Tomato-Gorgonzola Béchamel Baked Pasta

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So tonight I decided to try something a bit different.  I wanted to make a pasta dish with some shredded chicken I had left over from making fresh chicken stock this weekend.  Now I love a nice tomato sauce.  Heck, it’s even better with some vodka and cream added.  But tonight I wanted more than just that tangy tomato goodness.  A heavier creamier sauce.

So why not make two sauces and combine them in one amazing dish?  Not a bad idea.  I had some crumbled Gorgonzola cheese and felt it would make a great Béchamel sauce.  So I am making not one, but two pasta sauces and slightly combining to let them meld together into a creamy, tangy, slightly sharp pasta sauce.  The results were actually quite amazing.  Give this recipe a try and let me know what y’all think.

Ingredients

Béchamel Sauce

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 4 tablespoons flour
• 2 cups milk – warmed
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• pinch of salt
• 1/2 cup Gorgonzola Cheese – crumbled

Tomato Sauce

• 1 medium sweet onion – chopped
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 2 cloves of garlic – finely diced
• 1  5.5 ounce can tomato paste
• 4 cups of fresh tomato sauce – I used a quart of canned tomatoes I put up.
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1-2 cups cooked shredded chicken
• Olive oil

• 1 box of your favorite pasta

Instructions

1. Warm the milk in the microwave.  It will combine better in the flour/butter mixture than would cold milk.
2. In a sauce pan melt the butter over low heat and then whisk in the flour. Stirring constantly, cook  for about 5 minutes but make sure it doesn’t brown.
3. Slowly add in the warmed milk and garlic powder, whisking the entire time. Don’t stop whisking! Constantly stirring the sauce will keep it smooth. The mixture will thicken as you stir & cook.  Leave it a bit on the thin side.  It will cook/thicken more in the oven.
4. When it’s almost as thick as a normal Béchamel sauce, remove from the heat add the Gorgonzola Cheese and mix then set aside.

1. Put about a tablespoon of olive oil in a large pan and heat.  Add in the onion and herbs and continue to cook for 5 – 7 minutes until the veggies are softened and the herbs have become fragrant.
2. Add the garlic and cook for an additional minute or two.  Make sure you do not burn the garlic.
3. Add the tomato paste and allow to cook for 2-3 minutes to bring out it’s flavor.
4. Pour in your tomato sauce, add chicken and cook for 10 minutes so all the flavors meld together.
5. Remove from heat and set aside.

1. Cook according to the package direction minus a minute or two.  It will continue to cook in the oven.  You don’t want to over cook or it will become mush in the oven.