Pasta with Goat Cheese and Roasted Red Bell Pepper Sauce

So delicious!  This was a very quick and easy summer recipe.  The most complicated part of the recipe is boiling the water for the pasta.  The rest of the ingredients you just add to a food processor or blender. 

The sauce is very thin, so if you like your sauce chunkier, don't pulse it as much in the food processor--or you can heat it in a saucepan for a while; it might reduce and thicken that way. 

I took a serious shortcut and used the jarred roasted red bell peppers.  It was wonderful, and that's the way I'll continue to make it.  I love goat cheese, and it added the perfect creaminess to this recipe.  Just to add something extra, I sauteed 8 ounces of sliced mushrooms in olive oil while the pasta was cooking, and I added those to the dish at the end.  It was great!

Pasta with Goat Cheese and Roasted Red Bell Pepper Sauce

3/4 cup jarred roasted red bell pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp sugar
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 cup fresh basil, plus more for garnish
8 oz whole wheat pasta
2 oz goat cheese, crumbled

Cook pasta according to package directions.

In a food processor or blender, add bell pepper, garlic, olive oil, chicken broth, lemon juice, sugar, crushed red pepper, black pepper, and basil; pulse until smooth.  Add sauce to cooked pasta.  Crumble cheese on top, garnish with fresh basil, and serve.