Busy Budget Foodie: Kale and Goat Cheese Penne

Hello hello blog world! I am sorry that I missed my regular Saturday post and am just catching up now. The reason my schedule is a bit off is because...I am on spring BREAK! Yes ladies and gentleman, another quarter of graduate school has been wrapped up, final papers submitted, and my students' grades posted. It feels very good to have the week off and I can't wait for a little R&R. I started my break of right with a long weekend in San Diego, CA to celebrate my wonderful friend Beth's bachelorette party. We had an epic time that included a champagne in a limo, dancing past midnight, and lying on the beach. It was sooo hard to leave and make the flight back to Seattle, but luckily it's gorgeous here this week!

Now that I'm back, I can finally share the amazing kale and goat cheese pasta recipe that I discovered here last week. It's almost like a healthy, adult version of mac and cheese -- think a pasta dish that's loaded with kale, fresh tomatoes, and a sauce of tangy goat cheese mixed with yogurt. I added some spicy sausage for an extra kick, but you could easily make the original vegetarian version. It was quite good and received the thumbs up from Stuart, so we'll definitely be making this one again in the future.

Ingredients:

8 oz kale, chopped (I like “dinosaur” kale)

1 cup chicken or vegetable broth

1 pint cherry tomatoes

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp hot pepper flakes

1 lb penne pasta

4 oz goat cheese

1/4 cup plain greek yogurt

1/2 tsp salt

freshly ground pepper

Directions:

1. Boil water for pasta in large pot.

2. While waiting for water to boil, chop garlic and sauté in large skillet over medium high heat until slightly caramelized and fragrant.

3. Slice grape tomatoes in half and add to skillet. Cook until tomatoes start to soften and breakdown slightly about 7-9 minutes.

4. Add kale, broth, hot pepper flakes, salt, and several twists of freshly ground pepper. Cook until greens are tender and wilted (5-8 minutes), stirring occasionally.

5. When water is boiling, cook penne according to package directions. Drain pasta and place back in pot, pouring kale mixture over hot pasta.

6. Mix in goat cheese and 1/4 cup of plain greek yogurt. Stir well to coat pasta with cheese. Mix until goat cheese is melted and well distributed.