Baked Pasta with Spinach, Caramelized Shallots, and Goat Cheese

I am just your average home cook who finds inspiration in all my friends and family when it comes to recipes. A couple of days ago, I noticed a friends post of her making a delicious pasta for her family. I reached out and asked what her secret was as it looked soooo creamy and delicious. Inspired by her sisters recipe she said, goat cheese was the secret ingredient!

Now, I am sure she is not the only one to put goat cheese and pasta together but I personally have never tried it. So when the husband said he was craving a baked pasta for Sunday dinner, I knew the perfect thing to make! Baked pasta dredged in creamy goat cheese sauce, then mixed with spinach, and finally topped with sweet caramelized shallots. Talk about a bowl of comfort!

Ingredients

For the shallots:

• 1 1/2 Tbsp butter
• 4 large shallots, sliced
• 1 tsp coconut Sugar (or brown sugar)
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp pepper
• 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

For the pasta:

• 1 lb penne pasta
• 1 1/2 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
• 3 1/2 oz white wine
• 1 C reserved pasta water (read directions below)
• 2 C whole milk
• Spinach, 1 bunch
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1 sprig, fresh thyme
• 4 oz goat cheese
• 1 1/2 C parmesan, grated
• 1 tsp Dijon Mustard

DIRECTIONS

1. Melt 1 1/2 Tbsp butter in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add your sliced shallots, coconut sugar (or brown sugar), salt, and pepper. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
2. Lower heat to medium, cover, and let cook for an additional 10 minutes, stirring every 2-3 minutes.
3. Add your balsamic vinegar and mix well for an additional 2 minutes. Remove shallots from pan into a small bowl and set aside. DO NOT clean pan as we will reuse.
4. In a large pot, begin cooking your pasta. Al dente. About 11-13 minutes.
5. Using a pasta spider or large slotted spoon, remove pasta from pot and place in bowl. Set aside. DO NOT discard your pasta water as we will reuse. Keep water boiling.
6. Place your spinach in same water used to cook your pasta and cook for 2-3 minutes. Turn heat off. Reserve 1 C of water and strain your spinach. Set aside.
7. In the same pan used for your shallots, melt another 1 1/2 Tbsp unsalted butter over medium heat. Stir in your 1 Tbsp flour and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly to avoid any burning.
8. Stir in your white wine, scrapping any browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Let the wine simmer until it has almost all cooked away, about 1 minute.
9. Whisk in 1/2 C of reserved pasta water and 2 C milk until smooth and no more lumps remain. Simmer for about 3 minutes.
10. Add in your goat cheese, 1 C grated parmesan, 1 tsp dijon, salt, pepper, and thyme. Whisk until slightly melted and well combined.
11. Stir in the pasta and spinach. If pasta sauce seems too dry or too thick, add a little more of reserved pasta water for extra creaminess! Turn heat off and you’re ready to assemble for baking.

Assemble the bake:

1. Preheat oven to 400
2. Transfer your pasta to a baking dish
3. Top with the caramelized shallots, then sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 C grated cheese.
4. Bake 15-20 minutes, until bubbly. Serve immediately with a side salad and a glass of wine! 😉