Goat Cheese & Sun-dried Tomato Pasta

My husband and I have made the decision to start eating more meatless meals. 

We are not cutting meat completely out, just back. Way back.

That being said, I have to tell you, we have not missed it. Not even a little bit. 

I think it has a lot to do with meals like this Goat Cheese & Sun-dried Tomato Pasta. 

We just add a salad with lots of fresh vegetables in it along side a bowl of sliced cucumbers 

marinated in a little dressed up vinegar, and we are good to go.

The entire meal takes just minutes to throw together and let me tell you, it was so good.

Not too heavy and perfectly creamy from the delicious goat cheese (no cream needed). The Parmesan added a little punch of saltiness and the hit from the sun-dried tomatoes...oh my goodness. Everything came together perfectly. Lets not forget the fresh basil. I mean...fresh basil, right?

I would venture to say, if a person wasn't partial to goat cheese, cream cheese would work in a pinch.

Fast and easy to prepare, a few simple ingredients, and huge flavor.

It was a hit.

Linked with: 

Meal Plan Monday

Weekend Potluck

Goat Cheese & Sun-dried Tomato Pasta

8 oz spaghetti, reserve 1 cup of cooking liquid
2 tbsp of oil from the sun-dried tomatoes
1/2 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
Pinch of red pepper flakes
Salt & Pepper
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes with herb, rough chop
4 oz of goat cheese
1/4 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
1/4 cup fresh chopped basil

Cook spaghetti in salted water according to package instructions. Save 1 cup of the cooking water, then drain spaghetti.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, red pepper flakes, a pinch of salt and pepper and saute until the onion softens. Add garlic and cook 1-2 minutes more. Stir in tomatoes and 1/2 cup of the reserved water. Stir in crumbled goat cheese and the 1/4 cup Parmesan. Stir until melted. Add spaghetti stirring to combine and add more water if needed/desired. I ended up adding apprx. 3/4 cup of the water. Taste for seasoning, adding more salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with more grated Parmesan and basil, if desired.

Roasted Spaghetti Squash with Chunky Red Herb Sauce

What an awesome, delicious, light and easy summer/anytime meal we had last night.

There's really not a lot to it, but the simplicity and fresh herbs really hit the mark.

The chunky red sauce has fresh basil and parsley, along with a few dried herbs, then served over some oven roasted spaghetti squash. The hubby liked his with just a sprinkling of fresh Parmesan, but I added some sauteed garlic shrimp on top of mine.

Very yummy!

Linked with Weekend Potluck and Foodie Friday.

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Roasted Spaghetti Squash with Chunky Red Herb Sauce

1 spaghetti squash, roasted
2 tbsp olive oil, divided use
1/2 onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
15oz petite diced tomatoes
1/4 tsp salt and pepper
Pinch of red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp thyme
1/4 cup fresh basil, chiffonade or chopped
1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
Freshly grated parmesan

Heat the oven to 400*.

Cut squash in half and clean out seeds and membrane. Drizzle with 1 tbsp of the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place cut side up on a baking sheet and bake 40 minutes or until tender. Cool; remove strands with a fork and keep warm.

While squash bakes, heat up the remaining oil in a medium size sauce pan. Add onion and saute until it starts to turn translucent. Add garlic and continue to cook 1-2 more minutes. Add tomatoes, Italian seasoning, thyme, salt and pepper, and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Simmer for 10-15 minutes; add fresh basil and parsley and continue to simmer for 5 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning if desired. Keep warm.

Serve tomato sauce over squash with fresh grated Parmesan cheese and more fresh parsley.

For the shrimp: I just used some thawed, peeled and deveined large shrimp, which I sprinkled with Old Bay seasoning, a pinch of salt and pepper, then let hang out in the fridge for a few minutes.

Heat a pat of butter and a couple of tsp of oil in a small skillet. Add shrimp and cook 1-2 minutes on the first side, turn and cook another couple of minutes along with 2 cloves of chopped garlic, then sprinkle with parsley.