Farfalle With Goat Cheese Sauce Recipe

Goat Cheese Sauce Farfalle

A while ago, I found this great recipe in the New York Times Magazine from one of my favorite food writers, Molly O’Neill. The recipe was "Fusilli with Basil, Mint, Spinach and Ricotta Sauce" and was part of an article on simple summertime recipes.

It looked so good that I wanted to make it that night but realized I didn't have all the ingredients. I decided to make some substitutions with what I had on hand and the result was delicious, according to my wife.

Is my alteration of Molly O’Neill’s recipe a new creation? I don’t know, but it sure tasted great and was easy to make. So what’s the difference? Here are my Bowties with Basil, Cilantro, Spinach, and Goat Cheese Sauce.

Farfalle, also known as bow ties or butterfly pasta because of how they look, is great for just about any sauce you want to serve except for something really delicate. They can also be used in soups and pasta salads. There is a smaller version of farfalle called farfalline.

📖 Recipe

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Farfalle With Goat Cheese Sauce Recipe

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time10 minutes mins

Total Time20 minutes mins

Course: Pasta

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: 4 - 6 servings

Ingredients

• 1 pound bowtie pasta
• 1 cup basil leaves lightly packed
• ¾ cup cilantro leaves packed
• ½ cup fresh spinach steamed and well drained
• ½ cup Parmesan cheese freshly grated
• 2 tablespoons butter softened
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper freshly ground
• 8 ounces goat cheese

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• To prep for this simple recipe, you must steam the fresh spinach and drain it being sure to squeeze all the water out.
• Be sure to take the butter out so it softens up. Mince the garlic and you are ready to go.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and cook the pasta to your liking.

  (I prefer al dente which is Italian for "to the tooth" and describes pasta that is not soft or overdone.)
• While the pasta is cooking, combine the basil, cilantro, spinach, Parmesan, butter, garlic, salt and pepper in a food processor and process until smooth.
• Add the goat cheese and pulse until well mixed with the other ingredients.
• When the pasta is cooked, drain, but reserve 1 or 2 tablespoons of the cooking water.

  Combine the hot pasta with the processed ingredients and the cooking water in a large bowl. Mix until the pasta is coated well.
• Serve and make sure you have salt and pepper on the table to season to taste.

Notes

I made this for just my wife and so I reserved some of the sauce and used it the next night to sauce some broiled halibut that we served some friends. It was delicious and well received.