chicken, asparagus & mushroom pasta with goat cheese sauce

Forgive me, but I'm going to get bossy for a second. Make this. No really, you need to make this. It's delicious. It's easy. It has veggies and lean protein so let's call it healthy. (Okay, it's pasta with cheese sauce. It's a bit indulgent. Just go with it.)  The goat cheese sauce was so easy to whip up and would be great with any combination of pasta, protein, and veggies you might have on hand.  I can't wait to make this again. 

Chicken, Asparagus & Mushroom Pasta and Goat Cheese Sauce

adapted from Gimme Some Oven 

(Note: I reworked the original recipe to serve fewer people and use less pans.

If you're cooking for a larger crowd, consult the original recipe.)

Ingredients

1/2 lb. pasta (I used bow tie, any short pasta would work)
2 Tbsp. olive oil

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces

1 shallot, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 small bunch (about 1/2 lb.) asparagus, ends trimmed then cut into 2" pieces

8 oz (1 carton) mushrooms, sliced (I used baby bellas)
1 Tbsp. butter

1 Tbsp. flour

4 oz. goat cheese

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese (I doubled this. It's what I do.) (Please don't use the crap in the green can. Buy a hunk and grate it yourself. The difference is HUGE.)

Directions

Cook pasta to al dente according to package instructions, reserving 1 cup of pasta water. (If you put the pasta in the water when you start cooking the veggies, the timing should come out just about right.)

Season chicken liberally with salt & pepper.  Add 1 T. olive oil to a large skillet and cook chicken over medium-high heat until the exterior is golden brown and chicken is cooked through. Remove chicken from the pan and set aside.  Add 1 T. oil to the same pan and turn down heat to medium-low. Add garlic and shallot to the pan and saute for 2-3 minutes until garlic and shallots are soft.  Add in mushrooms and asparagus and cook about 5 minutes longer. Remove veggies from pan and set aside. (I tossed them in the same bowl with the chicken.)

Melt butter over medium heat in the same pan (it's okay if there's still a little garlic and shallot left in the pan). Stir in the flour and cook 1-2 minutes.  Stir in 1/2 cup of pasta water, goat cheese, and most of the Parmesan cheese until the sauce is smooth and the goat cheese has melted. If the sauce is too thick, slowly stir in more pasta water until you reach the desired consistency. (I used close to 1 cup of pasta water.) Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper.  Stir in the chicken, veggies, and pasta. (If any juices have accumulated at the bottom of the bowl of chicken & veggies, add that in!) Serve topped with a sprinkling of Parmesan.

Makes 3-4 servings, as modified.