Blue Cheese Spinach Walnut Sauce is a super creamy, rich, blue cheese sauce with just the right amount of herby spinach, and some nutritious crunchy nutty walnuts.
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How to serve this sauce
I mean, other than just eating it with a spoon…
I serve this Blue Cheese Spinach Walnut Sauce over linguine pasta. Oh and it’s so good!
Use ½ box of any shape pasta, or about ½ pound of pasta.
This Blue Cheese Spinach Walnut Sauce is also delicious over a protein like a grilled steak, roasted chicken, or seared tofu.
Try serving it over a hot fresh baked potato or mashed potatoes! Yum!
Heck, I think this sauce is so good I might just dunk chips or veggies into it.
Blue Cheese
For the best flavor in your blue cheese, thinly slice off the rind before using the blue cheese.
The rind is edible, however, it’s got a very bitter flavor, and the rind won’t melt into this sauce, so it’ll leave a lumpy sauce.
What kind of blue cheese should I use?
I thought I’d share my favorite kind with you – Cambozola. It’s creamy, it luscious, it’s soft. And, it isn’t too harsh. Keep an eye out for this kind.
I love blue cheese, but I definitely have my favorite kind. I get this Cambozola Triple Cream Soft Ripened Blue Cheese at Trader Joe’s. I’ve seen it at other stores as well.
It’s a really nice creamy blue cheese that isn’t too harsh. I know some blue cheeses can be really overwhelming and pungent, even to the point that you don’t want to eat them.
Of course, you don’t have to use this particular kind of blue cheese. I recommend that you go with your favorite blue cheese, or if you can find this kind, do give it a go. I love it!
If you don’t like blue cheese but still want to try this sauce, I’d suggest using Brie as a substitute. The creamy mild flavor of Brie will work well for this sauce.
I’ve also made this sauce using only half a cup of blue cheese, and it’s still great. If you’re watching your calories, or your budget, that might be a good option for you.
Want this sauce to be gluten-free?
If you want a gluten-free sauce, simply leave out the flour. You can thicken the sauce by simmering it a few minutes longer, just before you add in the fresh spinach leaves.
Want a sauce that’s lighter in calories?
You can lighten this sauce by using whole milk or half & half instead of heavy cream. Yes, you lose a lot of the calories, but you will also lose some of the creamy, rich, thickness. It’s still a yummy sauce, just maybe not quite as amazing.
Spinach
When I buy a bunch of spinach at the grocery store, it comes in 1 pound bunches. I like to clean the whole bunch at once, so I don’t have to do that work twice.
After you remove the stems and clean off all the grit and mud, take half of the leaves and use those in the dish.
A little more or a little less spinach in the sauce – it’s all good. Remember, this is cooking, not baking. You don’t have to be exact on this.
How to toast walnuts
Place walnuts on a flat baking sheet (I love those air insulted ones), and bake in a 350° F oven for about 9 minutes, or until the nuts are fragrant and golden brown.
How to make, in pictures
BTW, did I mention how super easy this is!
Saute the onions until they are softened and slightly browned
Cook the onions with the flour for a minute. Then stir in the blue cheese, and then the cream, cooking until it’s nice and smooth.
Toss in the torn spinach, and cook until the spinach wilts.
The spinach has wilted, toss in the toasted walnuts
If you’re making pasta dinner with this sauce, simply stir the cooked pasta into the skillet with the sauce, and mix gently to coat.
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Blue Cheese Spinach Walnut Sauce Recipe
Blue Cheese Spinach Walnut Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 medium red onion peeled, and thinly sliced
- ½ tablespoon olive oil
- 1 rounded teaspoon flour
- 1 cup crumbled blue cheese
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 8 ounces fresh spinach stems removed, cleaned, and roughly torn into pieces
- ½ cup toasted walnuts
- freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Once oil is hot, add sliced onion, and sauté until soft. You aren’t browning the onion as much as softening it. If it starts to brown too quickly, add some water to slow it down.
- Once onion is soft, mix in the flour, until well blended, and cook for an additional minute.
- Add crumbled blue cheese and break up any lumps with a spoon. Slowly whisk in the cream until the sauce is smooth and free of lumps. Simmer for a couple of minutes, or until sauce is slightly thickened.
- Add torn spinach and continue simmering until spinach is just wilted, about 1-3 minutes.
- Stir in toasted walnuts, and season with freshly ground black pepper.
- If the sauce is too thick, add in a little water. If it’s too thin, simmer for a few more minutes.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations, and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary based on brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes, and more.
Can you make this sauce the day before?
Cheryl, yes you can. It may thicken a bit, in which case simply thin it a little with some milk. Also, you may want to add the spinach when you reheat it. I’ve never been a fan of reheated spinach, as it tends to lose any body it had.
I wanted a fancier pasta sauce for dinner but I am allergic to onions of all types and forms…including powder and dehydrated.
Can I substitute garlic for the red onion and not have the recipe be a failure?? Thanks!!
Vanna, though I’ve never tried it without the onions, I don’t think it would be a failure at all. Garlic would add back in some flavor. I think, for me, I’d probably only do 1 or 2 cloves so that it didn’t overpower the sauce. You could also try adding some sauteed mushrooms to the sauce, both for flavor and adding back in some texture. If you try it, let me know how it goes.
This is soooo good. . The addition of spinach is delicious and offsets the guilt from loving all that delicious creaminess. It’s easy enough to throw together on a weeknight and fancy enough to impress your guests.
As a vegetarian with a top five ingredient list that includes pasta, spinach, cheese and nuts, I LOVED this tonight! The only changes I made were to add frozen green peas to fettuccine when cooking, and a sprinkling of brown sugar to walnuts when roasting. This is truly now in my top five favorite dishes to cook, so delicious, quick and easy! Fine Italian restaurant quality. Thank you!
The key for me was using smoked blue cheese!