Green Bean, Blue Cheese, and Walnut Pasta
When I first made a similar recipe many years ago, I questioned whether I should substitute the blue cheese with feta or any other cheese for that matter. I wasn’t a fan of blue cheese - trying it in salads, dressings for chicken wings, on crackers, and mixed with hamburger patties for grilling. I really wanted to like blue cheese. Really. Then I made the recipe, giving the blue cheese one last appeal hearing. I was sold. Since then, I’ve tweaked the recipe a little to make it, in my opinion, better. I share that tweaked recipe below.
The blue cheese has found its place among the mustard and pepper in this recipe, creating a nice balance.
For being on the cusp of forever banning blue cheese from my diet, this recipe has become one of my favorites!
Calorie Content: This dish is super healthy, so all calories are pardoned.
Ingredients:
Musical Ingredient: Cecilia Bartoli, Mozart Arias.
Truth be told, anything this mezzo-soprano sings will bring pure pleasure to your ears.
2 cups uncooked fusilli pasta (see notes)
2 cups green beans broken into bite-sized pieces.
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon chopped thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon honey
¼ teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon salt - split between boiling water and the dressing
¾ cup chopped walnuts - toasted (see notes)
½ cup crumbled blue cheese (see notes)
Recommended drink: Pair it with champagne (Moët or equivalent) or sparkling white grape juice.
Directions:
1. Cook pasta in boiling, salted water. Check pasta package for boiling time. Add green beans during the last four minutes of cooking. Drain and place in a large bowl.
2. Dressing: Combine wine vinegar, olive oil, lemon juice, mustard, honey, thyme, salt, and pepper. Whisk together.
3. Pour dressing over pasta and beans. Toss to coat.
4. Add walnuts and cheese and toss until mixed (see notes)
Notes:
Fusilli pasta: I prefer the Rao’s brand from Market Basket. You can also use gemelli pasta or any other type that has curls or pockets to hold the dressing, nuts, and cheese. Smooth pasta, like linguini, spaghetti, and even ziti just doesn’t work in this recipe. Also, with pasta, check to make sure it was made with durum wheat semolina. The pasta will be more savory than non-semolina pasta. The good news is that much of the pasta out there is made with durum wheat semolina, so it isn’t hard to find.
Chopped walnuts - toasted: Toast walnuts by spreading on a baking sheet and putting in oven at 350 degrees F for 5 to 10 minutes or until fragrant.
Blue Cheese: This cheese is made with the addition of edible molds, which create blue veins and spots within the cheese. Flavor varies from mild to strong. While you can use other types of cheeses in this recipe, the blue cheese, in my opinion, stands up to the rest of the ingredients to make this a delicious meal.
Add walnuts and cheese and toss until mixed: If I suspect there will be any leftovers, I will add a portion of the walnuts and cheese to the portion of pasta that will be served upon cooking. I’ll save the remaining walnuts and cheese separately for any leftover pasta, adding them just before serving. The leftovers seem to taste better this way.
