I love Goat.....

...Cheese of course! I was looking to use up ingredients on hand (which happen to be some of my faves - herbed goat cheese, chicken, fresh parsley, mushrooms & sun dried tomatoes) I adapted this recipe from Elly Says Opa, to include my ingredients. The creaminess come from the goat cheese, which adds great flavor as opposed to simply adding cream to achieve a similar result. I served it with a spinach salad, enjoy!

Penne with Goat Cheese-Tomato Sauce

1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 (4-5 oz) hot Italian sausages, casings removed I used sweet chicken sausage
1 small onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
8 oz. cremini mushrooms, sliced
1 Tbsp. tomato paste
1/4 tsp. (or to taste) crushed red pepper flakes
a few tbsp of wine or broth (not necessary but it's good for deglazing)
1 (28oz) can crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup frozen peas I omitted
3 Tbsp. fresh basil (more for garnish if desired) I didn't have basil, so I used parsley
1 small (4oz) log goat cheese
salt and pepper
10-12 oz. penne, cooked

Heat a large skillet or saute pan over medium heat, and add the olive oil. When shimmering, crumble in the sausage and saute until browned. Add the onion and saute for about 2 minutes before adding the mushrooms and garlic. Once the mushrooms and onions are tender, add the tomato paste and red pepper flakes. Cook for about a minute before adding a few splashes of broth/wine to deglaze the pan and scrape up all the browned bits.

Add the crushed tomatoes and salt and pepper to taste. Turn the heat to medium-low and simmer to combine the flavors, 10 or 15 minutes. Add the peas and heat through for a minute or two. Stir in the basil and the goat cheese. Remove from the heat and continue stirring until the goat cheese has melted into the sauce. Season to taste if necessary and combine with the cooked pasta.