G’morning. It’s my birthday. A Monday. Blah. But I won’t complain. I’m not “working” as in, going to a job, but our shipment arrives today and that means unpacking. Lots and lots of unpacking. Which would be all the more tolerable if my fingers didn’t feel like they might fall off after putting together a patio set consisting of 2 chairs, a love seat, and a table. I am woman, hear me ROAR! (I totally needed a nap after that task yesterday…).
I’m not one to make a big fuss out my birthday. I’m actually one of those people that lets the birthday calls goes to voicemail a lot of times. I like a good meal out and maybe a card. With our recent move, Mr. Prevention had given me a heads up that this year my birthday gift was a new house. And hey, no complaints there. I LOVE my new home.
But then on Friday when I went to the mailbox, Mr. Prevention said, “If that box is for me…don’t open it. It may be a birthday gift…”
Of course I proceeded to shake the box. He later opened the box, only to discover it was the replacement water filter for the fridge. Needless to say, I’m very curious to see what this birthday gift is.
Other than my birthday, today is also Meatless Monday. Unlike every other Meatless Monday, however, this recipe was not based off a recipe, per se. It was based off a reader’s suggestion for a quick meal – pasta with a sauce consisting of roasted red peppers, goat cheese, and tomatoes. I had no idea on proportions, but in the bare bones of my stock I was able to dig up 5 ounces of goat cheese, 1 can of tomatoes, and a jar of roasted red peppers.
I threw it all into a blender, blended it, and somewhat nervously reached a spoon in for a taste. All the stars in the sky aligned and magic was made right then and there, with a mere 3 ingredients and virtually no prep.
I beamed with pride as I put this dish on the table and Mr. Prevention was so curious as to what the “smile” was all about. I excitedly told him that I didn’t use a recipe and that I think he’s really going to like dinner. He didn’t even pause to notice the lack of meat before taking a bite and quickly agreeing that this sauce is rich, creamy, and deep with flavor.
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Roasted Red Pepper and Goat Cheese Pasta
10 oz dry whole wheat fettucine or linguine
15 oz can fire roasted diced tomatoes
5 oz goat cheese
12 oz jar roasted red pepper, drained
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 small zucchini, sliced into 1/4-inch half moons
salt and pepper, to taste
Directions:
Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a rolling boil; add pasta and cook 9-11 minutes until al dente. Drain and set aside.
Meanwhile, combine tomatoes, goat cheese, and peppers in a blender or food processor; process until smooth.
In a large sauce pan, heat the olive oil. Add the zucchini, salt and pepper to taste and saute 2-3 minutes until beginning to soften and brown. Add the goat cheese sauce to the zucchini and simmer 6-7 minutes or until heated through.
Combine the pasta and sauce in a large bowl and serve hot.
Yield: 4 servings (about 1 1/2 cups each)
Nutrition Information (per serving): 424 calories; 13.8 g. fat; 19 mg. cholesterol; 266 mg. sodium; 62.8 g. carbohydrate; 11 g. fiber; 15.5 g. protein
Result: A creamy sauce ready in seconds, literally! There’s plenty of sauce to go around, so next time I would add more veggies – probably some onion and summer squash, maybe even some colorful and sweet bell pepper. This is a great, meatless meal for the goat cheese lovers out there..and packed with protein for staying power. Low in sodium, too! Enjoy!
[/print_this]Off to welcome the movers and get to work! Hopefully we can pause for a quick meal out tonight to celebrate my 27th! Have a great week
Be well,
Happy birthday!! Have a great fourth also :). Was thinking yesterday how we were in Thailand one year ago. Good times.
Happy Birthday to you! Have a wonderful day! I hope you get a nice birthday gift 🙂
Happy Birthday, dear! I hope it goes wonderfully, even if it’s a Monday…
Happy birthday! What a delicious pasta dish to celebrate with 🙂 And I hope you get an awesome present!
Happy Birthday! {Although I feel the same about mine as it appears you do}
Love the idea of goat cheese + red pepper …. will add this to our recipe list!
Happy birthday! At least the water filter replacement wasn’t the birthday gift!
Happy birthday Nicole! I adore goat cheese and this sauce looks so amazing. I love that you created this recipe yourself. I hope to be able to do that someday 😀
happy birthday! I hope it’s great!! 🙂
Happy birthday to you!!!! I hope you have a wonderful day, even if it does consist of unpacking. My husband bought me an ice cube tray for my birthday this year, so hopefully your present is better than a water filter replacement…LOL!
Looks fabulous! I’ve seen something similar to this with feta, but goat cheese would make it so much creamier, so I definitely need to give this a try. Happy birthday!
Happy birthday! This looks delicious!
Wishing you a vey Happy Birthday, Nicole! I’m glad you’re happily settled into your new home too!
The pasta looks incredible — I love the addition of goat cheese!
Happy Birthday Nicole!!!
Love this dish. Definitely a fan of creamy sauces so I am loving that you blended in the goat cheese. 🙂
Happy Birthday Nicole! Yes, I am kind of the same way – nice dinner out, a card and I am a happy camper. And I’ll take a new house as a birthday gift any day. 😀
Hugs!
Happy birthday!! I hope you have a fantastic day!
Only 27?! Youngin’ Happy birthday!!
BIG BIG Happy Birthday Nicole. Hope your year ahead is your best EVER!!!!
Happy Birthday!
Happy Birthday!
You are exactly 25 days older than me, my birthday is on the 27th 🙂
Have an awesome time celebrating your birthday! Your meatless Monday dish looks so satisfying and chock full of flavor! Roasted red pepper and goat cheese were meant to be together! Yum!
Happy birthday Nicole! This looks like the perfect meal for these hot days. Love goat cheese and pasta. 🙂
Happy birthday 🙂 I know what you mean, I don’t make a big deal out of my b-day either. I actually kind of like when it goes unnoticed by some people, haha. Anyways, this looks great. I haven’t always loved red peppers, but I’m finally starting to come around 🙂
Happy Birthday, Nicole! A new house isn’t so bad of a bday present. Although, unpackers would’ve been an even better one 😉
Happy Birthday! I hope you had a fabulous day!
Happy birthday! This looks like a tasty celebratory meal!
I made something similar to this with a sun-dried tomato sauce. This looks delicious!
Happy belated birthday and congratulations on making the foodbuzz Top 9!
Happy birthday! And congrats on making Foodbuzz’s Top 9! This looks incredibly delicious and love the colour of the dish!
Happy Belated Birthday and congratulations on your new home! What a great birthday present! I love easy pasta dishes like this and the combination of roasted red bell pepper and feta is my favorite! Congrats on the Top 9 at Foodbuzz!
This looks excellent. Making your own sauce adds extra satisfaction to any meal. Happy Birthday!
Happy birthday! I have been wanting to make something with goat cheese lately, and THIS recipe is it!!
Oh my goodness, this looks SO GOOD! I am definitely going to be trying this one soon.
Just wanted you to know that I made this last night and it was fabulous! I added some sauteed onions for added crunch! So good and tangy! 😀 My husband was in goat cheese heaven!
I make a roasted red bell pepper dip with Feta, olive oil and raw garlic. I am going to toss that with some pasta. Thank you for giving me the idea. I will also try your recipe but I prefer fresh roasted to the jar stuff. The flavor is ten times better. lol