However, Monterey Jack, Colby, Gouda, Fontina, Muenster, or Gruyere would also be amazing cheese choices that melt really well without becoming overly stringy. Sharp cheddar and cream cheese meet both of those requirements.
Starting from the pointy end, cut 1/4″ slices all the way down the roll. Stack your basil leaves, starting with the largest on the top up to the smallest. The best way to slice basil for both texture and aesthetic is to chop it ‘chiffonade’. This is what I used for my pasta, and it turned out fantastic! You can also get more specific and hit up your local cheese shop. In most grocery stores you’ll see goat cheese labelled as soft ‘chèvre’, which is more of an umbrella term for French goat cheese. It will all taste wonderful! How to choose the right goat cheese Linguini, fettuccine, spaghetti, spaghettini anything you like. You can use long shapes if you like, of course. The perfect vessels for carrying your silky sauce! Other great small-shaped pasta are rotini, farfalle, shells, macaroni, rigatoni, fusilli, and mafalda. I prefer these thicker, creamy sauces with small shapes. Garnish and serve: Garnish with parsley and serve.Turn off the heat and stir in the Parmesan cheese. Add the lemon juice and zest and more pasta water if needed.
Mix in the basil, then season with salt and pepper to taste. Finish: If you’d like a thinner sauce, add more of the pasta water as needed.Stir well to coat the pasta and let it bubble in the sauce for 1-2 minutes. Add the cooked penne and 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta water to the skillet. Add the goat cheese, half and half and stir. Add the garlic and sauté for 30 seconds to 1 minute, just until the garlic becomes aromatic. Make sauce: Heat the butter in a skillet over medium-high heat.Reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking water. Cook pasta: Cook the pasta al dente according to package instructions.Parmesan cheese – Some freshly grated parmesan cheese.Pasta water – Reserved from cooking the pasta.Cream – I used half and half which is 10% MF.Lemon – We’ll use both lemon zest and lemon juice here for a fresh lemon flavor.Garlic – Use as much or little as you like.You can use margarine or butter substitutes instead. Butter – I like to use unsalted to have control over the sodium.Penne – Cooked according to package instructions.