Sage Meatballs with Gorgonzola Walnut Sauce

So as with most Rachel Ray recipes, this recipe looks like it has about 50 ingredients. Relax, it’s only 19. J I love Rachel but I think her recipes can look a little intimidating due to the long list of ingredients. Well, it’s usually all worth the fuss because her recipes turn out great and if you just try one little thing, it will make it way easier… be your own Sous chef and prep all of your ingredients before you get started. It will make everything move along much smoother. 

Getting back to business… I found this Rachel recipe on foodnetwork.com. Really, the only change I made was making the meatballs from lean ground turkey instead of ground veal.  Cancy & I both thought it turned out pretty good. I hope you like it.

Sage Meatballs with Gorgonzola Walnut Sauce

1 pound gemelli pasta or other short cut pasta

Salt

1 pound ground veal

1 egg

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

6 to 8 sage leaves, finely chopped, a couple of tablespoons

1/2 cup bread crumbs, a couple of handfuls

1/3 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, eyeball it

Ground black pepper

Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

3/4 cup chopped walnuts, divided

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/2 cup dry white wine

1 cup chicken stock

1 cup cream

1 cup Gorgonzola, crumbled

3 to 4 cups (1 bunch) arugula or baby spinach, cleaned and trimmed

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Place water on to boil for pasta. When it comes to a boil, salt the water and cook pasta to al dente. Drain.

While pasta is working, place veal in a mixing bowl and add to it the egg, garlic, sage, bread crumbs, cheese, nutmeg and salt and pepper, to taste. Drizzle a little extra-virgin olive oil into the bowl, mix and roll small 1-inch balls. Arrange balls in a single layer on a nonstick cookie sheet and bake 8 to 10 minutes in a hot oven until meat is golden and firm.

Toast the walnuts and place them into a food processor. Grind the walnuts and reserve.

In a deep skillet over medium heat melt butter. Whisk flour into butter and cook a minute then whisk in wine and reduce by half. Whisk in stock, when it bubbles and begins to reduce, stir in the cream and reduce heat to medium low. Simmer to thicken the sauce a bit, 2 to 3 minutes, melt in the Gorgonzola and stir in the ground walnuts then season the sauce with pepper, to taste, and maybe a pinch of salt.

Shred the greens into thin strips.

Toss the pasta with the sauce. Serve pasta garnished and topped with a generous mound of greens to mix in as you are eating.