Roasted Red Pepper and Goat Cheese Pasta Recipe

I absolutely love cooking. (And Baking.)

There are a number of dishes that I absolutely love making because they are so good, even though they take a decent amount of time and can be difficult to make if I dont pay close attention. This is one of my favorite recipes. Its not difficult to make, but it does have a quite a few moving pieces which can make it difficult sometimes. Its also not that time consuming, once you know what your doing and depending on what optional items you add. 

The good thing about this dish is that you can add and remove certain items to make it easier, and you dont have to worry about timing on some pieces because you will end up "re-heating" it later. I got this recipe from Pinterest and then altered (as I usually do) to better suit my wants/needs as a cook. What I love about this recipe is that its a good staple recipe and the sauce lasts for a while so I can reuse it, the sauce if refrigerated should last about a 3 weeks.

So here is the recipe: 

yield: 2 LARGE, 4 SMALL SERVINGS

 

prep time: 25 MIN

 

cook time: 20 MIN

 

total time: 45 MIN

INGREDIENTS:

2 whole red bell peppers (you can use a jar of roasted red bell peppers; I have used both before, and it really doesnt matter taste wise, time wise, the jar is more efficient so I usually use this on weeknights.)

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup fat free half & half
4 oz. garlic & herb goat cheese (I usually use more because I love goat cheese)
2/3 cup grated parigiano reggiano cheese
1/2 lb. linguine, cooked to al dente (you can use penne too,but  recommend not using angel hair)
salt & pepper, to taste

Add ins--(I have used these before) Of course there are lot of add-ins you can use, it just depends on what you like

Asparagus
Broccoli
Chicken strips
Sausage 

If you use an add-in, Cook the add-in separate and add to pasta once you are ready to toss in sauce. 

DIRECTIONS:

If you're using red peppers (not the jar.) Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Place red peppers on baking sheet and bake 20-30 minutes until peppers are charred. Remove from oven and cover with foil 10 minutes.Uncover peppers, peel off skin and remove stem and seeds. Chop into large pieces. 

Heat Olive Oil in saute pan, add onions and garlic  until tender. 

Add half & half, goat cheese, salt & pepper. Stir to melt goat cheese into sauce and keep warm over low heat.
 Add bell peppers and Parmesan cheese to sauce. 

Pour sauce into food processor and puree, or use an immersion blender. 

Mix sauce with pasta. 

Top with crushed red pepper if desired. 

NOTE: Please note that this sauce is quite mild, it is similar to an Alfredo sauce (but way better) however, there is not  a lot of other flavors, you may want to consider adding additional spices into the sauce while cooking, or saute crushed red pepper with the onions (which will give a burst of flavor) it is certainly up to the cook on taste but once the sauce is pureed consider adding additional spices here too.