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What do you do with leftovers? They can definitely be eaten as is a few more times, but for those who tire of the same meal, it helps to give them a transformation. An extreme makeover, if you will. We just showed you one of our new favorite dips–muhammara. It has a very distinct nutty flavor with just a hint of back end heat. We doubt that it’s traditionally paired with cheese, but as folks who naturally buck the trends, we decided to give it a try. On a whim, we combined just a bit with goat cheese on a piece of pita, and the mix was really nice. We thought to ourselves that making a muhammara sauce for pasta would be a fun fusion idea. With a bit of linguine left in the cupboard, an idea was born!
You never know what you’ll get with a fusion dish, but this one was good. Awesome, in fact. The tang of goat cheese mixed with full-bodied walnuts and fresh cucumbers and tomatoes make one lovely bite. If the goat cheese seems odd to you, leave it out. Or if you’re not a fan of it, try a different one. You may need something to thicken the sauce with something else, which you could easily do with a little cream or yogurt.
Linguine with Muhammara Goat Cheese Sauce – Serves 4
1/2 pound linguine, cooked (save water)
1/4 cup pasta water
1/2 cup muhammara
3 ounces goat cheese
1 persian cucumber, sliced*
1 vine tomato, diced
1/2 medium red onion, deseeded and sliced
Olive oil
Kosher salt
1. Set a large pot of salted water to boil. Add pasta and cook to desired preference.
2. As pasta cooks, swirl a bit of olive oil in a large pan. Add red onion and heat until they just begin to go translucent, approximately 2-3 minutes.
3. Add cucumber slices and cook until they soften, approximately 2 minutes.
4. Pour in pasta water, muhammara and goat cheese. Stir well to mix.
5. Drop in pasta and tomatoes, making sure to cover with all the sauce. Cook until heated through, approximately 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat to allow sauce to thicken as it sits. Salt to taste.
*We sliced the cucumber in half lengthwise and scooped out the seeds with a spoon, then sliced little half moon shapes. Getting rid of the seeds cuts down on extra water going into the dish. We did the same for the tomatoes.
Click HERE for the printable recipe.
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That’s so inventive! I think it sounds great, and I love the addition of goat cheese
Creative as always, yum that looks so good!
wow, I never thought of using muhammara for pasta sauce. What a fabulous idea.
Nice! I love turning leftovers into something new.
A muhammara and goat cheese sauce sounds good! Great idea!
This is one of the best leftover dishes I have seen! Yum.
Delicious. I love the idea of combining tangy goat cheese with the muhammara sauce. Excellent idea!
I will definitely have to try the muhammara. Looks fantastic!
Leftovers are a great thing and a boring thing all at the same time. I normally try to just make enough for a meal at work the next day but lately seems like I have been cooking for a small army. Plus I always freeze stuff and then forget about it until it is a unrecognizable frozen mess in the freezer.
sometimes the left overs redone are better than the original!
Nice. It’s always fun to think of new way for left oever. Just my kind of thinking. I’ve got to try me that muhamarra. It just too good not to.
It’s nice to have leftovers in a different way than the first time around. This looks delicious!
This is nothing like any leftover I’ve ever had! I love the cukes – a nice change of texture with all this delicious creaminess.
I like the way you think. I’m a big fan of leftover creations and pasta is a great way to use them.
YUUUUUMMMMM!
I love using leftovers! Nice job guys
oooo yuuum…looks fantastic. Love using leftovers.
well that looks really delicious and hearty too!
‘bucking the trends’ indeed! I love the constraints leftovers have as ingredients because from those constraints, some incredible creativity blossoms. Your dish seems divine duo!
This looks delicious! And you’ve got my vote!
Now that is some fancy leftovers! I used some leftover avocado to make an avocado/yogurt spread and I was feeling pretty proud! Now I’m just feeling…
… not worthy.