Asparagus with Melted Gorgonzola and Pine Nuts (Video)
Asparagus with Melted Gorgonzola and Pine Nuts is amazing and really low in carbs; if you like asparagus and Gorgonzola you’ll love this recipe!
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When I first made Asparagus with Melted Gorgonzola and Pine Nuts, I said it was one of the best tasting things I had ever eaten in my life. Now years later this is still one of my favorite ways to cook asparagus, even though I’ve tried a lot more asparagus recipes since I first made this one. If you like these ingredients at all you can’t go wrong with asparagus covered with creamy melted Gorgonzola and pine nuts!
My apologies to the asparagus haters; if you’re one of those people who just can’t get much asparagus love going, I think this recipe would be divine with those thin green beans that you get at Costco. Beans might take slightly longer to cook, but probably not much for the thin ones. But if you’re an asparagus lover like I am, you might want to check out my Favorite Low-Carb and Keto Asparagus Recipes; enjoy!
What ingredients do you need for this recipe?
- fresh asparagus
- olive oil
- large cloves of garlic
- crumbled Gorgonzola
- pine nuts
- salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
How to make this recipe:
(Scroll down for complete recipe including nutritional information.)
- I don’t usually buy the pre-crumbled Gorgonzola because it doesn’t last long in the fridge, so if you also have a block of Gorgonzola be sure it’s cold before you try to crumble it.
- Toast the pine nuts for 1-2 minutes in a small dry pan.
- Cut the tough ends off the asparagus and then cut on the diagonal into pieces about 2 inches long.
- Heat the oil in a large pan, add the garlic cloves, and cook just until you smell garlic.
- Discard garlic, add the asparagus and saute 5-7 minutes, turning a few times. or until asparagus is getting barely tender and slightly starting to brown.
- You can add the gorgonola while the asparagus is still in the pan if you want it to melt as much as possible, but it looks a little prettier if you plate it immediately and add the gorgonzola on top of the hot asparagus on the plate.
- Sprinkle with pine nuts, season with a tiny bit of salt and fresh-ground black pepper as desired, and devour!
More Fabulous Ideas with Asparagus:
Low-Carb Sheet Pan Meals with Asparagus
Chicken and Asparagus with Three Cheeses
Lightly Steamed Asparagus with Basil Vinaigrette
Grilled Asparagus with Parmesan
Asparagus with Melted Gorgonzola and Pine Nuts
This Asparagus with Melted Gorgonzola and Pine Nuts is amazing and it's also incredibly quick and easy to make and super low in carbs!
Ingredients
- 1 pound fresh asparagus
- 1 T olive oil (or slightly more, depending on your pan)
- 4 large cloves garlic, sliced
- 1/2 cup crumbled Gorgonzola (see notes)
- 2 T toasted pine nuts
- salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste (see notes)
Instructions
- Crumble the gorgonzola so you have the desired amount, or measure it if you have pre-crumbled Gorgonzola.
- Put a small frying pan on burner and turn heat to high.
- Add pine nuts to dry pan and toast for 1-2 minutes, or until barely turning brown, shaking pan frequently.
- Remove from the pan so they don’t keep cooking. (You can toast the pine nuts while you cook the asparagus if you feel confident with two things cooking at once.)
- Snap off a piece of asparagus to see where to cut off the tough ends, then trim all asparagus to that length and cut into on the diagonal into pieces about 2 inches long.
- Put olive oil into large frying pan, turn heat to medium, add garlic and saute about 1 minute, or until you start to smell garlic. (Don’t let it brown or it will make your oil taste bitter rather than delightfully garlicky.)
- Take pan off of heat and remove garlic and discard.
- Put pan back on heat, add asparagus, and saute about 5-7 minutes, turning frequently, until asparagus is barely starting to soften and brown slightly.
- Timing will depend completely on how hot your stove burner is; just get a fork and try one piece when you think it seems about done.
- When asparagus is done, immediately plate the asparagus and crumble Gorgonzola over. (I used to crumble the Gorgonzola over the asparagus while it was still in the pan, but it gets a bit messy and now I wait until it’s on the plate.)
- Sprinkle with pine nuts.
- Season with salt and fresh ground black pepper as desired.
- Serve hot.
Notes
Use more or less Gorgonzola to taste, depending on how much you like it! I used a little pepper, but not much salt
This recipe created by Kalyn with inspiration from many other asparagus recipes.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 149Total Fat: 11gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 13mgSodium: 355mgCarbohydrates: 7gFiber: 3gSugar: 2gProtein: 7g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.
Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
Sauteed Asparagus with Melted Gorgonzola and Pine Nuts is a good side dish for any low-glycemic or low-carb diet, including any phase of the South Beach Diet. Both Gorgonzola and pine nuts are high in fat, so keep that in mind if you’re strictly following South Beach.
Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Asparagus Recipes or Side Dishes to find more recipes like this one. Use the Recipes by Diet Type photo index pages to find more recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You can also Follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.
Memories for This Recipe:
This recipe was first posted as part of Asparagus Aspirations at a no-longer-online blog called Seriously Good, sponsored by blogger Kevin Weeks. Kevin passed away in 2012, and I’m dedicating this recipe to his memory. His insight and cooking expertise were something he shared freely with many people, and he is greatly missed. And he was a blogger I used to “talk to” online quite often in the early days and I always hoped we might meet in person.
45 Comments on “Asparagus with Melted Gorgonzola and Pine Nuts (Video)”
This looks really delicious! I'm definitely going to try this out. We're hosting an online seasonal potluck and May is asparagus month. If you'd like to link your recipe, we'd love to have you!
http://bit.ly/eLlgG2
Thanks Lydia. I love seeing the progress.
Pegasus, you could substitute any kind of cheese that melts easily and I'm sure it would still taste good.
Joanne, glad you re-discovered it.
I really truly wonder how I've missed this dish all these years! After all, it combines some of my favorite things! Asparagus…gorgonzola…pine nuts. Amazing!
Looks delicious…just wondering if there is a substitute for gorgonzola? For expecting mothers 🙂
It's such fun to see the old photo and how super your photos are now. The dish looks just as delicious as ever.
Ali, so glad you're enjoying the recipes. (And oh I am shuddering when I look at this old photo!)
Kayln, Thank you so much for this site, it is one of the very best out there. I love your enthusiasm, creativity, and inspiration. I am eating this asparagus dish as I type and all I can say is "OH MY" it is out of this world! I have made it several times and I seriously doubt that I will ever eat asparagus any other way!
Hi Tim, me again. I followed a link in this recipe and remembered I found some crumbled gorgonzola at Costco that only had 8 grams of fat in 1/4 cup, which should be great for South Beach. Look for something like that if you can.
Hi Tim,
This recipe fits very well with the emphasis on low-glycemic foods that is the foundation of South Beach, but it might be a little high in saturated fat. Now you have me wishing I was home so I could look up gorgonzola to make sure it really is okay! I’m thinking it might be what I call a “once in a while treat” for South Beach. Look for the lowest fat gorgonzola you can find and it should be fine.
OK I just found your site and it’s great, I just started the south beach diet on Monday so I am in phase 1. I didn’t know you could eat gorgonzola, so thankyou for that. Also, Giada D. (http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/everyday-italian/baked-artichokes-with-gorgonzola-and-herbs-recipe/index.html) has a recipe for artichokes with melted gorgonzola that might be good, haven’t tried it yet, (the bread crumbs and cream might need to be substituted) but now I will. Thanks!
I made this for dinner tonight and I must say it is the most delicious asparagus I’ve ever eaten. Thank you!
I found your site through googling “south beach diet friendly recipes” I can’t wait to try more of your recipes.
not only does this look delicious it is delicious………I tried it shorty after you it came up on Asparagus Aspirations!!! I must admit here in Florida asparagus was long gone………but ours is now coming from Peru of all places and I must admit not bad. But I will make this dish often…thanks kalyn
MMMMmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!!!!!!
I agree.. this looks so fantastic!
This dish looks absolutely delicious! And I love the first tender asparagus of the year.
AK, Genie, Ilva, and BNA, it tasted amazing. I’m eating the other half for lunch today. Thanks for visiting.
Oh my goodness. I’ll have ten servings, please.
With or without, you manage SO WELL anyway! Just look at this dish…I better make it to stop the drooling!
Wow, Kalyn — this looks divine. I’m going to have to try it!
🙂 Genie
The Inadvertent Gardener
This looks DELICIOUS!