What type of blue cheese should I use for blue cheese pasta?

Use a mild, creamy blue cheese that melts smoothly into the cream without turning the sauce too sharp. Castello® Creamy Blue is an ideal choice, with its soft texture and delicate sharpness feeling rich without becoming overpowering. Gorgonzola Dolce is also a great substitute, melting just as evenly into the sauce.

What kind of mushrooms work best for blue cheese pasta?

Cremini mushrooms work particularly well for blue cheese pasta because they brown beautifully and have a deeper, more savoury flavour than white button mushrooms. Their meaty texture complements the rich cream and tangy blue cheese without becoming mushy when mixed into the sauce. If you prefer a milder mushroom flavour, white button mushrooms are an excellent choice. For a more pronounced, meaty presence, slice portobello mushrooms thin for a heartier bite, or use oyster mushrooms for an upscale, delicate flavour.

How do you stop blue cheese sauce from splitting?

Blue cheese sauce usually splits when the cream gets too hot or when cheese is added too quickly. Keep the heat at a gentle simmer rather than a hard boil once the cheese goes in, and whisk continuously so it melts evenly. If the sauce does start to look grainy or oily, take the pan off the heat straight away and whisk in a splash of cold cream or reserved pasta water to bring it back together.

Can I make blue cheese pasta ahead of time?

Yes, you can make blue cheese pasta ahead of time, but it is best made fresh, as the sauce turns thick and slightly grainy once it’s cooled and reheated. To prepare ahead, cook the blue cheese sauce and mushrooms up to a day in advance, then refrigerate them in an airtight container. Cook the pasta fresh and warm the sauce gently in a pan before combining. A splash of cream or reserved pasta water while reheating brings the sauce back to a silky consistency.

Blue cheese pasta

Total 20 mins

There’s no pairing quite like the tender bite of pasta and the creamy pull of melted cheese, and when the flavour is intensified with the distinctive tang of creamy blue, the entire experience reaches new heights. Castello® Creamy Blue cheese melts into a smooth, creamy base for the golden fried mushrooms and tagliatelle ribbons, and after stirring through the rest of the cheese for pockets of intense flavour, you’ve quickly created a dish that is equal parts simple and utterly luxurious.

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Ingredients

400 g tagliatelle or any other pasta of choice

For the sauce

200 ml cream (38 % fat)

300 g Castello® Creamy Blue

400 g button mushrooms

50 g butter

salt

pepper

20 g fresh basil

Preparation

Cook the pasta until al dente and drain the water.

Bring the cream to a boil.

Cut the Castello® Creamy Blue into small pieces. Add half to the cream together with black pepper.

Whisk until you have a thick cheese sauce. Take it off the heat and add a pinch of salt.

Slice the mushrooms and fry in a little butter until golden. Season with salt and pepper.

Mix the mushrooms into the cheese sauce with the remaining cheese, pre-cut into slices.

Pour the sauce over the pasta or add the pasta to the sauce. Mix carefully.

Finish with fresh basil and serve.

Tips & Tricks

Cook the pasta until just al dente, with a little resistance left when you bite into it. It carries on cooking once mixed with the warm sauce, so draining it while too soft means it turns mushy and loses its bite by the time it's plated. Reserve a little pasta water before draining, allowing you to adjust the consistency of the sauce later.
Whisk the hot cream and cheese together vigorously until the sauce turns glossy and coats the back of a spoon with no oily separation or grainy bits. This breaks the cheese into small pieces and distributes the fat and liquid evenly throughout the cream.
Cook the mushrooms until all the liquid evaporates and they turn golden brown. Mushrooms hold plenty of water, so stirring them in too soon can dilute the blue cheese sauce. Let the pan run dry and listen for a steady sizzle – that's your sign the mushrooms are ready. Only then mix them into the sauce.
Adjust the sauce's consistency before adding the pasta. If the sauce is too thin, simmer it gently to reduce and thicken naturally. If too thick, whisk in a small splash of cream or reserved pasta water. Getting this right first means the pasta will coat evenly instead of absorbing liquid unevenly or turning gummy.
Fold the pasta through the sauce gently rather than stirring hard, so the mushrooms and cheese pieces stay whole. Keep going until the pasta looks glossy and evenly coated, with no sauce pooling at the bottom. Without proper mixing, some bites will be intensely salty while others remain bland.

FAQ: Questions about this blue cheese pasta

Our recipe for blue cheese pasta is wonderfully straightforward, and a few key choices can help you achieve the best result every time. Below, we answer frequently asked questions about choosing the right ingredients and creating a smooth sauce.

What type of blue cheese should I use for blue cheese pasta?

Use a mild, creamy blue cheese that melts smoothly into the cream without turning the sauce too sharp. Castello® Creamy Blue is an ideal choice, with its soft texture and delicate sharpness feeling rich without becoming overpowering. Gorgonzola Dolce is also a great substitute, melting just as evenly into the sauce.
What kind of mushrooms work best for blue cheese pasta?

Cremini mushrooms work particularly well for blue cheese pasta because they brown beautifully and have a deeper, more savoury flavour than white button mushrooms. Their meaty texture complements the rich cream and tangy blue cheese without becoming mushy when mixed into the sauce.

If you prefer a milder mushroom flavour, white button mushrooms are an excellent choice. For a more pronounced, meaty presence, slice portobello mushrooms thin for a heartier bite, or use oyster mushrooms for an upscale, delicate flavour.
How do you stop blue cheese sauce from splitting?

Blue cheese sauce usually splits when the cream gets too hot or when cheese is added too quickly. Keep the heat at a gentle simmer rather than a hard boil once the cheese goes in, and whisk continuously so it melts evenly. If the sauce does start to look grainy or oily, take the pan off the heat straight away and whisk in a splash of cold cream or reserved pasta water to bring it back together.
Can I make blue cheese pasta ahead of time?

Yes, you can make blue cheese pasta ahead of time, but it is best made fresh, as the sauce turns thick and slightly grainy once it’s cooled and reheated. To prepare ahead, cook the blue cheese sauce and mushrooms up to a day in advance, then refrigerate them in an airtight container. Cook the pasta fresh and warm the sauce gently in a pan before combining. A splash of cream or reserved pasta water while reheating brings the sauce back to a silky consistency.

Experience the surprising sensation of blue cheese pasta with mushrooms

Some pasta sauces whisper. This one does not. The first bite catches you off guard – smooth and creamy at first, then that unmistakable blue tang lands a beat later. Blue cheese melts straight into hot cream, joined by golden fried mushrooms and wide ribbons of tagliatelle built to hold onto a sauce this thick. The whole thing comes together in minutes, allowing you to experience blue cheese and pasta at its best

Tender tagliatelle enveloped in a sharp blue cheese sauce

Tagliatelle's wide, flat ribbons are built for a sauce this thick. They pick up a proper coating with every forkful, rather than letting it slide off the way a thinner pasta variety would. The sauce itself starts with cream brought to a gentle boil. Castello® Creamy Blue melts in for a rich, salty base, each whisk pulling it into a thick, glossy coating. Once the pasta is folded through, the remaining cheese goes in as small pieces rather than melting completely, so streaks of pure blue run through the smoother sauce in every mouthful.

Rich umami bite from golden fried button mushrooms

Button mushrooms are fried in butter until golden, a step that draws out their natural savoury depth and gives them a firmer, meatier bite. Seasoned simply with salt and pepper, they need little else. Stir the mushrooms through the finished cheese sauce. They balance the sharpness of the blue cheese and add a firmer bite amongst all the smoothness.

A quick and indulgent pasta dish for slower evenings at home

Some of the best pasta dishes need almost nothing – bit of cream, a good cheese, whatever is already in the fridge. This one asks for little more than that, ready almost as fast as the water boils.

It comes together quickly enough for a weeknight. It also has enough presence for a date night or a small dinner party, when the lights are low,and the pace has slowed right down. Good company is really all it needs.

Once tagliatelle and blue cheese have you hooked, more cheesy pasta favourites await. This cheese bowl with creamy spaghetti offers the same indulgence, served up in a creative way. Prawn and lemon pasta takes a brighter turn, with a silky Cheddar sauce lifted by citrus and lemon thyme.

Add a personal note to the recipe

This blue cheese pasta sauce takes well to a bit of experimentation. If the blue feels a little intense on its own, a bit of lemon zest adds a welcome citrus note, while a pinch of chilli flakes offers a gentle kick, just enough to tickle the taste buds. Fresh parsley stirred in at the end brings its own clean, herbaceous finish.

For crunch, toasted walnuts scattered over the top complement the dish nicely. Their nutty bite stands up against the richness of the sauce. A handful of spinach, wilted in right at the end off the heat, adds freshness and a bit of colour without watering down the sauce.