Fast and Fresh Summer Pasta

The Clarion-Ledger recently published Sara Moulton's recipe for Fast and Fresh Summer Pasta. I was looking for more Meatless Monday (and Tuesday and Wednesday and sometimes Thursday too) recipes, so decided to give it a try. It's a keeper!

I did not use fresh tomatoes. I used a large can of diced tomatoes, rinsed and drained. I used 1 tsp of olive oil (and no lemon zest). Honestly, I think it would have been fine with no oil. The goat cheese makes it creamy enough.

3 cups chopped fresh tomatoes (about 1-inch pieces)
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
5 ounces fresh goat cheese, crumbled
8 ounces whole-wheat penne or fusilli pasta
1 cup mixed chopped fresh herbs (such as parsley, basil, oregano, mint, dill, chives, cilantro and tarragon)

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, in a large serving bowl toss the tomatoes with a few hefty pinches of salt and some black pepper. Let stand for 10 minutes, then add the lemon zest, oil and goat cheese and toss well.

Add the pasta to the boiling water, stir and cook according to package instructions until just al dente. Drain the pasta (it’s fine to have some water still clinging to the pasta), then add it to the bowl. Toss until the cheese is melted.

Taste and season with salt and pepper to taste. Divide the pasta between 4 serving bowls, then sprinkle each portion with some of the herbs. Serve immediately.

Nutrition information per serving: 360 calories; 110 calories from fat (31 per cent of total calories); 12 g fat (6 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 15 mg cholesterol; 51 g carbohydrate; 7 g fibre; 5 g sugar; 17 g protein; 390 mg sodium.