Name: Pasta with Bell Pepper and Gorgonzola Cream
Prep time: 35 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 45 min
Ingredients: 2 bell peppers (1 red and 1 yellow, or both red); 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil; 250 gms – 9 oz. Gorgonzola dolce cheese; 150 ml – 5.5 oz. fresh cream; 350 gms – 13 oz. short pasta; Parmigiano Reggiano (finely grated, to serve)

I first had something similar to this Pasta with bell pepper and Gorgonzola cream years ago in Milano. My husband and I would go and eat at our favourite restaurant for every special occasion and this pasta was often on the menu. Bell peppers/capsicums and Gorgonzola make for a fantastic combination: the first are sweet, while the latter is slightly pungent, so there’s perfect balance in the final dish. It is a very quick and easy recipe and the good news is, you don’t need to go all the way to Italy to be able to enjoy it!! Buon appetito!

Pasta with Bell Pepper and Gorgonzola Cream

Pasta with Bell Pepper and Gorgonzola Cream - an easy and delicious vegetarian dinner idea!

Course Main

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 35 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Servings 4

Author Manuela Zangara

Ingredients

2 bell peppers 1 red and 1 yellow, or both red
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
250 gms – 9 oz. Gorgonzola dolce cheese
150 ml – 5.5 oz. fresh cream
350 gms – 13 oz. short pasta
Parmigiano Reggiano finely grated, to serve

Instructions

Rinse the bell peppers well. Brush/spray them with the extra virgin olive oil and put them in an oven proof dish lined with baking paper.
Bake them in a pre heated oven at 200ºC – 390ºF for about 20-25 minutes or until cooked through (they will have to be soft).
When ready, cover them tightly with some aluminium foil for 5 minutes, then remove the top, seeds and skin (be careful, they will still be hot! But if you let them cool down, removing the skin will be very hard!). Blend them until smooth and keep aside.
In a pan, melt the Gorgonzola cheese in the cream over a low fire. Keep aside.
Cook the pasta following the steps on How to cook pasta “al dente” in the Techniques page of this site, but drain it 1 minute before it is cooked, as it will finish cooking together with the sauce. Reserve a ladle of the cooking water.
Put the drained pasta in a big enough pot, add the blended bell peppers and the melted Gorgonzola. Mix well over the fire for 1 minute, adding any cooking water, if required, to keep the sauce moist.
Serve immediately with some finely grated Parmigiano Reggiano on the top.