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Beef & Zucchini Pasta with White Wine, Oregano, & Creamy Goat Cheese

This delicious beef and zucchini pasta with white wine, fresh oregano, toasted pine nuts, and creamy goat cheese is absolute heaven! It's also super easy to make, and a total crowdpleaser...perfect for a fancy dinner party or a random weeknight! It's kind of like a grown-up Hamburger Helper (or what we *wish* that were like!).
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course: Main Dishes
Servings: 6 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 pound of ground beef
  • 1/2 cup of good white wine dry & soft, like a Chenin Blanc; see notes
  • 1 small zucchini sliced thinly (or 1/2 a medium one, amounts are flexible)
  • 1/2 of a sweet or yellow onion
  • Fresh oregano ~2 tablespoons
  • Scant 1/4 cup of pine nuts toasted until golden
  • ~6 ounces of soft goat/sheep cheese see notes
  • 16 ounces of pasta curly/fusili style is best; see notes on GF
  • Salt and garlic powder as well as olive oil

Instructions

  • Slice the zucchini into thin coins or half-moons (depending on how fat your zucchini is).  Heat a skillet on medium, drizzle olive oil and add the zucchini along with some salt and garlic powder.  Cook, stirring every few minutes, for 10 or more minutes.  You want the zucchini to get really golden, a bit crispy, and cooked down.
  • Cut your onion into big chunks and separate all the layers.  Toss with some olive oil and salt, and air fry for around 7 or 8 minutes at 390 F, or until softened and browning.  Or you can roast in the oven.
  • While your zucchini and onions are cooking, you can also cook up the ground beef, adding salt and garlic powder.  Let it start to get a little crisp on the bottom, then add the white wine to deglaze.  Stir that for a minute, turn off the heat, and add your fresh oregano.  Set aside.
  • Cook the pasta according to the directions, keeping slightly al dente.  Reserve about 1/2 cup of pasta water just in case, then drain.
  • Toss together the pasta, cooked zucchini, onions, beef in wine, and pine nuts.  Break the cheese blocks apart with your fingers and add, then add a little bit of pasta water and toss everything to combine.  Add a bit more pasta water if necessary to get the cheese to coat everything nicely.

Notes

  1. The key to this dish originally has been this AMAZING Meredith Dairy marinated sheep and goat cheese that is...I mean...guys, it's so good.  I've linked to where you can buy it on Amazon in the post, but if you ever see it in the store, buy it! It may have been discontinued now so I'm trying to figure out an alternative in this recipe.
  2. On the white wine, avoid anything too tart or astringent, such as a Pinot Grigio or vinho verde.  Anything that's softer with a bit of sweetness will work, such as a Chenin Blanc (my preference), Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Albarino, Riesling, etc.
  3. This can definitely be made gluten-free with you preferred type, but I recommend Banza chickpea pasta...I think the texture and flavor work better for this pasta than most GF ones.