This blue cheese, sausage, and walnut pasta is so creamy and indulgent it feels worthy of a special day however is totally doable on a weeknight.
This pasta dish is a kind of true pantry meals. I used to be rooting across the kitchen one weeknight for one thing to make. I used to be hangry and never within the temper for many peeling, chopping, dicing, and stirring. I needed to eat RIGHT then and there. When that occurs, I normally put a pot of water on the range and crank up the warmth and determine issues out from there.
Pasta is a given. Roquefort all the time lurks within the fridge as a result of The One is a big blue cheese aficionado. So two substances down. We had candy Italian sausage within the fridge, so a swirly-twirly within the microwave on “defrost” took care of that. And, nicely, walnuts? Who doesn’t have them available?
I confess, the primary time I made this, I reached for heavy cream as an alternative of half-and-half as a result of, nicely, truthfully, do I even should say?!–David Leite
Why our testers liked this
Boy, did our testers love this dish. They discovered it straightforward and fast to make. And the style? P. Morena wrote, “The mixture of blue cheese, sausage, and walnuts is superb.”
Angie Zoobkoff, our managing editor, thinks it “spectacularly wealthy and creamy” and “worthy of a special day.”
Notes on substances
- Candy Italian sausage–The sweetness within the Italian sausage balances properly in opposition to the wealthy, tangy cheese and creamy sauce. You’ll be able to substitute one other kind of sausage, comparable to spicy Italian. Make sure to use a contemporary uncured sausage that may be crumbled.
- Pasta—Contemporary pasta is fantastic right here, however dried pasta will work simply as nicely. Select an extended noodle, comparable to bucatini, spaghetti, or fettuccine in order that the sauce has loads of house to cling to.
- Blue cheese–Any kind of blue cheese will work on this blue cheese pasta sauce, however notice that should you use cheese with a whole lot of veining, the sauce will tackle a greyish shade. The flavour of the cheese you select will probably be noticeable, so you probably have choosy diners, choose a light blue, comparable to Gorgonzola or Danish blue. In the event you love the funky taste of robust blue cheese, choose a crumbly bold-flavored cheese, like Roquefort.
- Half and half–This provides the proper quantity of creaminess with out making the dish too heavy. You’ll be able to substitute heavy cream for among the half-and-half if you’d like exceptionally wealthy and indulgent pasta.
Methods to make this recipe
- Warmth the oven to 350°F. Have prepared a rimmed baking sheet. Convey a big pot of salted water to a boil.
- Scatter the walnuts over the baking sheet. Toast the walnuts till aromatic and calmly browned.
- Cool the walnuts utterly. Chop them coarsely and set them apart.
- Brown the sausage. Add the sausage to a skillet, and cook dinner, breaking the sausage into items, till browned and cooked by way of.
- Prepare dinner the pasta. Whereas the sausage is browning, add the pasta to the boiling water and cook dinner till al dente, then drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking water.
- Stir the half-and-half and cheese into the sausage. Convey the sauce to a boil and cook dinner, stirring regularly, till the sauce thickens.
- Dump the pasta into the sauce. Prepare dinner the pasta within the sauce, stirring always, till the pasta is cooked by way of. Add the reserved pasta water, if wanted, to loosen the sauce.
- End the pasta. Season to style with salt and pepper. Divvy between bowls and prime with the chopped walnuts and extra blue cheese.
Recipe FAQs
What kind of blue cheese ought to I exploit?
There are primarily two varieties of eaters on the earth: Those that adore blue cheese, and may’t have it pungent sufficient, and everybody else. It could sound type of apparent, however hold your blue cheese choice stage in thoughts as you choose cheese on the retailer (or pull it out of your cheese drawer within the fridge) as a result of whereas this recipe is magnificent, it won’t magically alter your blue cheese threshold.
Crumbly blue cheeses, together with Roquefort and Stilton and Cabrales and Cambozola, are extra robustly flavored and pungent. Creamy younger blue cheeses are typically milder. Even those that swear they’ll’t stand it are inclined to swoon to recipes made with younger blues comparable to gorgonzola dolce. And people who fall extra within the center spectrum embrace blues comparable to Maytag blue (made in Iowa) and gorgonzola (not dolce) and Valdeon.
Are you able to make this forward of time?
Like most creamy pasta, that is finest served as quickly as it’s made. In the event you do have leftovers, reheat on the stovetop over low warmth, including a splash of half-and-half if wanted to loosen the sauce.
What’s the key to cooking excellent pasta?
The important thing to cooking excellent pasta is to be sure you don’t cook dinner it previous al dente, avoid wasting pasta water, and remember to end cooking your pasta within the sauce.
Useful ideas
- Take care to solely boil the pasta till al dente as it can proceed to cook dinner when added again to the sauce.
- This pasta is finest served the day it’s made, however leftovers could be saved in an hermetic container within the fridge for as much as 3 days.
Extra nice creamy pasta recipes
☞ In the event you make this recipe, or any dish on LC, contemplate leaving a evaluate, a star ranking, and your finest picture within the feedback beneath. I really like listening to from you.–David
Blue Cheese, Sausage, and Walnut Pasta
This blue cheese, sausage, and walnut pasta is wealthy, creamy consolation meals made with walnuts, candy Italian sausage, pasta, and blue cheese. It is an easy-peasy method to have dinner on the desk if you’re getting antsy for a fast but ultra-satisfying meal.
-
Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Convey a big pot of salted water to a boil.
-
Scatter the walnuts on the baking sheet and roast till aromatic and calmly browned on the edges, 7 to 10 minutes.
-
Instantly switch the walnuts to a chopping board and let cool earlier than coarsely chopping them.
-
In the meantime, in a big skillet over medium-high warmth, soften the butter. Add the sausage and cook dinner, breaking apart the meat with a spatula, till browned and no hint of pink stays, 8 to 10 minutes.
-
Prepare dinner the pasta within the boiling water, stirring typically, till al dente, about 2 minutes lower than the bundle directions. When the pasta is finished, drain it, reserving at the least 1/2 cup pasta cooking water.
-
Add the cheese and half-and-half to the sausage, crank the warmth to excessive, and boil, stirring typically, till the half-and-half thickens a bit, 3 to 4 minutes.
-
Rigorously dump the drained pasta into the skillet, cut back the warmth to low, and simmer, tossing always, till the pasta is cooked by way of and the liquid has thickened, about 3 minutes extra. If desired, skinny the sauce with among the reserved pasta cooking water.
-
Style the pasta and season with pepper and salt, if wanted.
-
Divide the pasta amongst heat bowls and prime with extra blue cheese and the walnuts. Serve instantly.
- Cooking pasta–Take care to solely boil the pasta till al dente as it can proceed to cook dinner when added again to the sauce.
- Storage–This pasta is finest served the day it’s made, however leftovers could be saved in an hermetic container within the fridge for as much as 3 days.
- Reheating–To reheat leftover blue cheese pasta, place it in a saucepan over low warmth and add a splash of half-and-half or cream. Heat till the pasta is heated by way of and the sauce has loosened.
Serving: 1servingEnergy: 1339kcal (67%)Carbohydrates: 96g (32%)Protein: 48g (96%)Fats: 85g (131%)Saturated Fats: 33g (206%)Polyunsaturated Fats: 20gMonounsaturated Fats: 27gTrans Fats: 0.1gLdl cholesterol: 168mg (56%)Sodium: 1400mg (61%)Potassium: 938mg (27%)Fiber: 6g (25%)Sugar: 9g (10%)Vitamin A: 851IU (17%)Vitamin C: 4mg (5%)Calcium: 428mg (43%)Iron: 4mg (22%)
In the event you make this recipe, snap a photograph and hashtag it #LeitesCulinaria. We’d like to see your creations on Instagram, Fb, and Twitter.
Recipe Testers’ Opinions
