Creamy Baked Pasta

Creamy Baked Pasta

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients
4 to 5 cups cherry tomatoes
16 ounces asparagus, just the tips
1lb package chick pea pasta (any plant based pasta)
8 ounce block of goat cheese
1/3 cup light olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
4 tbsp garlic, chopped
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Add tomatoes and asparagus to a 9×13 rimmed casserole dish.  Add 1/2 cup of olive oil, 2 tbsp chopped garlic, salt and pepper. Toss to combine. Make a space in the center and place your 8 ounce block of goat cheese in the pan. Drizzle the top with 1 tbsp olive oil and another sprinkle of black pepper. Bake at 400 for 30 minutes.  In the meantime bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add the pea pasta and cook according to the package instructions, stirring a few times to keep the pasta from sticking.  Drain pasta (reserving about 1 cup of the cooking water if you decide to add it later).  When the tomatoes start to burst and release their juice remove from the oven and immediately stir in the rest of the chopped garlic and basil and toss to combine. Use large spoon to press the cheese into the olive oil and stir until cheese is well dispersed in the dish. Stir the drained cooked pasta and add reserved pasta water if desired.