Copy of Olive Garden's Steak Gorgonzola Alfredo

One of Matt's favorite dishes at the Olive Garden is the Steak Gorgonzola Alfredo.  I have to confess it is really quite wonderful (I have them leave out the gorgonzola- so mine's just Steak Alfredo), quite calorie laden, but wonderful.  The marinated steak with the yummy balsamic glaze that ends up getting mixed in with the alfredo--- with the sweet little sun dried tomatoes on top....tastes like a little bit of heaven.  I always have to ask them to bring me the sun dried tomatoes- because for whatever odd reason, if you ask to get it without the gorgonzola, they leave out the sun dried tomatoes, too.  But they add a lot to the overall flavor, so it's totally worth asking for them! 

So, for Father's Day, when Matt asked for hamburgers, knowing that Matt would have to cook his own dinner because I can never cook his meat the way he wants it on a grill (since I'm a "well done, no pink" girl, and he's a "medium rare" bloody plate (ok, juice) guy, he would have to cook it.  So I changed out the dinner menu on him knowing that he loves this meal.  The homemade version is just about as good as the restaurants--- which is always a plus.  It is definitely one that you can't enjoy very often, but when you do....it is really good.  We had it with rosemary bread and olive oil/balsamic dipping sauce, and an olive garden (copy) salad, of course!  Sam's Club started selling Olive Garden's Italian dressing, and since then we have been enjoying a lot of Olive Garden-ish salads!  The irony here is that Matt still had to cook the meat despite my intentions that he not cook his own meal!  I guess in my mind it was different because I had to do a lot, too.   AND IT WAS STEAK!   :) 

Marinated Steak with Balsamic Glaze

(Ihis is also great alone- without the alfredo- as the meat in a meal!  So good!)

Top Sirloin Steak, cut into 2" pieces (1-2 pounds)

1 1/2 cups Italian Dressing (I used the Good Season's dry packet made into dressing- the whole thing)

2 Tbs. lemon juice

1 tsp. dried Rosemary, crumbled as much as you can

Mix the dressing, lemon juice, and rosemary together into a gallon sized ziploc bag.  Add the meat and toss.  Let marinate for 2-3 hours in the refrigerator, turning occasionally.  When almost ready to eat, grill as you prefer. 

Balsamic Glaze:  In a small saucepan, stir together 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar, 1/2 cup water, 2 Tbs. brown sugar and 1 Tbs. honey.  Simmer until the water has cooked off and it is a little thicker.  Be careful to not burn it or let it cook too long.  Let cool.  When serving the steak, drizzle the balsamic over it. 

My Spinach Alfredo Sauce

1 pint heavy whipping cream

1 stick butter

3-4 Tbs. cream cheese

1 cup parmesan cheese

1/2 cup asiago cheese (opt.)

1/2 tsp. garlic powder (or one clove of garlic, minced)

a sprinkle of Lawry's seasoning salt

several grinds of pepper

1 cup of frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry or 2 cups of fresh spinach, chopped

(for Gorgonzola sauce, add 3 Tbs. gorgonzola)

Simmer (on medium low) the whipping cream, butter, cream cheese, garlic, salt, and pepper together.  Use a wire whisk to incorporate the butter.  Add the cheeses.  Simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring frequently.  Add a little milk if it is thicker than you want.  Add the spinach (and gorgonzola if you are making that kind of sauce), stir until it is mixed in.  Serve it with fettuccine noodles, cooked according to the package directions. 

Steak Gorgonzola Alfredo

To assemble the meal, place the fettuccine on the bottom, with the alfredo/gorgonzola sauce on top.  Place the steak pieces on top and drizzle those with the balsamic glaze.  Then sprinkle with chopped sun dried tomatoes (I recommend the kind that are in a plastic bag rather than stored in oil) and 1 Tbs. gorgonzola cheese (if you like the blue veined stuff).   If you are a mixed family (blue cheese lovers and haters) then serve it with the regular alfredo, and have the blue cheese lover put lots of gorgonzola on top of theirs!  :)  When storing leftovers in the fridge, store the alfredo sauce separately from the noodles or the noodles will absorb all of the sauce and when you reheat it, all the oils will separate out.  For best results with reheating, gently reheat separately and then put them together.