Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Pasta ai Quattro Formaggi


My, it's a busy week over here at Runs With Spatulas. Not only are we in the middle of a giveaway, but have also made homemade bagels and now have been awarded not one, but two Stylish Blogger Awards from Vanilla Clouds and Lemon Drops and Picture-Perfect Meals.

Rules, rules. There are always rules:

1. Thank them, make a post, and put a link back to the person/s who gave us this award.
2. Share 7 things about myself.
3. Pass the award to 10 recently discovered great bloggers.
4. Contact these bloggers and personally tell them about the award.

So as for the 7 things about myself... (I hate these things, I can never think of anything!)

{1) I am currently training for my second marathon with my husband (his first). He's not a huge fan of running, so why do this? Reason: he wants to eat two Qdoba burritos in one sitting. I kid you not.
{2} I apparently love to take the hard road for everything. My masters thesis (that I am still working on) is the perfect example of that. (And I didn't even have to do one -- case in point.)
{3} I love DIY projects.
{4} I am definitely a bargain hunting queen (except when it comes to food for some reason). It pains me to pay full price for anything.
{5} We go out for $0.25 pierogies every week with friends. And I wonder why the scale is moving the wrong way.
{6} Even though we swear we don't, Adam and I love to spoil our nephews.
{7} When I go grocery shopping I have to have a list. I am completely lost without one and only come home with half of what I need.

Now I get to pass along this lovely little award to 10 recently discovered bloggers. And they are:

Whew. Well that made me tired. And hungry. If I had any of this pasta left in my fridge it would be gone in the blink of an eye. Except, it was gone in the blink of an eye two days ago. Problem.

Easy solution: make more. Real solution: I don't have the urge to go back to the store and spend another $15 on cheese alone just for this. Soooo, looks like a sandwich is in order...

But don't let that stop you.


Pasta ai Quattro Formaggi
Adapted from: The Pioneer Woman

1 pound Angel Hair pasta
1/2 cup grated Fontina cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup grated Romano cheese
1/2 cup Goat cheese (chevre), crumbled
2 tablespoons butter, divided
1 cup heavy cream
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Parsley (optional)

Bring a large pot of water to boil over high heat. Cook pasta according to package directions to al dente. Drain pasta, reserving at least 2 cups of the water. Return to pot.

Meanwhile, melt 1 tablespoon butter over medium heat in a small skillet. Add the garlic, and sauté for 1 minute, or until fragrant. Remove from heat and set aside.

Add the cream, butter, cheeses, salt, and pepper to the pot with the pasta. Stir gently to combine, adding hot pasta water as needed for consistency. Pasta is done when all the cheeses have melted, except for the goat cheese, which may still have a few clumps.

Turn pasta into large serving bowl. Sprinkle with parsley and serve immediately.

Serves: 8


While at first the ingredient list may give the appearance of a something-akin-to-an-alfredo-sauce, don't be fooled. Alfredo it is not. Overall the pasta was alright, a little less flavorful than I was expecting. I think maybe doubling the goat cheese next time would be just the ticket, ooh, and adding another clove of garlic. Yes, that would be perfect.


Nutrition Facts
Amount per serving
Calories 414Calories from fat 204
% Daily Value
Total Fat 14.9g74%
Saturated Fat 2.0g10%
Cholesterol 113mg38%
Sodium 665mg28%
Total Carbs 32.3g11%
Protein 18.8g
Vitamin A 18%Vitamin C 0%
Calcium 38%Iron 13%

16 comments:

  1. just what i was craving! how did you know? : j I love garlic and will def be adding an extra clove!

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  2. Thanks for the award! I'll do it once I have a new post :) BTW, what qualifies as recently discovered blogger? I think most bloggers I know have been blogging for awhile. So I don't know who to pass it on

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  3. I have an irrational fear of pasta - something about fitting into my running shorts - but this looks entirely tempting!

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  4. Ooo I just posted about how much I love pasta. This would go great with breadsticks. Love how many different kinds of cheese are in this!

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  5. Danielle! Thank you so much for the award! :-)I'm the same way with bargain-hunting. I have a huge stash of things I've bought on sale for gifts to people throughout the year, just in case. The only exception, of course, are food items. LOL...I have a weakness for that. And speaking of pierogis, I have a fresh bag of them with Polish sour cream in my fridge ready for dinner tonight. We have a lovely European deli in town that makes them fresh every day. :-) Can't wait!

    Thanks again, Danielle! And if I forget, good luck on your marathon and your thesis! You will do great.

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  6. This looks delicious! I haven't had angel hair in a while, so I'm definitely going to make this. Yum!

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  7. You had me at four cheeses! And good luck with your thesis!

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  8. yumm! This looks wonderful! I always get lost in the cheese section and end up spending three times as much as I wanted too. haha I'll have to try this!

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  9. Congrats on the awards!
    This pasta sounds wonderful. I find a bog bowl of pasta covered in cheese is the best comfort food. I can't wait to try your recipe!

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  10. thanks so much for passing this to me! here's the link to the one i did a few months ago: http://www.theleangreenbean.com/a-little-about-me/ i'm working on another one, but i want to come up with a really good list of things about me so stay tuned!

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  11. The word quattro drew me in!! Can't go wrong with the cheese.
    Congratulations on the well deserved blog awards. I'm with you on the bargain hunting, full price really gets me. Luckily my kids are following in my footsteps!

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  12. Thanks so much for the shout out! I love reading your blog so I'm honored that you thought to pass the award along to me :)

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  13. You're so sweet! Thank you for the award!

    and now your pasta is making me hungry for lunch and it is only 8:30am!

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  14. I don't know much Italian, but I was pretty sure it meant '4 cheese'...and I'm all over some pasta with cheese - great job!

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  15. This is my Adam's idea of heaven in a pasta. It's also the reason he plays tennis 5 days a week: he would eat the whole serving bowl without blinking an eye! Wonderful recipe,and congrats on the award (even though we gave you one of them) you certainly deserve it!

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