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A white bowl filled with blue cheese, sausage, and walnut pasta with a fork resting on the side of the bowl.
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4.91 / 10 votes

Blue Cheese, Sausage, and Walnut Pasta

This blue cheese, sausage, and walnut pasta is rich, creamy comfort food made with walnuts, sweet Italian sausage, pasta, and blue cheese. It's an easy-peasy way to have dinner on the table when you're getting antsy for a quick yet ultra-satisfying meal.
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course: Mains
Cuisine: American
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 1339

Ingredients

  • Salt
  • 1 cup walnut halves
  • 1 tablespoon (1/2 oz) butter
  • 1 pound sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
  • 1 pound store-bought or homemade fettuccine, spaghetti or bucatini
  • 6 ounces blue cheese, crumbled, plus more for sprinkling
  • 2 cups half-and-half
  • Freshly ground black pepper
US - Metric

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
  • Scatter the walnuts on the baking sheet and roast until fragrant and lightly browned at the edges, 7 to 10 minutes.
  • Immediately transfer the walnuts to a cutting board and let cool before coarsely chopping them.
  • Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt the butter. Add the sausage and cook, breaking up the meat with a spatula, until browned and no trace of pink remains, 8 to 10 minutes.
  • Cook the pasta in the boiling water, stirring often, until al dente, about 2 minutes less than the package instructions. When the pasta is done, drain it, reserving at least 1/2 cup pasta cooking water.
  • Add the cheese and half-and-half to the sausage, crank the heat to high, and boil, stirring often, until the half-and-half thickens a bit, 3 to 4 minutes.
  • Carefully dump the drained pasta into the skillet, reduce the heat to low, and simmer, tossing constantly, until the pasta is cooked through and the liquid has thickened, about 3 minutes more. If desired, thin the sauce with some of the reserved pasta cooking water.
  • Taste the pasta and season with pepper and salt, if needed.
  • Divide the pasta among warm bowls and top with more blue cheese and the walnuts. Serve immediately.

Notes

  1. Cooking pasta--Take care to only boil the pasta until al dente as it will continue to cook when added back to the sauce.
  2. Storage--This pasta is best served the day it is made, but leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
  3. Reheating--To reheat leftover blue cheese pasta, place it in a saucepan over low heat and add a splash of half-and-half or cream. Warm until the pasta is heated through and the sauce has loosened.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 1339kcal | Carbohydrates: 96g | Protein: 48g | Fat: 85g | Saturated Fat: 33g | Monounsaturated Fat: 27g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 168mg | Sodium: 1400mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 9g