Mac and cheese that's sure to please!

I have always considered myself a baker who likes to occasionally cook . Lately it has been the other way around. On nights I get home and actually I am usually cooking myself a big dinner! I have been pretty into mac and cheese lately getting much of my inspiration from 30 days 30 ways. Up until a few months ago I was strictly a Velveeta shells and cheese kinda gal, not that there's anything wrong with that. I still always have a few boxes on hand! I would try and spice it up by adding veggies or making Mexican mac and cheese (add salsa and hot sauce!)

Last night I tried my own thing. There is a great little fruit and vegetables shop down the street from my apartment. I went there after a nice jog last night and the plum tomatoes looked too yummy to pass up. I am a sucker for asparagus so I bought some of that and fresh basil. I went home and whipped up a goat cheese mac and cheese recipe that I was a little nervous about but I loved the end results. Here's what I used:

1/2 pound of penne (you can use any type of pasta you like)
1/2 cup of goat cheese
1/4 cup sour cream
4 stalks of asparagus boiled and chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
2 plum tomatoes chopped
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
basil chopped to taste
2 tsp salt
pepper to taste (I used a lot!)

I really liked how this turned out. I've tried something similar before except I used a lot more goat cheese and I put lemon juice in it. I think the combination of too much cheese and the strong taste of the lemon made it a "fail". I think adding that little bit of sour cream makes the dish lighter. This will make a yummy dinner to make again later in the Spring/Summer! If you want to add protein I'm sure grilled chicken would be a yummy addition!