STEPS 7, INGREDIENTS 3, TIME 20 MINS
Keen on cheesy pasta? Got a soft-spot for fromage? Then this blue cheese pasta is for you – and there’s zero cooking involved!
You simply prepare the ingredients, boil up the pasta, and stir it all in a mixing bowl.
And when you taste it… first, the face-widening cheesy hit of gorgonzola, then the crunch of chopped walnut, and finally… a sweet pear aftertaste comes drifting through.
I must admit, I’m not normally the biggest lover of cheese for cheese’s sake, but I love this blue cheese pasta. It’s hard not to when it’s just so simple!
Serves 2
Ingredients: (For a printable PDF shopping list click here, or right-click this link and choose ‘Save target/link as’ to save the list for later.)
1 small ripe pear
250g/9oz pennette (small penne) or similar small tube pasta
80g/2.8oz gorgonzola cheese
2 walnuts
75g/2.6oz ricotta cheese
Salt
Black pepper
Equipment
Mixing bowl
Large pasta pan
Vegetable/potato peeler
Optional: nut cracker (not essential)
STEP 1 – The preparation stage takes about 10 minutes, and it’s the closest we’ll get to real cooking.
– Peel the pears. Chop off their ends and cut out the pips/hard center. Then chop the rest as finely as possible.
– Crack open the walnuts, remove the shells, and chop as finely as possible.
Tip: Use nut crackers if you have them. If not, just squeeze the two nuts together in your fist. They smash easily.
– Chop the gorgonzola cheese into small chunks.
STEP 2 – Drop the two types of cheese into the mixing bowl. Squash and stir thoroughly with a fork until mixed.
– Add the pear, chopped nuts, and a good pinch each of salt and pepper. Mix these all together energetically.
Italian Fact: In Italy there is a traditional saying that relates perfectly to this scrumptious dish. It goes like this: “Al contadino non fa sapere com’é buono il formaggio con le pere”, which translates as “Don’t tell the farmer how good cheese and pear taste” (or else he’ll never get any farming done!).
STEP 3 – Boil up the pan of water, add a handful of salt, and boil the pasta as per its packet’s instructions.
– When done, drain the pasta. Drop it into the mixing bowl and stir well – until the pasta is covered in the cheesy sauce.
Done!
To serve: Drop the pasta in your bowls and add a final pinch of pepper for a little more texture.
This blue cheese pasta also goes perfectly with a fizzy white wine. Or if you have reason to celebrate (or simply have money to burn), twin it instead with Italian prosecco. That’s the ticket! If you enjoyed this cheese pasta recipe, why not try …
• Pasta with ricotta – super-easy and nicely creamy, this could easily become your staple pasta dish.
• Spinach lasagana recipe – Another blue cheese pasta dish, featuring gorgonzola and extra popeye power.
And to learn about how blue cheese is made…
• Try this great blue cheese guide