Herbed Pasta with Pears & Blue Cheese

My quick weeknight recipe for Herbed Pasta with Pears & Blue Cheese is super simple to make and so creamy and delicious.

Remember my trip to Harry & David two weeks ago?  Part of me is still there in the beautiful Rogue Valley.  While I was in Medford hanging with the sweet folks at H&D and 12 of my favorite bloggers, I went to the Harry & David store.  Yep, a whole store dedicated to all things H&D…elicious.  I wish you could’ve been a fly on the wall as I darted back and forth through the store filling my basket, then unfilling it, then refilling.  You get the picture.  It was like being 5 in Willy Wonka’s factory.  Samples of Rogue Creamery cheese were being handed out with juicy chunks of Rogue Valley pears.  Another person passes by with a tray of chocolate covered caramels, to which I bolted to find and place in the basket (these never came back out again).  On the other end of the store, 2 gentlemen are offering wine tastings and by tasting I mean a nice portion to carry along as you load up the cart again and again and again.

The variety of products was incredible.  Anything and everything a foodie could want all wrapped up in pretty packaging.  A few of the items I came home with were Herbed Basil Fettuccine, Rogue Creamery Blue Cheese, Chocolate Covered Caramels (only sold in stores).  My husband reads my blog from time to time, so I better just leave it at that.  🙂

A couple days after I returned from Medford my box showed up with my goodies from the store and I was instantly inspired to put the ingredients to use with one of the giant Royal Riviera pears I brought back.  This pasta is like the classic salad with pears, blue cheese and walnuts only made entirely better with the addition of caramelized shallots, herby pasta and of course….cream.  Cream makes the world a better place.

Ok ok…before I go any further I wanted to tell you that I have a gift basket to give away from Harry & David.  They were so sweet to ask if I’d like to share some of the goodies I’ve had the great pleasure of sampling and I was instantly on board.  They let me choose which basket to giveaway and I thought the Roxy Ann Classic was a good representation of their deliciousness.  Pears, apples, cheese.  OH MY!   Seriously, it’s a gorgeous basket chock full (really) of the freshest fruit and the tastiest cheese, crackers and relish.  I’m so excited to give this basket away!   It only takes ONE comment to enter, the other entries are extras.  
Now for an easy and delicious recipe of pasta, sweet pears and pungent blue cheese.

Ingredients in Herbed Pasta with Pears

• Fettuccine – I used an herbed fettuccine pasta in this recipe but you can use plain as well. Add in a few sprinkles of oregano and thyme while the sauce is simmering.
• Butter – unsalted butter is usually best when cooking so you can control the sodium levels. If you decide to use salted, taste before adding more salt.
• Shallots – are a small red onion that are much more mild and empart a beautiful flavor to the dish. Use a small sweet onion for substitution if necessary.
• Pear – choose a large firm pear for this recipe as the pear will cook in the sauce and hold up to the heat. You don’t want an overly ripe pear as it will fall apart during cooking.
• Blue Cheese – the pungent and sharp flavor of blue cheese pairs incredibly well with pears and sauteed shallots.
• Cream – heavy cream is used to create a rich sauce to coat the pasta.
• Peas – fresh or frozen will work fine in this recipe.
• Walnuts – toasted walnuts are optional, but the nuts will give this pasta a little texture and elevate the dish.

Herbed Pasta with Pears & Blue Cheese

By: Heather Scholten

So quick and easy to make! This recipe for Herbed Pasta with Pears & Blue Cheese is easy enough for a weeknight dinner in under 30 minutes but also elegant enough to wow your dinner party guests.

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number of srevingsYield 6 Servings

Prep timePrep 10 minutes mins

Cook timeCook 15 minutes mins

Total timeTotal 25 minutes mins

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• ▢ 8 ounces fettuccine - herbed or plain
• ▢ 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• ▢ 2 medium shallots - minced
• ▢ 1 medium Royal Riviera pear (or any type of pear) - cored, cut into bite sized chunks (or other pear variety)
• ▢ 5 ounces blue cheese
• ▢ ⅓ cup heavy cream
• ▢ 1 cup peas - frozen or fresh
• ▢ ⅓ cup walnut pieces - toasted
• ▢ salt and pepper to taste

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Instructions

 

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt to taste and boil pasta according to package directions.
• In a large skillet over medium heat, add the butter and shallots and saute until beginning to lightly brown (don't burn). Add the pear and quickly saute, about 2 minutes. Add the blue cheese, cream and peas. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Turn down to low once the cheese has melted in to the sauce. Keep warm until the pasta is done.
• Add 1/3 cup of the pasta water to the pear mixture and then add the pasta. Toss to coat and sprinkle with walnuts and serve immediately.

Keyword 30 Minutes Meals, vegetarian recipes

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Recipe By:

Heather Scholten

Co-Founder at Spiceology | More About Heather…

Heather is a recipe developer and content creator living in Vancouver, Washington. She started Farmgirl Gourmet in 2006, almost 20 years ago, as a way to share recipes with friends and family. Heather is also the co-founder of Spiceology , a unique spice company, which she started in 2013. She shares family friendly recipes for easy everyday meals with a gourmet twist.

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