Vegetarian

Quick one-pot goat’s cheese, spinach and walnut pasta

25 minutes
2
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This goat’s cheese pasta recipe is perfect for when you’re in need of a quick, simple yet satisfying meal. Pasta is often a go-to when something easy and effortless is required. Effortless is the key word in this recipe, as all the ingredients go into one pot and cook in 15 minutes.

Goat’s cheese has a delicious distinctive flavour and contains a number of wellbeing benefits. Goat’s cheese contains slightly higher concentrations of protein and calcium than cow’s milk. It also contains higher levels of potassium, 25% more B-complex vitamins, 47% more vitamin A and 27% more selenium. Last but not least, goat’s cheese contains probiotics, the highly beneficial bacteria that is so good for gut health.

Spinach is also very helpful for supporting our wellbeing. This leafy green is famously rich in iron, but is also a great source of potassium, magnesium and manganese. Spinach is rich in a number of vitamins too. This includes vitamin K (vital for good bone health), vitamin A in the form of beta-carotene (essential for healthy skin and hair), and vitamin C.

This delicious goat’s cheese pasta recipe is extracted from The Flexible Family Cookbook. This book provides flexible adaptations for each recipe to account for allergies, intolerances and lifestyle choices. Expect traybakes and one-pot roasts to make easy and convenient timesavers.

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Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
  • 1 small onion, sliced
  • 200g pasta shapes (such as penne or fusilli)
  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 150g soft mild goat's cheese, broken into pieces
  • 50g walnut halves, roughly chopped
  • 700ml hot vegetable stock
  • Grated fresh nutmeg, for sprinkling
  • 100g baby spinach leaves
  • Flaked sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • Grated zest of ½ lemon, to serve

Method

  1. Heat the oil in a medium-large saucepan. Add the onion and sauté gently for about 5–6 minutes until softened and light golden.
  2. Add the pasta, garlic, goat’s cheese, walnuts and vegetable stock. Stir briefly and season with a generous grating of nutmeg and some salt and pepper.
  3. Increase the heat to high and bring to the boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook, without a lid, over a medium heat, for 12–15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is just cooked with a little bite (al dente). By now the stock will have absorbed into the pasta and created a lightly creamy sauce.
  4. Stir the spinach through the pasta to wilt and taste for seasoning, adding more if needed. Serve in two bowls garnished with lemon zest, a grating of nutmeg, twist of pepper and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.