Mac n' Goat Cheese Recipe

We had some goat cheese left over from the Mango & Goat Cheese Quesadillas.  I had lots of visions for how to use the leftovers, but they were all too typical for what I was in the mood for; in a salad, over some scrambled eggs, or with some crackers.  I wanted to get creative and try something new, so I came up with this Mac n’ Goat Cheese recipe. Genius! I love when I can get my creative mind churning in the kitchen to come up with a fun new recipe. 

This mac n’ cheese is creamy deliciousness with a tangy twist from the goat cheese.  This dish definitely tastes as good as it looks.  So jump right in because you are going to love it. 

Mac n’ Goat Cheese Recipe

Serves 2-3

2 tablespoons butter or margarine

2 tablespoons flour

1/2 cup milk

4 ounces goat cheese

1/4 chopped green onion

1/2 lb. mini pasta (mini shells or elbows)

First, bring 3 quarts of water {seasoned with salt} to a boil.  Once at a rolling boil, add your pasta and cook until al dente. 

In the meantime, start to make your cheese sauce while the water is boiling.  The start of this cheese sauce is a simple roux of butter and flour.  Add butter into a pan over medium heat and melt.  Once the butter is melted and turns frothy, whisk in the flour slowly.  The butter will absorb the flour and create a thick paste.  Once a thick paste is formed, slowly whisk in the milk.  Over time, your roux will melt into the milk and begin to thicken the sauce.  Whisk in goat cheese until melted.  Season with salt and pepper.  

When the pasta is al dente, strain and move to a serving bowl.  Pour the cheese sauce over the pasta and add the green onion.  Stir well to coat all of the pasta with the cheese sauce.

Enjoy!

Mango Goat Cheese Quesadilla Recipe



It is always fun to mix up textures, flavors and typical ingredients to make a fantastic meal.  My cousin inspired to me to make these mango and goat cheese quesadillas for dinner one night, and oh boy am I glad she did.  The combination of the sweet mango with the soft, tart goat cheese is out of this world.  Each bite has amazing layers of flavor that tickle all of your taste buds making this dish irresistible.

I baked these quesadillas in the oven, but feel free to fry them with a little oil or grill them open faced.  We had them for dinner, but these would also serve as a great appetizer or a snack.  You would really impress your guests pulling these off of your grill and serving them as an appetizer. 

The sky is the limit with this flavor combination.  If you like feta more than goat cheese, then make the switch.  Use this as a starting point and see where it can take you.   

Mango Goat Cheese Quesadilla Recipe

Makes 2 large quesadillas

Preheat oven 350^o

4 large flour tortillas

2 mangos, peeled and cubed

1 lime, zest and juice
1/3 cup chopped green onion {scallions}

1/2 cup fresh chopped cilantro, additional for garnish

5 ounces goat cheese

In a large bowl, combine the cubed mango, 1 teaspoon of lime zest, fresh squeezed lime juice, green onion and cilantro.  Mix all the ingredients together and let sit aside to meld the flavors together.   

On a large baking sheet, place 2 flour tortillas down.  Spread the mango mixture evenly over the two tortillas.  Sprinkle the goat cheese over the top and cover with the remaining two tortillas.

Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes until the tortilla is crispy and the goat cheese has slightly melted down.

Enjoy!  

Tips:

1)      This was the first time I had ever cut a mango.  I wasn't sure what the proper technique, so I looked up a tutorial video. 

2)     As noted above, feel free to grill or fry these as well.

3)     Use different flavor combinations, strawberries and goat cheese or peaches and feta.  Get creative.