Creamy Goat Cheese Pasta

I honestly cannot remember where online I got the recipe. But it's fabulous. I love goat cheese and anything that contains goat cheese. I'll eat the cheese plain, melted, on crackers, however you want to serve me goat cheese, I'll take it.

The original recipe calls for asparagus, but I've found that the few times I make it, the asparagus tends to overcook and leave a nasty, metallic taste, so I use broccoli instead and it tastes just as good. Also, the onion can be overpowering, so I would recommend cutting it in half.

Ingredients

• 3/4 pound orecchiette (I use rotini or shells, mainly b/c they're much less expensive!)
  
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 medium red onion, finely diced (I use 1/4 onion)
  
• 3/4 pound medium asparagus spears, cut into 1/2-inch lengths (I used broccoli)
  
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3 ounces fresh goat cheese
  
• 1 tablespoon snipped chives
• Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for serving

Directions

1. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the orecchiette until just al dente. Drain the orecchiette, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking water.

2. Meanwhile, in a large, deep skillet, heat the olive oil until shimmering. Add the onion and cook over moderately low heat until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the asparagus and crushed red pepper and cook over moderate heat until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes.

3. Add the orecchiette and the reserved cooking water to the skillet along with the lemon juice and zest; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until the orecchiette is al dente and the asparagus is just tender, about 2 minutes. Add the goat cheese and chives and stir until melted. Transfer the pasta to bowls and serve with Parmesan cheese.