Equipment
Ingredients
Pasta
- 250 g fresh linguine
- 15 g kosher salt
Goat Cheese Sauce
- 30 ml extra virgin olive oil
- 15 g unsalted butter
- 3 garlic, minced
- 100 g goat cheese, crumbled
- 120 ml pasta water
Herbs and Finishing
- 10 g fresh basil, roughly chopped
- 10 g fresh parsley, finely chopped
- 15 ml lemon juice, freshly squeezed
- 2 g black pepper, freshly cracked
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 697 kcal
- Protein
- 24 g
- Carbohydrates
- 72 g
- Fat
- 35 g
- Fiber
- 1 g
- Sugar
- 0 g
- Sodium
- 3179 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 14 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 15 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 3 g
- Cholesterol
- 130 mg
- Potassium
- 333 mg
- Calcium
- 128 mg
- Iron
- 6.0 mg
- Magnesium
- 76 mg
- Phosphorus
- 353 mg
- Zinc
- 2.2 mg
- Vitamin A
- 247 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 13 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0.2 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 2.5 mg
- Vitamin K
- 115 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.4 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.5 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.93 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.76 mg
- Niacin
- 4.6 mg
- Folate
- 239 mcg
- Water
- 151 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil at 100 degrees Celsius or 212 degrees Fahrenheit. Add the kosher salt.
In a large skillet, heat the extra virgin olive oil and unsalted butter over medium-low heat. Add the minced garlic and saute gently until fragrant and soft, ensuring it does not brown.
Add the fresh linguine to the boiling water and cook until al dente, stirring occasionally with tongs to prevent the strands from sticking together.
Carefully scoop out and reserve the starchy pasta water using a liquid measuring cup before draining the linguine.
Transfer the drained linguine directly to the skillet with the garlic. Add the crumbled goat cheese and half of the reserved pasta water. Toss vigorously with tongs until the cheese melts into a smooth, creamy sauce, adding more pasta water as needed to reach desired consistency.
Remove the skillet from the heat. Fold in the fresh basil, fresh parsley, lemon juice, and black pepper. Toss well to combine.
Divide the pasta between two warm shallow bowls. Garnish with additional black pepper if desired and serve immediately.
Chef's Notes
- Using fresh linguine rather than dried dramatically reduces cooking time and releases a specific type of surface starch into the water, which is crucial for binding the goat cheese into a silky sauce without using heavy cream.
- Do not let the garlic brown in the skillet. Browned garlic introduces an acrid, bitter flavor that will easily overpower the delicate tang of the goat cheese and the bright notes of the fresh herbs.
- The lemon juice is folded in at the very end off the heat. This preserves its bright, volatile aromatic compounds and prevents the acid from prematurely breaking the cheese emulsion.
- Warm your serving bowls by rinsing them with hot water and drying them quickly before plating. This prevents the delicate goat cheese sauce from seizing up when it hits cold ceramic.
Storage
Refrigerator: 3 days — Store in an airtight container. The sauce will tighten significantly as it cools.
Reheating: Reheat gently on the stovetop over low heat, adding a splash of water or milk to loosen the sauce and restore its creamy texture.
Troubleshooting
Sauce is thick, clumpy, or grainy
Cause: Not enough starchy pasta water was added, or the heat was too high causing the goat cheese proteins to seize and separate.
Fix: Remove from heat entirely, add a splash of warm water, and toss vigorously until the emulsion reforms.
Prevention: Add hot pasta water gradually while tossing, and always combine the cheese and pasta off direct high heat.
Garlic tastes bitter
Cause: The garlic was cooked over heat that was too high or for too long, causing it to burn.
Fix: Cannot be fixed. If the garlic burns before adding the pasta, discard the oil and garlic and start the skillet base over.
Prevention: Cook garlic over medium-low heat and monitor closely, moving on to the next step as soon as it becomes aromatic.
Cultural Context
While goat cheese is historically rooted in French agriculture and Mediterranean traditions, marrying it with Italian pasta creates a brilliant modern European fusion dish. This style of quick, pan-tossed emulsified sauce relies on the foundational Italian technique of mantecatura, which uses vigorously agitated starchy pasta water to bind fat and cheese into a creamy coating without the need for heavy cream or complex roux bases.
