Green Lentil Penne With Goat Cheese Sauce

4.3 from 3 ratings

Recipe Courtesy of Explore Cuisine Pasta is always a convenient dinner option, but traditional noodles are caloric and offer few nutritional benefits. Legume-based pastas add extra fiber, protein, and iron to traditional pasta dishes. Balsamic vinegar, fresh thyme, and goat cheese makes this recipe really pop.

Servings

servings

Ingredients

8 ounce penne pasta, such as explore cuisine's green lentil penne
1/3 pound asparagus tips, about 3" long
2 ounce goat cheese
3 tablespoon olive oil, divided
1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped
1/3 cup hot pasta water, reserved
salt and pepper to taste
4 eggs
balsamic syrup, for garnish

Directions

Cook asparagus in salted boiling water for 1 minute. Drain and shock in an ice bath. Drain and set aside at room temperature.
Cook penne according to package instructions, reserving some pasta water.
Drain penne and place in a large bowl with crumbled goat cheese and 2 tablespoons olive oil, toss to coat. Add enough hot pasta water to make a smooth creamy sauce. Season with thyme, salt and pepper. Gently fold in the asparagus.
Meanwhile, fry eggs sunny-side-up in 1 tablespoon olive oil.