Pasta with Gorgonzola Sauce and Beef Tenderloin (EASY Valentine’s Recipe)

Creamy Gorgonzola Pasta is tossed with balsamic beef tenderloin for the ultimate pasta dinner! Serve with a salad or roasted vegetables for a complete meal. This recipe can be prepared gluten-free.

This recipe was originally published February 15, 2010. It’s been updated with new photos and additional information for clarity.

Creating This Gorgonzola Pasta Recipe

This Valentine’s Day did not turn out nearly as romantic as I had envisioned it, but these things happen.

We did enjoy a wonderful dinner — thanks to this recipe for pasta smothered in gorgonzola sauce — even if our 4-year-old was at the table with us, the kitchen was a mess with dishes, and the family room was strewn with toys.

We had a great, candle lit, fireplace glowing, music playing dinner last year. I guess we’ve used up our quota for a while. Such is the life when you have two darling children.

Regardless of the lack of romance in the atmosphere, this gorgonzola pasta with beef tenderloin did taste wonderful and was definitely something worth blogging about.

I was so lucky that filet mignon was on sale at Sunflower Market and that I was able to get a small 1 pound package for this meal. A little bit goes a long way. The meat is so incredibly tender even though you hardly do a thing to it.

The whole recipe for gorgonzola cream sauce pasta comes together incredibly fast, as it should since my original plan was to make dinner while my husband was upstairs putting kids to bed.

Then, surprise him with the whole shebang (or maybe that wouldn’t be a surprise since that is what I did last year), but oh well. It wouldn’t be any fun if life was perfect every day!

Ingredients for the Gorgonzola Pasta

The beef tenderloin and gorgonzola pasta sauce require a little TLC, but everything comes together quickly once you start the recipe. Here’s what goes into this romantic pasta dinner:

• Filet mignon
• Balsamic vinegar
• Brown sugar
• Salt and pepper
• Olive oil
• Butter
• Half and half
• Chicken broth
• White wine
• Gorgonzola cheese
• Parmesan cheese
• Pasta of choice

For the complete ingredient list and detailed instructions, don’t forget to scroll to the bottom of this post for the FREE printable recipe card.

How to Make Gorgonzola Pasta with Beef Tenderloin

Here are the basic steps to making this gorgonzola cream sauce pasta:

1. Toss the filet mignon medallions with some balsamic vinegar, brown sugar, salt, and pepper. Let rest in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
3. In a pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the beef and cook without turning for 2-3 minutes, or until browned. Turn and repeat.
4. Remove from heat and cover to keep warm.
5. Combine the butter, half and half, chicken broth, and white wine in a saucepan. Bring to a slow simmer and stir in the Parmesan and Gorgonzola.
6. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Let simmer for 2 minutes.
7. Toss the pasta with the gorgonzola sauce and filet mignon medallions. Garnish with additional Gorgonzola.

The above is simply a quick summary of this recipe. Check out the free printable card at the bottom of this post for all the detailed instructions.

Can This Recipe Be Made Gluten-Free?

Yes, simple substitute your favorite gluten-free pasta. We love the Trader Joes Organic Brown Rice and Quinoa Fusilli Pasta, but there are a lot of gluten-free options when it comes to pasta even in your regular grocery store these days.

For a pasta-free version, you could use Spaghetti Squash in place of the pasta.

What is the Best Wine for Making this Gorgonzola Pasta

In this recipe for Pasta with Gorgonzola Sauce and Beef Tenderloin wine is key because that’s what makes up part of the liquid for the sauce. You’re going to want to make sure you use a dry white wine in this gorgonzola pasta recipe. 

If you aren’t a wine drinker, “dry” is equivalent to a wine not being sweet. Using a sweet wine in this recipe wouldn’t work well with the sauce for this creamy gorgonzola pasta. 

You might be wondering what type of white wine you should use when a recipe calls for a “dry white wine.” I recommend Sauvignon Blanc as my first choice for making this pasta recipe. You can also use an unoaked Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio or Pinot Gris.

Can the White Wine Be Omitted?

Yes, you can omit the white wine in this gorgonzola cream sauce and choose to substitute it with additional chicken broth. Just note that omitting the wine will make for a less rich gorgonzola sauce.

If consuming alcohol is a concern, there are several alcohol-free wines on the market these days. I recommend looking for one of those over omitting the wine.

Can I Add Anything Else to this Recipe?

This Gorgonzola Pasta with Beef Tenderloin is pretty amazing as it is. But, if you’d like to add other ingredients, I recommend trying a few pinches of fresh thyme, some sautéed mushrooms, and/or prosciutto.

Typically I don’t recommend making a bunch of substitutions when preparing a new recipe. When making substitutes, you won’t know if you don’t like the recipe or if the recipe didn’t turn out due to a preparation mistake, an ill effect from the substitute, or something else.

However, if you do choose to make substitutions in a recipe, I recommend only making one substitute at a time so you don’t have a building effect of multiple poor substitutions.

Tips for Making Gorgonzola Cream Sauce Pasta

• Salt the pasta water. I like to add 1-2 tablespoons of salt to the water for every pound of pasta that I’m cooking. Seasoning the pasta makes the whole dish taste better. I prefer to use kosher salt or coarse sea salt.
• Cut the beef into uniformly sized pieces. The meat will cook more evenly if they are all approximately the same size vs. if you have different sizes some will end up more or less done than others.
• Use fresh grated parmesan. The pre-shredded cheeses often have anti-caking agents added. You’re better off purchasing a block of parmesan and grating it yourself. It’s usually cheaper in the long run this way, too.

What to Serve with Pasta in Gorgonzola Sauce

There are tons of great side dish options to serve with this recipe. Here are a few of my favorite options:

Sautéed Asparagus

Just before serving the pasta, I threw some asparagus into the pan I cooked the beef in. I sauteed it for a minute, poured in a few glugs of white wine, and put the lid on it.

After steaming it for a minute or two, I seasoned with salt and pepper to taste. Serve the asparagus drizzled with some of the pan drippings you cooked it in.

Roasted Veggies

You could also serve this pasta in gorgonzola sauce with roasted vegetables.

Our easy go-to veggie sides are roasted broccoli, roasted green beans, roasted brussels sprouts, and roasted asparagus. You basically follow the same method in all the options – toss with olive oil, salt, pepper, and roast.

Side Salad

Italian Mixed Greens Salad is a mix of arugula, radicchio and baby kale is tossed with a simple lemon Dijon vinaigrette and topped with crispy prosciutto and fresh shaved parmesan.

Do you love Olive Garden’s famous house salad? Learn how simple it is to make at home with this Olive Garden Salad Recipe so you can enjoy your favorite flavors at home!

A side salad doesn’t have to be fancy though. We often use mixed greens, lettuce, cucumber, shredded carrot, and tomato for a basic side salad. Check out these 3 Simple Salad Dressing Recipes to go along with your salad.

What Readers Are Saying

“Made this dish tonight with leftover tenderloin – it was delicious! Served greens and heirloom tomatoes tossed in balsamic vinaigrette on the side. Perfection!” — Rhonda

“Just got finished making and eating this! So delicious and EASY to make! Thank you for posting this!” — Ashley

“Mmmm. Made this for dinner tonight, but used blue cheese, since I had it on hand. So yummy. My kiddos loved the steak.” — Stephanie

More Easy Pasta Dinners:

Looking for more easy pasta recipes? Here are a few of my favorites:

This super simple One-Pot Pasta features fresh spinach and sun dried tomatoes for a pop of flavor and color. 

One Skillet Baked Ziti with Meat Sauce is the perfect, easy comforting pasta dish. 

Chuck roast is cooked until tender with garlic, herbs, and plenty of tomatoes in this Instant Pot Italian Beef Ragu with Pappardelle for a delicious and hearty family pasta night recipe.

A simple, just-spicy-enough Arrabbiata Sauce you can make from pantry ingredients. Serve it with anything — chicken, sausages, pasta, even your morning eggs!

These Chicken Lasagna Roll Ups are stuffed with chicken, artichoke hearts, and sautéed mushrooms. The rolls are then smothered in a roasted garlic creamy white sauce.

Don’t see what you’re looking for here? You can always head over to check out the recipe index to look for more recipes.

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Photography: photos taken in this post are by Rachael from Set the Table.