Angel Hair with Sun-dried Tomatoes and Goat Cheese

What if you could craft a pasta dish that tastes like it came from a chic Italian bistro, but have it on your table in less time than it takes to decide on takeout? What if the secret to that incredible flavor was already sitting in your pantry? This Angel Hair with Sun-dried Tomatoes and Goat Cheese recipe is your new weeknight hero.

This isn’t just another quick pasta dish; it is an exercise in elegant simplicity. We will leverage flavor-packed shortcuts, like the oil from sun-dried tomatoes, to build a luxuriously tangy and savory sauce in minutes. Get ready to discover your new go-to recipe for a fast, fresh, and incredibly satisfying meal.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Recipe Overview: A 20-Minute Flavor Bomb

This recipe’s brilliance lies in its speed and its use of a few powerful, high-impact ingredients. The intense, sweet-tart flavor of sun-dried tomatoes combines with the creamy tang of goat cheese to create a perfectly balanced sauce. Because we use angel hair pasta, the entire meal comes together in about 20 minutes from start to finish.

Metric	Time / Level
Total Time	20 minutes
Active Prep Time	10 minutes
Difficulty Level	Easy / Beginner
Servings	2-3

Essential Ingredients for This Quick Pasta

The magic of this dish comes from a short list of ingredients where each one pulls significant weight. Understanding their roles will make you a better cook.

• Sun-dried Tomatoes Packed in Oil: This is the recipe’s MVP. The tomatoes themselves offer a concentrated, chewy, and intensely savory-sweet flavor. Crucially, the oil they are packed in is infused with all that goodness, and we use it to build the foundation of our sauce.
• Onion and Garlic: This classic aromatic duo creates the savory base. A small onion provides a touch of sweetness when sautéed, while fresh garlic adds its signature pungent warmth.
• Tomato Paste: This is our secret weapon for adding a deep, rich, umami flavor that you can’t get from the sun-dried tomatoes alone. We cook it briefly to caramelize its sugars and intensify its taste.
• Dry White Wine: A splash of a crisp white wine like a Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc serves to deglaze the pan. This means it lifts all the delicious, flavorful browned bits from the bottom of the skillet and incorporates them into the sauce, adding a vital touch of acidity.
• Angel Hair Pasta: We choose this pasta specifically for its incredibly fast cooking time. Its delicate, thin strands are perfect for soaking up this light yet flavorful sauce.
• Soft Goat Cheese (Chèvre): This provides the creamy element and a signature tangy flavor. As it melts into the hot pasta, it helps create a luscious, velvety sauce that beautifully coats every strand.
• Fresh Italian Parsley: This adds a final burst of fresh, clean, peppery flavor that cuts through the richness and brightens the entire dish.

Step-by-Step to Pasta Perfection

Follow these simple steps for a flawless result. The key to this dish is having everything ready to go, as it comes together very quickly.

Step 1: Start the Pasta Water and Prep First things first, bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Once it is boiling, add a very generous amount of salt.

Pro Tip: Your pasta water should taste like the sea. This is your only chance to season the pasta itself, and it makes a huge difference in the final taste of the dish.

While the water is heating, you can efficiently do all of your prep work. Chop the sun-dried tomatoes, chop the onion, mince the garlic, and crumble the goat cheese. Having everything ready (a “mise en place”) is key for a stress-free experience.

Step 2: Build the Sun-Dried Tomato Sauce In a large, heavy skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the reserved oil from the sun-dried tomato jar over medium heat. This infused oil is packed with flavor. Add the chopped onion and sauté for about 3 minutes, until it has softened and become translucent.

Next, stir in the minced garlic and sauté for just one more minute until you can smell its wonderful aroma. Be careful not to let the garlic burn.

Now, add the tomato paste. Cook it for a full 2 minutes, stirring it constantly with your spoon. This step cooks off the raw taste and caramelizes the paste, deepening its flavor. Finally, pour in the white wine and add the chopped sun-dried tomatoes. Let this mixture simmer until the liquid has reduced by about half, which will only take about 2 minutes.

Step 3: Cook the Angel Hair By now, your pasta water should be at a rolling boil. Add the angel hair pasta to the pot and cook according to the package directions, which is usually only about 3-5 minutes. Because it cooks so fast, you must not walk away from it!

Pro Tip: Angel hair goes from al dente to mushy very quickly. Taste a strand a minute before the package says it’s done to ensure it has a slight bite.

Before you drain the pasta, use a mug to reserve about 1/2 cup of the starchy cooking liquid. This stuff is liquid gold! Then, drain the pasta well.

Step 4: Combine Everything for a Creamy Finish Immediately add the hot, drained pasta directly into the skillet with your sun-dried tomato sauce. Use tongs to toss everything together, coating every strand of pasta with the sauce.

Add a few tablespoons of the reserved pasta water to the skillet. This starchy water will help the sauce emulsify and cling to the noodles, making it creamy rather than oily. Continue to toss, adding more pasta water as needed until the sauce reaches your desired consistency.

Finally, season the pasta with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Remove the skillet from the heat, add the crumbled goat cheese and the chopped fresh parsley, and give it one last gentle stir to combine. The residual heat will soften the goat cheese into creamy pockets of tangy goodness.

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Assembly and Plating

This dish is best served immediately while it’s hot and creamy. Use your tongs to create beautiful, tall mounds of the pasta in warm shallow bowls. If you like, you can garnish with a little extra chopped parsley or a few more crumbles of goat cheese. For a richer finish, a light drizzle of high-quality extra virgin olive oil over the top would be delicious.

Storage and Make-Ahead Tips

While this Angel Hair with Sun-dried Tomatoes and Goat Cheese is undeniably best when eaten fresh, you can still enjoy the leftovers.

• Storage: Store any leftover pasta in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
• Reheating: The pasta will absorb the sauce as it sits. The best way to reheat it is in a skillet over low heat. Add a splash of water or chicken broth to the pan to help loosen the sauce and bring back its creamy consistency as you gently toss the pasta until it’s warmed through.

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Creative Recipe Variations

This simple recipe is a fantastic base for experimentation. Here are three delicious ways to change it up.

1. Add Protein: Lemon Herb Chicken or Shrimp This dish is wonderful with added protein. Sauté bite-sized pieces of chicken breast or a handful of shrimp in the skillet before you start the sauce. Remove them, make the sauce as directed, and then add the cooked chicken or shrimp back in at the end with the pasta.

2. Add Greens: Wilted Spinach or Arugula For an extra dose of nutrition and a fresh, peppery bite, add a few large handfuls of fresh spinach or arugula to the skillet along with the hot pasta. Toss everything together for a minute until the greens have just wilted into the sauce.

3. Flavor Swap: Creamy Mushroom and Feta Pasta Instead of sun-dried tomatoes, sauté 8 ounces of sliced cremini mushrooms after the onion until they are golden brown. Swap the goat cheese for crumbled feta cheese, which offers a saltier, briny tang. This creates a more earthy but equally delicious version of the dish.

Enjoy Your Effortless, Elegant Meal!

You’ve just discovered the perfect solution for a busy day: a dish that delivers maximum flavor for minimal effort. This Angel Hair with Sun-dried Tomatoes and Goat Cheese proves that a memorable, satisfying meal doesn’t need to take hours or a long list of ingredients.

We hope this becomes a staple in your recipe collection. Embrace its simplicity, enjoy its vibrant flavors, and feel free to make it your own with our suggested variations.

If you loved this quick and easy recipe, please share it with a friend or leave a comment below. We’d love to hear how it turned out for you!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)