Rigatoni Gorgonzola

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Rigatoni with steak and walnuts with a gorgonzola sauce on a plate.

What we love about this rigatoni gorgonzola recipe

This recipe works great with a leftover steak. Bring the steak to room temperature before warming and chopping, so the steak does not overcook when added to the dish.
Made for date night: This recipe yields a elegant and complete meal is a perfect option for a date night at home. Serve with some warm, crusty bread.
Try making this equally decadent, vegan chocolate mousse for dessert. Don’t let the vegan ingredients fool you, this dessert boasts rich flavor and silky smooth texture that can’t be beat!

Steak rigatoni with gorgonzola pasta on a plate being held above a table.

Here’s what you’ll need to make it

Kitchen tools

Large stockpot

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cast iron skillet

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Measuring Spoons

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Ingredients you might need to pick up

Gorgonzola – AKA Italian blue cheese, this cheese is milder than blue cheese but still has quite an earthy, zesty flavor. Roquefort cheese is a great option for substitution if needed.
Steak – We used a strip steak for this recipe. Alternative cuts of meat can certainly be substituted, but keep in mind this steak will be chopped up in the end. Avoid heavily marbled steak, but you do not need the fanciest cut to make this dish great.
Walnuts – For a little crunch and flavor balance, these mild flavored nuts contain tannins that interact with the higher fat ingredients like the steak and cream to pull this dish together.
Arugula – This leafy vegetable brings an additional layer of peppery flavor to the dish. You could definitely swap it for spinach leaves in a pinch.
Heavy cream – Cream is the base for the sauce, make sure you don’t substitute this one!

Making changes to a recipe can result in recipe failure. Any substitutions listed below are simple changes that I believe will work in this recipe, but results are not guaranteed.

A cast iron skillet full of steak pasta with a wooden spoon in it.

How to make this rigatoni gorgonzola recipe

Sear the steak. In a cast iron skillet, sear the steak the medium rare. Remove from skillet, set aside. Allow the steak to rest while making the sauce, this will allow the steak to reabsorb the juices.

Cook the pasta. Cook pasta to al denté, according to package directions.

Make the sauce. Melt butter and sauté shallots and garlic, until aromatic. Whisk in heavy cream and gorgonzola crumbles. Continue to whisk until gorgonzola cheese has melted and sauce is smooth.

Chop the steak. Once the sauce is made and the steak has rested, you can chop up the steak. Remove any large, fattier pieces before adding to the pasta.

Bring the dish together. Stir in arugula, parsley and steak. Garnish with chopped walnuts.

Close up of rigatoni with steak, gorgonzola cheese, walnuts and fresh parsley.

Everything you need to know about rigatoni gorgonzola

What meat goes well with Gorgonzola?

Gorgonzola cheese, as with blue cheese, famously goes with steak. For this recipe we used a strip steak, but you can use any steak that you prefer. If you choose a steak with a lot of marbling, take a little extra time to remove the thicker fatty pieces when chopping up your steak for this pasta recipe.

Is there a difference between bleu cheese and Gorgonzola?

Gorgonzola and bleu cheese are very, very similar, since both get their flavor from the same Penicillium. Gorgonzola is considered to be a milder than bleu cheese, though they are technically different cheeses. Gorgonzola is an Italian cheese while blue cheese comes from France.

A plate of steak and rigatoni pasta with a gorgonzola cream sauce topped with walnuts and gorgonzola cheese crumbles.

More rigatoni recipes you will love

Other date night pasta recipes you should try

Rigatoni gorgonzola steak pasta with arugula and walnuts on a plate surrounded by a wine glass, a bowl of walnuts and a piece of bread

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