Do you remember that feta pasta that went viral a few years ago? Let me refresh your memory if you don’t: You add a hunk of feta cheese and a bunch of cherry tomatoes to a casserole dish with some garlic, olive oil, salt, and pepper. You bake it for about 30 minutes, crush the cooked tomatoes with a fork, mix it with the melty feta, and add it to your favorite pasta. It was an incredibly easy and delicious dish to put together.
Over the last few years, the baked feta pasta dish has been a repeat recipe for me. Along the way, I’ve started to make changes, using ingredients I’ve had available at home and adding more vegetables because I’m a dietitian and that’s what we do. 🙂
This goat cheese vegetable pasta is probably my favorite interpretation of the baked feta pasta. Goat cheese adds a tangier flavor compared to cheeses made from cow’s milk. It’s high in protein, calcium, and contains some healthy fats! Some say that goat cheese is easier to digest than cow’s milk, but research has found that the digestibility of goat’s milk is the same as cow’s milk. BUT, it is lower in lactose, so it may be a good option for those who have trouble digesting a lot of lactose.
I add zucchini, yellow squash, and spinach for some added fiber and nutrients, but so many other veggies would taste good here too! Mushrooms, broccoli, and/or kale would be delicious. I like to use a protein pasta for a little added protein too. This is one of those dishes that you can easily make your own with whatever you have available at home.
Goat Cheese and Vegetable Pasta
Ingredients
- 20 ounces of cherry tomatoes
- 4 cloves of garlic, minced
- 2 medium sized zucchini, sliced into rounds
- 1 medium yellow squash, sliced into rounds
- 4 oz goat cheese
- 3 cups spinach
- 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 pound of pasta, cooked
Directions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. In a casserole dish, add zucchini, tomatoes, yellow squash, garlic, olive oil, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Mix so everything is well incorporated. In the center of the dish, add goat cheese. Bake for 35 minutes.
- Cook the pasta according to the box directions while you are waiting for the vegetable-cheese mixture to bake.
- Once the vegetable-cheese mixture is done, use a fork to smush the tomatoes and mix with the melted goat cheese to form a sauce. Add to the cooked pasta with spinach and mix until everything is well incorporated.