Creamy Southwestern Goat Cheese Pasta
While it’s simple enough to use a roux-based sauce to make a cheesy cream sauce for pasta, sometimes it’s easier to just toss a creamy, easily melted cheese directly into the hot pasta. Especially when you stumble upon a cream cheese made with goat’s milk. (Admittedly, I’m a huge fan of goat’s-milk and sheep’s-milk cheeses.) If you don’t have a Trader Joe’s near you that stocks Goat’s Milk Creamy Cheese or if you’d rather stick with cow’s-milk cheese, go for Organic Valley’s cream cheese (made with milk from pastured cows) or make your own by straining whole-milk Greek yogurt overnight. If you can find goat’s-milk cream cheese, though, grab it! Its slightly tangy flavor makes it a little like sour cream, which makes it pair all the better with the salsa.
Creamy Southwestern Goat Cheese Pasta
This recipe serves two people, but you can easily multiply the amounts to suit any number of diners.
2 servings whole-grain pasta of your choice, prepared according to package directions (I used corn pasta, which is gluten-free)
2 to 4 oz. goat’s-milk cream cheese, depending on how creamy you want your pasta to be
Several large spoonfuls fresh salsa, preferably Garden Fresh salsa (it’s the #1 fresh salsa in the U.S. for a reason!)
Several large spoonfuls of black beans, drained but not rinsed (I prefer Eden Foods beans since they’re in BPA-free cans)
Gently toss still-hot pasta with cheese until the cheese has melted. Add salsa and beans and mix again. Serve immediately, garnishing with fresh cilantro if desired.
¡Disfruta!
Creamy Southwestern Goat Cheese Pasta
While it’s simple enough to use a roux-based sauce to make a cheesy cream sauce for pasta, sometimes it’s easier to just toss a creamy, easily melted cheese directly into the hot pasta. Especially when you stumble upon a cream cheese made with goat’s milk. (Admittedly, I’m a huge fan of goat’s-milk and sheep’s-milk cheeses.) If you don’t have a Trader Joe’s near you that stocks Goat’s Milk Creamy Cheese or if you’d rather stick with cow’s-milk cheese, go for Organic Valley’s cream cheese (made with milk from pastured cows) or make your own by straining whole-milk Greek yogurt overnight. If you can find goat’s-milk cream cheese, though, grab it! Its slightly tangy flavor makes it a little like sour cream, which makes it pair all the better with the salsa.
Creamy Southwestern Goat Cheese Pasta
This recipe serves two people, but you can easily multiply the amounts to suit any number of diners.
2 servings whole-grain pasta of your choice, prepared according to package directions (I used corn pasta, which is gluten-free)
2 to 4 oz. goat’s-milk cream cheese, depending on how creamy you want your pasta to be
Several large spoonfuls fresh salsa, preferably Garden Fresh salsa (it’s the #1 fresh salsa in the U.S. for a reason!)
Several large spoonfuls of black beans, drained but not rinsed (I prefer Eden Foods beans since they’re in BPA-free cans)
Gently toss still-hot pasta with cheese until the cheese has melted. Add salsa and beans and mix again. Serve immediately, garnishing with fresh cilantro if desired.
¡Disfruta!