Recipe 74: Mac ‘n’ Goat Cheese

This recipe comes courtesy of Rachael Ray.

Mac ‘n’ Goat Cheese– by Rachael Ray

Ingredients

• 3/4 pound macaroni pasta (I used a chickpea rotini)
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped (we were shockingly out of this, so it got skipped)
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 9 ounce bag spinach
• Salt and pepper
• 6 ounces goat cheese, broken into chunks
• 3/4 cup chopped walnuts, toasted (I neglected to toast mine)

Preparation

In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the pasta until al dente. Drain, reserving 1/4 cup cooking water, and return to the pot.

Meanwhile, in a medium skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until golden, about 4 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, spinach and the reserved pasta water and cook until heated through, about 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Stir into the pasta along with the goat cheese. Transfer to a serving dish and sprinkle the walnuts on top.

Rating: 3/5.  I think this was on me.  The tomatoes didn’t really get caramelized, and everything in the sauce was just watery.  I think the garlic and roasting the walnuts would help, but not entirely.  But I can’t say no to anything with goat cheese.  I have a feeling Rachael would do a better job than I did.