My whole family loves pasta, so I’m always on the lookout for a new pasta creation to try out at home. I recently was out to dinner and tried a bite (or two) of a friend’s Gorgonzola Pasta dish. After asking the chef about his recipe, I came up with my own restaurant-inspired version. And voilà my Gorgonzola Pasta with Vegetables recipe was born!
True to form, my first changes to the recipe were all about making it a little healthier to eat and easier to prepare! How? Here’s what I did:
- First, I always opt to use a whole-grain organic pasta. While any type of pasta is still processed, whole-grain pasta is going to be more nutritious! Seriously, if you haven’t made the whole-grain pasta switch, just do it!
- Second, I go heavier on the veggies and add other good stuff like mushrooms. In the recipe below I made broccoli the hero vegetable, but you could just as easily make it asparagus, peas, or whatever your heart desires and your family loves!
- Third, I always use healthier, less processed fats like olive oil. While I don’t believe organic, pasture-raised butter is bad for you if used occasionally, I definitely watch how much I use. In this particular dish, I didn’t use any butter. Instead, I opted for the rich, deliciousness of olive oil instead.
- Fourth, to make the dish a little easier to cook, I add the hero vegetable in with the pasta to cook. One less pot to clean is always music to my ears!
And what do you get? An amazingly delicious pasta dish that’s perfect for a quick weeknight meal, and super yummy for leftovers! How do I know? I just ate some for lunch while writing this blog post. Mmmm … my tastebuds are in heaven! 🙂
While I like to usually make this dish vegetarian, occasionally I add in some pancetta, bacon, or chicken depending on what I have on hand. Whatever your choose, I think you’ll be delighted! Yes, it’s that good.
My Gorgonzola Pasta with Vegetables Recipe
If you’re tired of the same old pasta dish, mix up your meals with this super easy, super easy Gorgonzola Pasta dinner. In the summer try making it with fresh veggies from your local farm or farmers market. And in the winter, frozen organic veggies work great too!
So let’s get cooking. I hope you and your family enjoy this amazing meal as much as we do![image]
Cheers!
Bruce
Gorgonzola Pasta with Vegetables
- Total Time: 22 minutes
- Yield: 6 -8 1x
Ingredients
- 1 pound whole wheat pasta (fusilli or penne work great)
- 1–2 heads broccoli (cut into florets (about 3–4 cups))
- 2 tablespoons olive oil (plus a little more if desired)
- 1 medium onion (diced)
- 1 clove garlic (minced)
- 8 ounces mushrooms (sliced)
- 8 ounces Gorgonzola Cheese (crumbled)
- salt and pepper to taste
Garnish
- ¼–1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
Optional Ingredients:
- 8 ounces diced pancetta (bacon, or chicken)
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes (halved)
Instructions
- Boil water in a large pot. Add 1 teaspoon salt and a little olive oil to boiling water if desired. Add pasta and set a timer for 8 minutes.
- While the pasta is cooking, heat olive oil in a frying pan. Add mushrooms, garlic, onion, and optional pancetta/bacon/chicken. Stir occasionally and cook until the ingredients start to brown. Then add optional tomatoes and cook for 2 more minutes.
- When the timer for the pasta goes off, add the broccoli and cook for an additional 2 minutes. The pasta should be al dente and broccoli lightly cooked at this point. Drain the pasta and broccoli and return to the pot.
- Stir mushroom mixture into the pasta. Then gently stir in the crumbled gorgonzola cheese and let sit for a minute or two—you want the cheese to soften, not form a sauce. Season with a little salt and pepper if desired.
- Serve up and garnish with Parmesan cheese, and enjoy!
Notes
We recommend using organic ingredients whenever possible.
If broccoli isn’t your thing, try fresh asparagus cut into 2-inch pieces instead!
While Gorgonzola cheese is delicious and one of the hero ingredients of this dish, feel free to substitute a milder cheese. Goat cheese is one of my favorites in this dish, but feel free to experiment!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Category: Dinner
Kitchen resources and tips for my Gorgonzola Pasta with Vegetables Recipe:
- A great, multi-purpose colander is a must for every kitchen, especially when you’re making pasta! I bought this OXO Good Grips colander as a replacement for a really old plastic one that I had bought at a dollar store in the 90’s. Who knows what kind of weird plastics and hormone-disrupting chemicals were in that old one. Yikes! Maybe it’s time you invest in a new colander as well.
- A great garlic press makes child’s play of mincing garlic. I love this top-rated one but there are lots of great alternatives out there at all sorts of kitchen, department, and discount stores.
