Linguine with Goat Cheese-Lemon-Almond Sauce

This is the perfect opportunity to showcase one of the things I do best in the kitchen: use stray leftover ingredients from previous meals to make a new, completely different concoction.


You'll probably recognize several of these components from the Couscous and Zucchini post: tomatoes, lemon, goat cheese, zucchini. After I tasted the lemony sauce I spooned over the stuffed zucchini, I knew I wanted to try making a pasta sauce version - that basically entailed thinning it out a bit with more white whine, and adjusting the amount of lemony-ness (I thought that the juice of a whole lemon was a bit too acidic last time, so I only used half of the juice, and added a little lemon zest to add flavor without adding acidity).

This is one of the best ways to reduce food waste and save money when you're eating at home. The basic methodology is to take a quick metal inventory of what you have in the fridge, think a little about what you're craving (I was, as always, craving pasta), and try to make those two things mesh. It's not as hard as you think. Occasionally, you'll have a few things sitting around that just won't work together, but generally, a smattering of leftover veggies and a dried carb or two can be the start of something wonderful.

LINGUINE WITH GOAT CHEESE-LEMON-ALMOND SAUCE

INGREDIENTS

Serves about 2

6 oz. whole wheat linguine
1 medium zucchini, sliced into thin rounds
several handfuls grape tomatoes, halved
2 cloves garlic
2 T. olive oil
1/2 small log of goat cheese
1 big spoonful light sour cream
big glug white wine
2 T. butter
freshly chopped parsley
small handful sliced almonds
zest of 1 lemon
juice of 1/2 a lemon
salt and pepper to taste


STEP ONE:

Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a nonstick skillet. Place the zucchini rounds in a single layer and cook, seasoning with salt and pepper, until they are nicely browned on one side. Flip them over and add the tomatoes, seasoning a little more. Cook the zucchini and tomatoes until the tomatoes have begun to wrinkle. Set aside and keep warm.

STEP TWO:

Meanwhile, cook the linguine until al dente. Drain and set aside. In a large saucepan, melt the butter and cook the garlic until it's fragrant. Pour in the white wine, and add the sour cream, goat cheese, almonds, lemon juice and zest, and parsley. Whisk together over medium heat until hot and melted.

STEP THREE:

Stir the linguine noodles into the goat cheese sauce and toss until coated. Place in a serving bowl and make a nest in the middle of the pasta. Spoon some zucchini and tomato mixture in the nest. Serve immediately. Enjoy!