BM# 70: Week 3/ Day 2
Theme: Cooking for One
Dish: Pasta Salad with Spinach and Goat Cheese
For the second day under ‘Cooking for 1′ theme, I made this easy Pasta Salad with Spinach and Goat Cheese. Pasta salads are filling and can very easily be customized with ingredients you have on hand. 
In my family, everyone loves pasta, but they all like it in very different ways. My husband prefers ‘no-tomato’, more veggies and he likes his pasta dry and not swimming in a lot of sauce. My son loves his pasta without many vegetables and the trouble maker (that is my daughter) keeps flip flopping but simple marinara and pesto sauces are the current favorites.
So when I make my pasta (just for myself), I add everything that I want to add without worrying about the family. So this pasta salad as goat cheese (which by the way is liked only by my son and me), broccoli (my son wouldn’t touch it with a barge pole), sundried tomatoes (another controversial ingredient) and spinach.
When I cook for myself, I am more interested in eating and less in the actual cooking. So I prefer recipes that don’t need lot of ingredients and cooking steps. Cooking the pasta is the only cooking involved in this dish. Pasta cooking water is the magix that creates the sauce by melting the cheeses (goat cheese and parmesan) and wilting the greens.
It takes just a few minutes to make this dish and it is very tasty and filling. Do give it a try if you are pasta lover and a lazy cook like me. Double or triple the ingredients if you are cooking for the family and feel free to omit or add more ingredients.
Lets check out what my fellow marathoners have cooked today for BM# 70.
- 1 cup Short Pasta I used whole grain rotini
- 2 cups Baby Spinach (or other salad greens)
- 2 tbsp Sundried tomatoes in oil, drained and chopped
- 1 tbsp Goat cheese, crumbled
- 2 tbsp Parmesan cheese, grated
- ¼ cup Broccoli florets
- To taste Salt Pepper
- Cook pasta according to package instructions. Add the broccoli florets into the water about 2~3minutes before the pasta is ready. Reserve ½cup paste cooking water and drain the pasta.
- Combine baby spinach, sundried tomatoes, goat cheese and grated parmesan in a mixing bowl.
- Add the hot pasta along with the pasta cooking water. Season with salt and pepper. Mix well to combine all the ingredients.
- Both the cheeses melt and create a sauce for the pasta. Serve right away.
I can understand cooking different for family pavani!! It happens here too, one dish, 4 people, they like it in 4 different ways!!! Love the pasta, i have never tasted goat cheese, looks interesting!!! :)
This looks absolutely colourful. I am sure I would love it if someone serves it for me..
That is a fussfree and filling meal for one.
Looks very good. I am also like you , Pavani. When cooking for self I look for minimum cooking :).
Never tried adding goat cheese in salad, cant wait to give a try to this pasta salad.
This salad looks so filling and delicious too.
I love such pasta Salad, makes such a filling meal and so versatile too!