Roasted Red Pepper and Goat Cheese Alfredo

It's hard to say if there is a time when pasta does not catch my eye- pasta is my weakness... if I could live off of pasta and not blow up like a balloon I would. Subsequently, I don't actually make pasta too often, and when I do, I try to load it up with veggies and use whole wheat noodles to add some nutrition. But occasionally... there's something that looks so yummy, nutrition be damned. That's this dish right here. If you're on a diet, stay away, because this deliciousness is unfortunately loaded with fat from the cream and goat cheese. As I finished preparing it, I gave it a quick taste and exclaimed how amazing it was to Sean. He took one look at it and said "You can't put that on your blog."

Wait, what?! I HAVE to put this on my blog. It's my duty to put this on my blog. I can't NOT share this with people! Why can't I put this on my blog??

"Your blog is named Sweet Treats & Healthy Eats. That is not healthy. It would be a lie if you put that on there."

Well that's just ridiculous. It may say Healthy Eats but that does not mean that everything on it has to either be sweet or healthy. While I am a very health-conscious person and don't eat poorly often, there is a time for fattening dinners. So, if you disagree... well you can just suck it up, because that's the way it is. OK? :D

As a side note, this is a quick and easy meal and it is best served right away.

Ingredients:
2 whole red bell peppers
1/2 pound asparagus
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup fat free half & half OR fuller fat cream mixed with milk (all I had was about 1/4 cup whipping cream and so I added about 1/2 cup milk to that)
4 oz. goat cheese
2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/8 teaspoon oregano, basil and parsley
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 lb. whole wheat linguine, cooked to al dente

Directions:
Preheat oven to 500 degrees F. Place the red peppers on a baking sheet lined with foil and bake for about 10 minutes. Add the asparagus to the baking sheet and continue to cook for another 15-20 minutes until peppers are charred and asparagus is mostly cooked. Remove from the oven and cover with foil for 10 minutes.

In the meantime start cooking the linguine. In a large saucepan, saute onions and garlic in olive oil until tender. Add in the cream, goat cheese, dried herbs and salt and pepper. Stir to melt the goat cheese and keep warm over low heat.

Uncover the peppers, peel off the skin and remove the stem and seeds. Chop the peppers into large pieces and place into sauce along with the Parmesan cheese. Stir to melt the cheese and remove from heat. Pour the sauce into a food processor or use an immersion blender to puree to the thickness desired (I left some chunks of red pepper). Place back into the pan. Chop the asparagus into 2-inch pieces and add to the sauce, along with the pasta. Top with more Parmesan cheese if desired.

Source: adapted from Lauren's Latest Pin It