This Baked Goat Cheese Pasta is filled with creamy melted goat cheese, baked tomatoes, spinach, and pasta. This crazy delicious one-pan meal is customizable, easy to make in less than 30 minutes, and makes a perfect busy family meal.
Love easy pasta dinners? Also, try my Lemon Caper Pasta, Salmon Pesto Pasta, and Cajun Shrimp Pasta.
Baked Goat Cheese Pasta
This Baked Goat Cheese Pasta is just what you were looking for in a delicious family dinner. It starts with creamy goat cheese and tomatoes that are simply baked in a casserole dish. You then add cooked pasta and spinach, and a little extra pasta water to create a simple cheesy sauce that is downright addictive. It is a flavor explosion on your plate!
Inspired by TikTok Pasta, which was a baked feta pasta, I have made a version that's simple, healthier, and completely customizable to your family's taste. You can add your own favorite vegetables and keep it vegetarian, or even add chicken or meatballs, if you like.
This dinner is made in just one pan and takes less than 30 minutes to make, start to finish... with mainly hands-off time in the oven baking the goat cheese. Perfect for weeknights.
If you like goat cheese, you are going to love this simple creamy sauce that comes together without any extra cream. My twins love goat cheese, and so do I, so this is a great dinner for us!
Family dinner idea! Baked Goat Cheese Pasta from Running in a Skirt Share on X
Why You'll Love this Baked Goat Cheese Pasta...
- This Baked Goat Cheese Pasta is made with just one dish or pot! It's easy to prep and easy to clean up.
- It's fast and simple, perfect for a family dinner.
- It makes a big batch, perfect for guests or just a quick dinner.
- My version is lightened up!
Ingredients:
Here's an overview of what you'll need to make this Baked Goat Cheese Pasta, but keep scrolling for the full recipe amounts.
- Goat Cheese: You'll need soft goat cheese to make this pasta. I like to use garlic and herb goat cheese or herbed goat cheese for added flavor, but you can use plain, too. You will need a log or two of it, depending on the size of the log.
- Cherry Tomatoes: Cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes are the perfect complement to this pasta. You cook them whole, and when they burst, the added liquid adds even more flavor to the dish. Use your favorite type of tomatoes, and in season, I like to use the ones from my garden.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Many recipes for Baked Goat Cheese Pasta call for a lot of olive oil. I cut this way back to just a tablespoon and then use cooking spray on the dish to bake the tomatoes. This cuts way back on the oil and calories in this dish.
- Italian Seasoning: I like to use my homemade Italian Spice Mix, which is the perfect blend of basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary, and sage. These are the classic flavors you'll find in many Italian dishes. You can also use your favorite store-bought Italian Spice Blend.
- Spinach: I use a hearty portion of fresh spinach in this pasta to give it lots of color and nutrients. The spinach cooks with the hot pasta and pasta water quickly, so you add it at the end. You can use less if you don't love spinach.
- Minced Garlic: I used minced garlic here, but you can also use garlic powder or garlic salt.
- Pasta: I used bowtie pasta here, but you can use what you have. If you want to mix it up, though, any short pasta like rotini, fusilli, penne, or macaroni is also a great choice. I like to use protein-enriched pasta to get the most health benefits from my meals. You can also use whole-grain pasta or gluten-free pasta.
- Kosher Salt & Black Pepper
- Fresh Basil
Instructions:
This is an overview of the instructions to make this Baked Goat Cheese Pasta, but the full detailed, printable recipe is below in the recipe card.
Step One: Bake the Goat Cheese
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Spray a large baking dish with olive oil cooking spray.
- In a large baking dish, toss the tomatoes with the olive oil, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Place the goat cheese in the center of the dish.
- Bake for about 20 minutes until the goat cheese is melted and the tomatoes blister.
- While the tomatoes are baking, boil your pasta according to package directions with salted water. Before you drain the pasta, reserve about 1 cup of the cooking water. Drain the pasta.
- Once the tomatoes are tender, remove the baking dish from the oven.
- Add the spinach and garlic on top of the tomatoes. Add about half of the pasta water, about ¼ of a cup.
- Add the hot pasta on top of that.
Step Two: Mix the Pasta
- Stir everything together, causing the spinach to wilt and a sauce to form. If the sauce is too thick, add the rest of the pasta water until you get a sauce consistency. A little pasta water is what makes the sauce creamy.
- Serve warm, garnished with a sprinkle of fresh basil leaves.
Baked Goat Cheese Patsa Variations
I love this Baked Goat Cheese Pasta recipe as written, but here are some fun variations. This is a very customizable dish!
- Mix Up the Vegetables: You can use so many different types of vegetables in this baked pasta. Other options are diced bell pepper, asparagus, onion, shallots, artichokes, sliced mushrooms, olives, sun-dried tomatoes, or even kale.
- Mix Up the Herbs: Add more fresh herbs to this, like oregano, fresh thyme or, parsley.
- Add Citrus: You could also add lemon juice or lemon zest.
- Add Beans: A great way to add some plant-based protein to this is to add white beans or garbanzo beans (chickpeas.)
- Add Meat: If you aren't vegetarian, you can add chopped salami, mini pepperoni, or even chicken or meatballs.
- Make it Spicy: Add some red pepper flakes.
- Make it Gluten Free: Use gluten-free pasta.
FAQ
Storage & Leftovers
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to five days.
Freezing
You can freeze this pasta in a freezer-safe container for up to three months.
Baked Goat Cheese Pasta
This Baked Goat Cheese Pasta is my new favorite family meal. My twins are huge fans of goat cheese, so they eat this quickly and get seconds! It's a great complete meal because the veggies are already cooked in it! If you wanted to add something else, though, here are some ideas from my recipe archives.
Serve it With:
- Blackened Shrimp
- Lemon Butter Bay Scallops
- Blackened Salmon
- Lemon Butter Grouper
- Blackened Mahi Mahi
- Kale Caesar Salad
- Chopped Kale Salad
- Strawberry Caprese Salad
More Easy Pasta Dinner Ideas:
If you make this Baked Goat Cheese Pasta, I’d love to hear what you think! Leave a comment and a star rating ★ below. Make sure to follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook too!
Baked Goat Cheese Pasta
Ingredients
- 8 ounces garlic & herb goat cheese
- 2 pints cherry tomatoes, about 4 cups
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 5 cups spinach
- ½ teaspoon minced garlic
- 12 ounces pasta
- 1 cup reserved pasta cooking water
- salt & pepper, to taste
- garnsh: fresh basil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Spray a large baking dish with cooking spray.
- In a large baking dish, toss the tomatoes with the olive oil, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Place the goat cheese in the center of the dish.
- Bake for about 20 minutes until the goat cheese is melted and the tomatoes blister.
- While the tomatoes are baking, boil your pasta according to package instructions with salted water. Before you drain the pasta, reserve about 1 cup of the cooking water. Drain the pasta.
- Once the tomatoes are tender, remove the baking dish from the oven.
- Add the spinach and garlic on top of the tomatoes. Add about half of the pasta water, about ¼ of a cup.
- Add the hot pasta on top of that.
- Stir everything together, causing the spinach to wilt and a sauce to form. If the sauce is too thick, add the rest of the pasta water until you get a sauce consistency.
- Serve warm garnishes with fresh basil.
Notes
Nutrition
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