It may taste like you've spent hours in the kitchen perfecting your sauce, but you can hardly make a simpler meal than pasta with olive oil and blue cheese. Blue cheese has a high fat content, but when eaten as part of a healthy diet, the nourishment of the olive oil makes up for it.
Olive Oil
Olive oil is often used in the Mediterranean, and is a good source of omega-3 fatty acids, which help lower your risk of heart disease. The way you store olive oil can affect the flavor and health benefits, says Mayo Clinic doctor and medicine specialist Donald Hensrud. Store it in a cool, dark place and use within six months to a year after opening.
Blue Cheese
Blue cheese can be a taste sensation when cooked, but it's important to get the balance right. Too much of the stuff may leave even the most hardened of cheese-lovers feeling sick to the stomach. The key to adding blue cheese to recipes is moderation.
Cooking Pasta
Cook dry pasta by placing in a pan of boiling water with a pinch of salt. Prominent chef Delia Smith recommends cooking dried pasta in a large pot with at least 1 tbsp. salt. Heat the water to the boil before adding the pasta and stirring it once to separate. Cook pasta so it's "al dente," meaning it's fully cooked but still firm.
Recipe
Saute spring onions and broccoli in a pan lined with olive oil, then add cooked pasta and season well. Stir blue cheese and cream into the mixture and heat gently until warmed through. Drizzle with more olive oil and lemon juice, and serve with a green salad and crusty bread.
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