Pasta with Asparagus, Lemon, Goat Cheese, & Kale

I basically live on pasta. But mostly I stick to one or two recipes I’ve used for years (pasta con pesto and pasta with roasted veggies) and am too lazy to try new ones. So this recipe stuck out when I saw it on Pinterest, because it included goat cheese and lemon, two of my favorite things. I added the kale part myself, due to my great and abiding love for it.

I made this easy asparagus & lemon pasta recipe about a month ago when my family was in town. We went on a cooking and baking spree, trying new recipes left and right. This was actually a side dish when we made it, not the main entree, but it would make a great main dish as well. If you needed more protein, you could toss some pre-cooked chicken in with it too.

Goat cheese makes a really great, quick, creamy pasta sauce. And whether you blanch your pasta with asparagus or swap in string beans, edamame, or any other veggie, this dish comes together so quickly that you can put it in a regular year-round rotation and use whatever is in season.

Cut the asparagus into small, even (bite-size) pieces, removing the bottom tough parts.

Set a pot of water to boil. When it’s ready, add a small handful of salt and add the pasta. Cook according to the directions, but add the asparagus pieces in when there are about two or three minutes left. When finished, drain (reserving a cup of the pasta water) and set aside.

While the pasta and asparagus are cooking, zest the lemon. Keep the lemon, you’ll need the juice.

Break up the goat cheese into pieces in a bowl.

Put the lemon zest, chopped tarragon, and squeeze the lemon juice into the bowl with the goat cheese (look out for seeds!).  Then add the olive oil to the mixture as well.

Stir everything together to create a thick sauce.

In a large pan, saute the kale on medium (5-6 on my stove) with a couple tablespoons of olive oil and a tiny bit of garlic powder and sea salt. You don’t want to overcook it, but get it a little crispy (probably about five minutes).

When the pasta and asparagus is cooked, add to the goat cheese mixture, and toss completely, adding in some of the pasta water to help the sauce stick.  Add in the cooked kale and stir this in as well.

And you’re ready to go!

The whole thing takes about 15 minutes from start to finish, and is a great change if you’re more used to jarred sauces or pre-made food on weeknights.

Other pasta concoctions you’ll love:

• Whole Wheat Baked Penne with Beef & Summer Veggies
• Fontina Pasta with Brussels Sprouts & Chicken Pasta
• Easy Pad Thai
• Garlicky Spinach & Chicken Pasta with Goat Cheese

Goat Cheese, Kale, Asparagus & Lemon Pasta

• 1 pound of spiral-shaped pasta
• 1 pound of slender asparagus spears, trimmed and cut into 1- to 1 1/2-inch pieces
• 3-4 handfuls of kale, de-stemmed & torn into pieces
• 1/4 cup of olive oil
• 1 tablespoon of finely grated lemon peel (I just used a whole lemon’s worth of zest)
• 2 teaspoons of chopped fresh tarragon, plus more for garnish
• 1 log (around 5.5 ounces) of soft fresh goat cheese (the pre-crumbled stuff won’t melt as well)
• Fresh lemon juice to taste (optional)

Cook the pasta in a large pot of well-salted water according to directions (you’ll want it al dente). With about three minutes left add the asparagus and cook until firm-tender. Drain both pasta and asparagus together, reserving one cup of pasta water. At the same time, in a large pan, saute the kale on medium with 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil and a little sea salt and garlic powder. It should start to crisp up a little, maybe five minutes total (stir frequently). Set aside.

Meanwhile, combine the lemon zest, lemon juice, tarragon and goat cheese cheese in a large bowl, breaking up the goat cheese as you put it in. Stir in the olive oil, creating a creamy sauce. Add the drained pasta and asparagus to the bowl, along with a couple slashes of the pasta water. Toss until smoothly combined, adding more pasta water if needed. Stir in the kale as well. Season genersously with salt and pepper. Serves 6.

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

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