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This tomato goat cheese pasta recipe is simple, fresh, and easy to make. Goat cheese makes the tomato sauce deliciously creamy! It’s ready in about 30 minutes.
If you like this recipe, you’ll want to try my Tomato Goat Cheese Gnocchi or Easy Pink Sauce Pasta next.
Why you’ll love it
Goat cheese is a well-loved ingredient. While I normally don’t often cook with it, I’m very excited about this goat cheese pasta. It’s really easy to make, and the distinctive creamy and tangy quality in the velvety sauce is just so tasty. If you like goat cheese, you’re gonna love this.
This is basically a creamy tomato sauce for pasta but upgraded. If you’re wondering what to make with goat cheese, I think you’ll adore this simple tomato pasta with bold flavors. We’ve also included plenty of garlic and basil, and this creamy cheese pasta is ready in just 30 minutes.
What you’ll need
- Pasta – I like penne because it’s a sturdy variety for the creamy sauce
- Olive oil – for sautéing
- Onion and garlic – I like sweet (Vidalia) onions best
- Crushed tomatoes – these are canned at the peak of ripeness, so you get concentrated tomato flavor in the sauce
- Red pepper flakes – they’re optional but add a gentle warmth (not spice, just depth of flavor)
- Italian seasoning – my trusty all-purpose blend of dried herbs! It comes all in one jar.
- Goat cheese – the star of this recipe. I will say that if you’re not the biggest fan, go easy on it. You can always add more if desired! Go ahead and build it up gradually.
- Basil – for a pop of freshness and to complement the tomatoes
Tools for this recipe
Check out Natasha’s favorite kitchen essentials, gadgets, and cookware!
- This garlic keeper not only looks really cute, it keeps your garlic fresher for longer.
- I recommend this cooking spoon since it won’t scratch up your cookware.
- If you’re grating fresh parm on top, I definitely recommend using a Microplane zester. So easy!
How to make tomato goat cheese pasta
This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
Cook your pasta according to directions. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, sauté the onion in the oil until softened. Stir in the garlic, and cook until fragrant (about half a minute). Add in the tomatoes, Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes.
Reduce the heat, and simmer for around 10 minutes. Stir in the goat cheese and basil until smooth and creamy. Give it a taste, add salt & pepper if desired, and then toss with the drained pasta and enjoy.
Pro tip
If the sauce gets too thick, simply reserve a little bit of the hot pasta water and then add it in to thin it out.
Substitutions and variations
- You can use finely chopped tomatoes (such as Mutti brand offers) if you don’t have any crushed tomatoes on hand. They’re also fairly thick, so it’ll give the sauce a good consistency. If you want to use fresh tomatoes, you can, but you may need to do a bit of tweaking/experimenting if you want a thicker sauce because they will take longer to cook down.
- I used penne, but feel free to use whatever pasta you have on hand.
- If you don’t have any fresh basil, you can still make the recipe, but it won’t have that pop of freshness. In a pinch, try subbing dried basil. I’d start with 1/2 teaspoon and add more if needed.
What to serve with goat cheese pasta
- This pasta is fairly rich, so you might want to balance it out with a bright salad. I like spring mix with my Creamy Balsamic Dressing, or try something different with my Easy Honey Mustard Dressing.
- A slice of fresh crusty bread or Cheesy Garlic Bread is always a good idea!
Leftovers and storage
- Store leftover tomato goat cheese pasta in a covered container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
- If you don’t plan on eating all the sauce right away, simply skip the step of tossing it with the pasta and boil fresh pasta when reheating the sauce.
- I don’t recommend freezing this one.
I hope you’ll enjoy this easy pasta recipe with goat’s cheese. Did you make it? Please leave me a star rating and comment below! You can also find me on Instagram.
Tomato Goat Cheese Pasta
Ingredients
- 8 ounces uncooked pasta
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 medium onion chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 (14 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes optional
- 1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 4 ounces goat cheese or to taste
- 1 small handful fresh basil sliced thin
- Salt & pepper to taste
- For serving: freshly grated parmesan cheese optional
Instructions
- Boil a salted pot of water for your pasta. Cook it al dente according to package directions.
- In a medium saucepan, sauté the onion in the olive oil for 5-7 minutes over medium heat (ok if it lightly browns).
- Stir in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
- Add in the crushed tomatoes, Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes (leave them out if you don't want any heat). Reduce the heat and simmer the sauce gently for about 10 minutes.
- Stir in the goat's cheese and basil (the cheese should melt right in and make the sauce creamy). If you're at all unsure about the taste of goat cheese, add it in gradually and taste as you go. Season with salt & pepper as needed. Serve with the drained pasta (add a splash of the pasta water if you want to thin the sauce out) and freshly grated parmesan cheese if desired.
Notes
- Goat cheese can be quite strong. If you just want a hint of it, feel free to use half or less than half the recommended amount. I used a 4 ounce soft goat cheese log for this recipe.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
© Salt & Lavender Inc. Content and photographs are copyrighted. Sharing this blog post is much appreciated, but copying and pasting full recipes without authorization to social media is strictly prohibited.
This recipe was originally published on April 21, 2020. It’s been updated with new photos and better instructions but is the same great recipe!
Loved this – I did some tweaks based on my pantry. I added peppers sliced in with onions when roasting. I didn’t have basil and decided to not add the Italian seasoning as it tasted so good as was! I also didn’t measure the red pepper flakes but definitely went heavier than the recipe !
Thrilled you enjoyed it, Blair! 😀 Glad it was easy to tweak.
This recipe is sooooo good and easy!! I make this around two times a month and my boyfriend always goes for seconds!! Thank you!!!
Fantastic!! you’re very welcome! Thanks for your comment!
New Family favorite! Since I just spent all thanksgiving week cooking my butt off, I didn’t really feel like “cooking” tonight. My kids suggested spaghetti but I’m so over spaghetti. I remembered I had left over goat cheese from the Thanksgiving charcuterie board and found this recipe on Google. It was quick and easy and everyone LOVED it! Even my 2 and 6 year olds.
That’s awesome! Glad the little ones enjoyed it too, Ashley!!
I don’t usually comment on things but I just wanted to say that this was the first recipe I’ve ever made by myself (I’m 16 so don’t hold that against me) and it was delicious. Your instructions were also easy to follow. Thank you for making this awesome recipe, I will definitely make it again. <3
I appreciate you taking the time to write me a review! 🙂 It’s great to hear that you’re already learning how to cook… you definitely have a leg up on many people.
Wow!! This is a show stopper!! I would make this one with company! Thanks for sharing!
Fabulous! You’re very welcome Audra!
Oh. My. God. This was sublime. My new favorite recipe. It is so easy to put together. The goat cheese adds such an amazing flavor. I made it a main dish by add some sliced andouille sausage and threw in some leftover spinach I had on hand. This is a keeper!
Yay!! That’s so nice to hear, Lynn! 🙂 Thank you for your review!
So delicious and a real palate pleaser!
Awesome!! Glad you liked it! 🙂
Can you reheat this successfully?
I’d try over a low heat.
Thanks!
Easy to make. I actually combine this recipe with your Spinach goat cheese pasta to boost the nutritional value and use what I have in my refrigerator. Thumbs up from hubby and son (he”s a vegetarian).
That’s a great idea!! I’m so happy they like it too. 😀 Thanks for your 5-star review!
I used this recipe as a guideline and made a few tweaks. Used gnocchi, diced tomatoes in italian seasoning that I blitzed with immersion blender and used a splash of white wine in the sauce. Will definitely try the recipe as written in the future but had gnocchi that needed to be cooked and white wine opened.
Sounds good to me!! 🙂
Can this be frozen
Hi! I don’t recommend it… I think the texture may go a bit funny. You could try if you happen to have some leftovers, but in general, cheesy/creamy sauces don’t freeze too well, unfortunately.