Mushroom Pasta With Goat Cheese & Toasted Walnuts

This pasta is my go to dish when I need to make a quick weeknight dinner. It’s a light and simple dish, yet packs a lot of flavor from the goat cheese and mushrooms. The best part of the pasta is the toasted walnuts that add a unique flavor to the dish! Feel free to use gluten free, wheat, or different styles of pasta if you don’t want to use farfalle.

Sommelier Tip: This dish pairs excellent with Sancerre, one of the great impressions of Sauvignon Blanc. Sancerre is located in the Eastern part of the Loire Valley, France. The wines located here tend to be crisp with high acidity, herbal, and mineral flavors on the palette. Also, notes of bright citrus flavors are key markers in this aromatic wine.

Some of my favorite wines to try with this dish:

• Domaine Fouassier Sancerre Clos Paradis 2015

• Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc (One of the top producers from Marlborough, New Zealand)

• White Haven Sauvignon Blanc 2015 Marlborough, New Zealand

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup shallots or garlic (I used a little of both)

• 24 oz package of fresh mushrooms (I used cremini)

• 2 cups of fresh spinach

• 1 cup of chicken or vegetable broth

• 16 oz farfalle pasta or pasta of your choosing

• 1 pinch of salt

• 2 tbs of olive oil

• 2 tbsp of butter

• 6 oz goat cheese

• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese

• 1 splash of white wine (I used Sancerre)

• 1/2 cup toasted walnuts for topping

• 1/4 cup chopped basil for topping

Steps:

1. For the toasted walnuts, heat oven to 350 degrees and spread walnuts out evenly on a baking sheet

2. Toast walnuts for 5-10 minutes tossing them once in between

3. Set aside

4. Cook the pasta according to package directions, drain and set aside when done

5. For the mushrooms, heat the butter and oil up in a large skillet over medium high heat

6. Add the mushrooms and saute until soft, about 5-10 minutes

7. After the mushrooms cook down and reduce in size add the white wine, heavy cream, and salt

8. Stir a few times, it will sizzle a bit!

9. In a large pot toss the pasta with the mushroom sauce from the previous steps above

10. Add the broth slowly in depending on how much sauciness you want for your pasta (I added a little less then the whole cup)

11. Just before serving the pasta add in the fresh spinach and goat cheese

12. Top each dish with parmesan, toasted walnuts, and basil, enjoy!