Farfalle with Mushrooms and Goat Cheese Sauce

This pasta has Apolinaras’ name written all over it. I guess you could call him my muse from time to time. He looooves mushrooms and was so happy when I encouraged him to go ahead and put the pricey fresh shitakes in the grocery cart the other day. When I told him I was planning to use the mushrooms in a pasta dish with a creamy goat cheese sauce, he did a cute little happy dance in the middle of the aisle!

Luckily, the pasta came together beautifully and lived up to his high expectations – he loudly proclaimed multiple times that it was his very favorite pasta dish I’ve ever made! Of course, I had to take this with a grain of salt because any dish with mushrooms and goat cheese would steal his heart. I do really like that while this dish tastes incredibly indulgent, it’s really not that bad for you. I used whole wheat farfalle that I purchased at Eataly, but any shape would work well. You could also add some chicken or shrimp if you’d like a bit more protein.

Farfalle with Mushrooms and Goat Cheese Sauce
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 pound whole wheat farfalle pasta
2 tablespoons olive oil
24 ounces mushrooms, sliced (I used half baby bellas and half shitakes with the stems removed)
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup milk (I used 2%)
1/2 cup freshly grated pecorino romano cheese
10.5 ounces goat cheese (1 log from costco)
1 teaspoon salt

Directions:
Prepare pasta according to the package directions, drain, and place in a large pot.

Heat olive oil over medium high heat in a large nonstick pan and add mushrooms. Sauté 8 to 10 minutes or until tender; add garlic and sauté 1 additional minute.

Meanwhile, make the sauce by melting the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour until smooth and cook one more minute or until mixture starts to brown. Whisk in milk and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and whisk in pecorino romano, goat cheese, and salt. Heat 5 minutes, stirring frequently, or until cheese is melted and mixture is smooth. Add the sauce and mushrooms to the pot with the cooked pasta and mix well. Makes 6 servings.

Nutrition: 531 calories, 21.8g fat, 7.5g fiber, 22.0g protein per serving
Cost: $2.92 per serving