I got home from work yesterday and I had 40 minutes to get dinner on the table and eat before we were dashing out the door to have Lily (our bulldog) meet Harlie (our new bulldog) on “neutral” territory.
I know, I know. My circus just got a little bit more circus-y. I just pray these dogs do well together and we’re not totttttally in over our heads. Stay tuned. Harlie officially joins the Morrissey at 7pm on Friday.
I CAN HEAR YOU LAUGHING FROM HERE, PEOPLE!
So, I quickly formulated my recipe. I had purchased my ingredients: pasta, asparagus, zucchini, and squash. OH, and GOAT CHEESE. The star. Errrrr…I mean, the vegetable are the star? Wink wink.
I kid. Dietitian or not, cheese is always the star, let’s be honest.
I preheated the grill between shoveling bites of food into the baby’s mouth, boiling pasta, and whisking together the olive oil and balsamic vinegar, doubting that this concoction would be as fabulous as I had dreamed it being.
I forged ahead if for no other reason than I had no plan B dinner in my back pocket. Grilled Vegetable, Balsamic, and Goat Cheese Pasta…or bust.
Because he’s not goat cheese’s #1 fan, hubby was luke warm towards this dish. I call him CRAZY because personally, I was fork in hand, ready to eat the leftovers for breakfast this morning. There’s enough veggies that it feels healthy while still being creamy and rich. Thankyouverymuch, goat cheese. Oh, and that rich, sweet balsamic vinegar. Dreamy, I tell you. And ready lickety split.
- 14 oz dry whole wheat rotini
- 3 small zucchini, cut into quarters lengthwise
- 2 small yellow squash, cut into quarters lengthwise
- 1 lb asparagus, woody ends trimmed
- ½ cup + ¼ cup olive oil, divided
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ¼ cup aged balsamic vinegar*
- 5 oz goat cheese
- Preheat a grill to 400 degrees F.
- Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Add pasta and cook 9-11 minutes or until al dente. Drain and transfer to a large bowl.
- Drizzle zucchini, yellow squash, and asparagus with ¼ cup olive oil, salt and pepper. Gently toss to coat. Grill on preheated grill for 7-10 minutes or until tender and beginning to char, turning once half way through. Remove from grill and carefully cut vegetables into 1½-inch long pieces and transfer to the large bowl, over the pasta.
- Whisk together the remaining ½ cup olive oil and the balsamic vinegar. Drizzle over the vegetables and pasta, gently toss to coat. Crumble goat cheese over the pasta and toss once again.
I used to make my own balsamic glaze until my store started selling it for $1.99 a bottle – all different flavors too – my latest favorite is walnut pear.
But you really had me at goat cheese!