Monday, February 14, 2011

Valentine's Recipe: Pumpkin Cream pasta with Goat cheese and Roasted Tomatoes

Okay, so this isn't really a Valentine's recipe, but it feels delicious and fancy enough to be worthy of a stay-at-home Valentine's dinner! I made the recipe up (parts of it) after eating something similar at a hip, delicious restaurant here in Atlanta called "Two Licks."  (There dish had goat cheese ravioli, which would be delish, but I don't always have time to make stuff like that.)

Here is a step-by-step, and then I will follow with the recipe! (you know, its so blog trendy to show the step-by-step).
 Cut up some cherry tomatoes, spray a pan/dish with oil, and broil them for about 8 minutes.
 Boil your pasta of choice. I did Rigatoni.
 Heat up your olive oil in a large pan/pot (mines a combo) and add the garlic and onion. saute.
 In a separate bowl, pour in your pumpkin, chicken broth, 1/2 of your sage, and the half&half (I used light cream from whole foods, but no big diff.).
Once the onions are soft, add that bowl of ingredients to the pot/pan. Reduce to med/low and simmer for 10 minutes.

It'll look something like this... Stir Frequently and season with S&P
Pour the strained pasta into the sauce (or vice versa depending on the size of your pots), and toss to coat. Pour in 2 T of the cheese and mix well.
Top with remaining sage and parm, as well as some slices/chunks of goat cheese, fresh basil, and the roasted tomatoes. YUUUUUMMMM! We devoured this dish. Enjoy!

Pasta with Pumpkin Cream Sauce, goat cheese, tomato and basil

Pasta of your choice

1 /2 of a Vidalia onion chopped fine

3 medium cloves garlic (or a spoonful of minced)

Dried (or fresh) sage, to taste

1 tablespoon olive oil

3/4 cup pumpkin puree

3/4 cup chicken broth

1/2 cup fat free half & half (or low fat heavy cream)

salt & pepper

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

goat cheese (room temp)
cherry tomatoes, sliced in half (1/2-1 carton)
fresh basil leaves (chopped slightly)

Directions:


Bring a large pot of to a boil over medium-high heat. Add sald and pour in the pasta and cook according to package directions.


Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic; cook for 3 minutes, stirring, until they have softened. Stir in the pumpkin puree, chicken broth, half & half, and 1/2 of the sage. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until the sauce is slightly thickened. Season with salt and pepper to taste; keep warm on the lowest setting.


Drain the pasta and add to the sauce, then add 2 tablespoons of the cheese and mix well. To serve it: top with remaining sage, parm, slices/chunks of goat cheese, roasted tomatoes, and fresh basil leaves.

9 comments:

Claire Kiefer said...

Oh my goodness gracious alive. This looks SO GOOD! I'm totally emailing this recipe to myself . . . yum! And so decadent. Cream & cheese & pasta--delish! ha.

Happy Valentine's Day! I'd make myself a special dinner were I not teaching all day AND night. Ay yay yay.

Jessica said...

Haha, you are so blog-trendy. Practically the next pioneer woman :)

This really looks soooooo good though.

Caroline said...

Oh my heavens that looks delicious!!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

Looks and sounds soooo yummy....can't wait to try your recipe!

Between Blue and Yellow said...

hmmm, sounds weird but good! Never thought to use pumpkin in pasta. Hope to see you this week!

Lesley said...

i should not have read this before i had breakfast. my stomach is rumbling! hope you and francisco and your little olivia had a happy valentine's day!

Shannon Louise said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Shannon Louise said...

The pasta dish looks fabulous! I love pumpkin and goat cheese...can't wait to try them together!

liz said...

oh my holy goodness. this looks incredible! you are officially my new favorite blog. :)