Thursday, March 11, 2010

Gorgonzola Pear Pasta

I'm currently dying.  Well, okay, not dying, but very, very uncomfortable - right now, I'm sick, with a cough so bad that it makes me feel like my ribs are breaking with each fit.  But I still have to eat, right (and um, Mark does, too)? Luckily, I found this quick and delicious dish from allrecipes. And man, talk about easy - I'm not sure you can get much easier than this.  This vegetarian dish is worth putting in your weekday dinner line-up.  


Click below to get the recipe!

List of ingredients for the pasta:
9 ounces whole wheat penne pasta
2 tbsp. butter
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1 large pear, peeled and cubed
1/2 cup chopped and toasted walnuts
Fresh ground pepper

First, I cooked the pasta for about 10 minutes (until al dente).  While the pasta was going, I toasted the walnuts in a separate pan.  I drained the pasta, put it back in the pot, then threw in the cheeses and butter and stirred over medium heat until melted.



Next, I stirred in the cream and heated through. Finally, I added the pears and some freshly ground pepper, and stirred, making sure the pear cubes were covered in the cheesy sauce.  




I topped the dish with the toasted walnuts.  Mark really loved this dish, and so did I.  The sharp and spicy bite of the Gorgonzola cheese is perfectly paired with the sweet pear, and the crunchy walnuts provide a nice textural contrast.  I also really liked the nuttiness of the whole wheat pasta (which I typically never use, but Mark is trying to convince me to eat more whole grains).  And I LOVE a yummy dish that takes less than 15 minutes to put together (prep included)!

7 comments:

  1. I hope you can still taste the food. Get well soon. :)

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  2. Thanks so much! I've managed to hold onto my sense of taste so far, but am stuffier today, so who knows...

    Hopefully the warmer weather will help me kick this.

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  3. First, hope you are feeling better.
    Second, thanks for having my back in the Chinatown Coffee company comment debacle.
    Third, this looks great! I've made a pizza with gorgonzola and pears and onions, but this is a much easier combination of the same flavors.

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  4. I am finally feeling better, thanks! No problem about the Chinatown Coffee comment - Mark and I were both really surprised that someone would get upset about something like that. We love your reviews, particularly your pictures! And if reviews aren't honest and candid, what's the point?

    I loved this pasta. Could not have been easier.

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  5. Woah! I would never think to put pears or walnuts into pasta. Great find. I wonder what other kinds of fruit/nuts would be good with pasta...Any suggestions?

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  6. Hm, let's see - maybe crushed pecans or macadamia nuts? Oh, and pinenuts, of course. Apples might be good, but I think it would depend on the cheese you wanted to use. Lyle, let me know if you decide to experiment more with this, I'd love to know how it turns out!

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  7. I did something like this, using pears and white sauce.here are the pictures: http://twasadreamm.blogspot.com/
    its not as simple though. but thanks for inspiration! :)

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