Pasta al Forno con Gorgonzola {Baked Pasta with Gorgonzola}
Gorgonzola cheese is one of my most favourite foods! The taste of Gorgonzola is a mix between savory and sweet- wonderful!
Its history traces back to the year 879 AD to town of Gorgonzola, near Milan and was first called the “stracchino di Gorgonzola” or “stracchino verde”. Made from cow’s milk, the main characteristic of Gorgonzola is the green vein, which is a mold named “pennicillum glaucum”. Gorgonzola cheese is very soft and the mold is the reason for the malleability which makes it easy to eat and cook with. It’s perfect in a green salad or gently melt it with some mascarpone and you have a wonderful sauce for gnocchi!
I love this simple baked pasta recipe using Gorgonzola cheese as a first course. And you can prepare it in advance which is an added bonus.
- 300 gr(3/4 lb) short pasta (eg. fusilli, penne, rigatoni)
- 1 T. olive oil
- 200 gr(7 oz) smoked pancetta or bacon, diced
- 30 gr(2 T) butter
- 150 gr(5 oz) gorgonzola cheese
- 200 ml(2/3 c) milk
- Pinch of nutmeg
- 4 Tablespoons grated parmigiano reggiano
- Pinch of salt and pepper
- 2 Tablespoons breadcrumbs
- Cook pasta in a large pot.
- While pasta is cooking, heat the oil in a large pan and brown the pancetta or bacon until slightly crisp. Remove most of the oil from pan leaving about 1 T.
- Drain the pasta.
- Add the pasta to the bacon and mix together.
- In a small pot over a medium low heat, melt the butter and add ¾ of gorgonzola cheese, the milk, the nutmeg and 2 tablespoons of parmigiano.
- Stir until the cheeses are melted and the mixture is smooth.
- Add salt and pepper.
- Pour the cheese sauce over the pasta and combine gently.
- Put the pasta to a baking dish.
- Sprinkle the remaining gorgonzola cheese, parmigiano reggiano and the breadcrumbs over the top.
- Bake at 200°C/400°F for 15 minutes covered and another 10 minutes uncovered.
Meet Laney Sachs
I’m not just enthusiastic about travel—I live travel, each and every day. From plotting out my clients’ next great escape, to logging airmiles on my own adventures (I always have a suitcase packed and at the ready!), travel drives me in everything I do.
I’ve learned a few things along the way, and I’d love to share them with you. Learn a bit more about my journey to founding my own travel agency—it involves quite a few glasses of Italian wine!
