‘GORG TORT’ – GORGONZOLA TORTELLINI WITH CHICKEN, BROCCOLI, AND WALNUTS

Casseroles|Chicken|Italian|Pasta

Ingredients

2 pounds broccoli florets

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 cup walnuts, rough chopped

2 tablespoons butter

1 small onion, chopped

2 tablespoons flour

3 cups heavy cream

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

12 ounces gorgonzola cheese

3-4 cups cooked chicken, shredded into bite-size pieces (leftover or rotisserie chicken is great for this dish)

20 ounces fresh cheese tortellini, cooked al dente to package directions

¼ cup grated parmesan cheese

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and generously salt the water (to taste like the sea).

Add the broccoli florets to the boiling water and cook for 6-8 minutes until they are crisp-tender and bright green. If you are cutting the florets off a fully head of broccoli, make sure to cut the florets into similar sizes so they will cook evenly and also cut the stems into very thin slices cook them as well! Remove the florets from the water with a slotted spoon or spider and place them in an ice bath to stop the cooking. NOTE – reserve the water from the broccoli to cook the pasta for extra flavor.

To prepare, the nuts, heat the olive oil in a small skillet and toast the nuts over medium heat until fragrant, about 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Keep an eye on them so they don’t burn as this can happen quickly!! Set them aside.

To make the sauce, melt the butter in a large deep oven-proof* skillet. Add the flour and stir to make a roux. Cook for 2 minutes stirring constantly. Add the heavy cream, salt, and black pepper to the pot. Bring the sauce to a boil, whisking constantly, until the sauce thickens and coats the back of a spoon. Turn the heat to low and crumble 8-10 ounces of the gorgonzola into the sauce, stirring until the cheese is well incorporated, but there are still some chunks in the sauce (Note – depending on the strength of the funky flavor of your cheese, you may want to add it gradually, tasting occasionally, to make sure you are happy with the ‘funky taste’ level).

Add the chicken, pasta, and broccoli to the sauce and toss to coat. Crumble the remaining 2 ounces of gorgonzola over the top of the casserole and then sprinkle the parmesan evenly over the pasta. Place the pan in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes until bubbly and lightly browned. Sprinkle the toasted walnuts over the top and DEVOUR!!!

*If you do not use an oven-proof skillet you can transfer the mixture to a 9” x 13” baking dish before you put it in the oven.