Gorgonzola Pasta

This creamy Italian Gorgonzola pasta recipe is ready in 20 minutes and only 5 ingredients, making it both simple and sophisticated. Gorgonzola’s mellow tang adds flavor that regular creamy pastas like Alfredo do not; a sprinkle of chopped nuts adds texture and crunch. Adapted from The Silver Spoon, Italy’s cookbook bible.

Why You’ll Love This Gorgonzola Pasta Recipe

And for more fantastic pasta with cream, definitely get the recipes for pasta with vodka sauce and smoked salmon pasta.

Ingredients You’ll Need for Creamy Gorgonzola Pasta

This Gorgonzola pasta sauce ingredient list is short and simple. Choose high-quality Gorgonzola and aged Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese if you can. With so few ingredients, each one counts. Here’s what you’ll need:

• Gorgonzola cheese: more on this below, but choose mellow Gorgonzola dolce blue cheese over sharper piccante, unless you want a very robust flavor
• Pasta: Rigatoni, penne, or mafaldine are top choices for short pasta. For long pasta, go with something wide, like fettuccine. Use good-quality pasta; De Cecco is my top personal choice.
• Heavy cream: The fat content gives the sauce a great taste and texture, and allows the Gorgonzola to emulsify into a cohesive, glossy sauce. Don’t substitute half-and-half or milk.
• Reserved Pasta Water: This is a key non-ingredient ingredient. The starch emulsifies the cream and melted Gorgonzola. Pasta water also helps loosen the sauce if the finished pasta is looking too dry.
• Parmesan Cheese: for an additional boost of salty, tangy, nutty flavor at the end. Aim for an aged Parmigiano-Reggiano.
• Chopped Pistachios or Walnuts: You could serve the pasta without nuts, but nuts add crunch and texture, and complement the cheese flavors. Pistachios lend subtle sweetness and color; walnuts are earthier and more classically Italian. Either is excellent. Toast them in a dry skillet for 3 to 4 minutes, done.

For more creamy, savory pasta recipes, get the recipe for Smoked Salmon Pasta and Creamy Pumpkin Sauce Pasta With Prosciutto and Sage.

Gorgonzola 101: Dolce vs. Piccante (and Which Type to Use)

Gorgonzola is one of Italy’s great DOP-protected cheeses: a blue-veined cow’s milk cheese from the Lombardy region of Northern Italy. There are two types of Gorgonzola: dolce and piccante. The difference lies in the Gorgonzola aging timeframe. Piccante is aged longer (80 to 270 days), making it sharper and firmer than dolce. Gorgonzola dolce is mild and creamy, due to being aged for a shorter time period (50 to 150 days).

This recipe for pasta with Gorgonzola sauce calls for dolce. It melts and emulsifies with the cream better, and has a balanced flavor. Piccante may taste too robust and is harder to emulsify into the sauce. Helpfully for this recipe, most supermarket Gorgonzolas, unless they say otherwise, are dolce.

Note for vegetarian cooks: Traditional Gorgonzola is made with animal rennet and is technically not vegetarian. Look for a vegetarian-certified label, or substitute with a vegetarian-certified creamy blue cheese.

Substitutions, Additions, and Variations

This recipe is great as is. But you may want to add a little something. Here are some substitutions, plus ideas for added color, vegetables, protein, and texture:

• Want to substitute the Gorgonzola cheese? If Gorgonzola is unavailable, use an alternative blue cheese like a creamy Danish Blue or a mild Roquefort. For a non-blue cheese, goat cheese provides a similar tang.
• Substituting the nuts: If you don’t want nuts, you can swap in toasted breadcrumbs (pangrattato) mixed with a bit of lemon zest for crunch.
• Adding a vegetable: Gorgonzola and spinach is a great combination. Just fold in two cups of baby spinach during the final tossing phase; the residual heat will wilt it without extra cooking. Baby arugula would also work well here.
• Want to add meat for protein? Sliced, cooked chicken breast or steak pairs beautifully with the bold blue cheese flavor.

Gorgonzola is such a delicious cheese to cook with. You should also check out this gourmet Fig and Prosciutto Pizza With Gorgonzola, and Gorgonzola Summer Salad.

How to Make Gorgonzola Pasta, Step by Step

This recipe comes together in about 20 minutes: 1) Toast the nuts, 2) cook the pasta, 3) make the sauce, and 4) combine the pasta and sauce, and 5) top with nuts and grated Parmesan cheese and serve.

Step 1: Toast the Nuts

Start by toasting your nuts. This is simple to do: Just place the pistachios or walnuts in a dry skillet over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes, tossing frequently until fragrant. Set aside. When they cool, give them a chop. You can also do this in a 375 degree F oven for about 10 minutes.

Step 2: Boil the Pasta

Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Add your pasta and cook until just al dente. Be sure to reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water before draining (the starch will help emulsify the Gorgonzola sauce).

Another traditional, easy, cheesy pasta you’ll love: Marcella Hazan’s Pasta With Pancetta and Peas.

Step 3: Make the Gorgonzola Sauce

In a small pot over low heat, warm 3/4 cup heavy cream until steaming. Add 4 ounces crumbled Gorgonzola, and stir gently until fully melted and smooth.

The sauce consistency should be neither soupy nor dry, but glossy and rich. You’ll know it when you see it. You’re going for a nappé consistency, meaning it is thick enough to coat the back of your spoon; if you run a knife through it, the trail should stay on the spoon.

Pro Tip: Keep the heat low to prevent the sauce from breaking or becoming grainy. Stir constantly, and add a splash of reserved pasta water or cold cream if needed to get a smooth, emulsified sauce.

Step 4: Combine the Pasta and Sauce

Add the drained pasta back into the pasta pot. Toss gently with the Gorgonzola sauce and most of the Parmesan. Add some reserved pasta water, a tablespoon at a time, to loosen the sauce until you get a glossy, smooth finish.

Season with freshly ground black pepper and taste for salt; Gorgonzola is naturally salty so tread carefully.

Step 5: Finish and Serve

Top each serving with toasted nuts and a generous sprinkle of Parmesan and black pepper. Serve your creamy pasta with Gorgonzola sauce immediately. Wait for applause.

What to Serve with Gorgonzola Pasta

Because Gorgonzola pasta is rich and creamy, a bright, crisp salad is the easiest way to balance the meal. Go for something with acidity and texture to cut through the sauce. In winter, a chicory salad is a good option. For meat, choose a simple roasted dish like chicken or fish. And, of course, a nice crusty loaf of bread on the table never goes wrong. Try any of these:

• A crisp chicory salad like Radicchio Salad With Orange, Apple and Pecans: here is a perfect combination of crunch and acidity. Bitter, crisp radicchio is a perfect complement to the salty cream sauce.
• Roasted chicken: simple flavors that do not compete with the strong Gorgonzola
• Simple baked salmon: salmon and cream go very well together. This papillote recipe would be perfect.

If you love pasta Gorgonzola, for another rich Italian pasta dinner — this time with meat — nothing is more satisfying than this real Italian ragù bianco recipe, a slow-cooked meat sauce that is the ultimate Sunday pasta dinner.

Wine Pairing for Gorgonzola Pasta

Gorgonzola pasta is rich, salty, and creamy, so the best wines are those with bright acidity to cut through the rich sauce and complement the cheese. Skip the big oaky whites and the heavy reds.

White Wine Pairings

• Sauvignon Blanc has a crisp acidity and citrus notes that make it a solid match for blue cheese richness.
• Pinot Grigio is a light, clean, and easy-drinking Italian white and can usually be found at an inexpensive price.
• A dry Soave has more weight, but enough acidity to cut through the richness of the sauce.
• Dry (Brut) sparkling wine: bubbles help cleanse the palate and balance the dish’s weight; a brut Prosecco makes an excellent choice, and keeps things Italian

Red Wine Pairings

• Barbera d’Asti: I think Barbera is so underrated. In addition to being the perfect pizza wine, it’s a great choice for people wanting something on the lighter side.
• Primitivo: This high-acid Italian red wine (known in the U.S. as Zinfandel) can also hold its own against Gorgonzola, thanks to its dark fruit and black pepper notes
• Malbec: Though not Italian, if you want something substantive, Malbec makes a classic Gorgonzola pairing. It has good dark fruits and cocoa notes that will draw out the nuttiness of the cheese.

Storing and Reheating Gorgonzola Pasta

Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. The sauce will thicken considerably as it sits; this is normal and will loosen when reheated.

Reheating: Gently reheat in a skillet over low heat with a splash of water or a small pour of cream, stirring to bring the sauce back together. Avoid the microwave; the uneven heat can cause the sauce to separate and turn grainy, and microwaves inevitably lead to dry, tough pasta.

Make-ahead: The Gorgonzola cheese sauce can be made up to a day in advance and stored in the refrigerator. Rewarm it slowly over low heat, whisking to re-emulsify, then toss with freshly cooked pasta.

F.A.Q.s and Helpful Tips

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Why You Can Trust This Recipe: These recipes were developed and tested by Lisa Ruland, a Culinary Institute of America graduate (valedictorian), Level 2 WSET-Certified Wine Professional (With Honors), and professional chef and food writer/recipe developer who has written for national food publications including Bon Appétit, Saveur, Taste, Eater, Food52, and more. An Italian-American with decades of Italian cooking and food experience (including within Italy), Lisa is committed to providing accurate, trustworthy culinary guidance based on years of experience in professional and home kitchens. Learn more about Lisa’s background and expertise.