milk

½ cup heavy cream

20 oil-cured sun-dried tomato halves, chopped coarsely

1 (16-oz) pkg. penne pasta (approx. 4 cups dried)

Salt and Pepper to taste

Scant 1/3 cup grated Parmesan

10 fresh basil leaves, shredded

Heat the butter and garlic in a skillet over a medium-low heat (be careful not to put the heat too high – I’ve come close to burning my garlic before!). Cook until the garlic is just beginning to color. Add the cheese and milk. Stir until the cheese has melted and formed a thick sauce.

Add the cream and sun-dried tomatoes. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until reduced by one-third. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat.

Cook the pasta in plenty of boiling salted water until al dente. Transfer to a warm serving dish.

Briefly reheat the sauce over low heat. Pour over the pasta. Add the Parmesan and basil, then toss well to mix. Serve immediately.