Are you intrigued by the sound of pasta with blueberries? You should be & it’s very, very good!

Blueberries are one of my all time favorite things to eat. They are great out of hand & in all kinds of recipes.

Did you know you can make a delicious pasta dish with them as well? Oh you sure can! I learned this when I was in Napa a few weeks ago with the US Highbush Blueberry Council, our hosts there. This Creamy Blueberry Pasta will open your eyes & tastebuds to all of the amazing things you can cook with blueberries!

Myself, a few bloggers and a bunch of great folks from the K-12 foodservice industry were hosted in Napa Valley, CA to learn more about this popular berry. We spent 2 days at the Culinary Institute of America Greystone and learned all about foodservice trends & how to incorporate blueberries into healthy school lunches.

Not only was I educated by the staff at the school, but the foodservice folks were some of the most amazing people I’ve ever met. I was surprised to hear the volume of food they serve each day to America’s students. Meals need to taste great, be well balanced and very nutritious. That can be challenging with kids, but these folks are up for the test!

We all know that blueberries are great as they are & I often toss a few handfuls into my kids lunch boxes. I always have them in the house for snacks. What I learned was their versatility in all kinds of recipes such as: Asian-Style Blueberry & Chicken Lettuce Wraps, Mexican Lime, Blueberry and Chia Seed Water, Cornbread with Warm Blueberry Sauce, Grilled Corn & Blueberry Relish and many more.

It was educational to see all the creative ways these professionals could use fresh, frozen & dried blueberries in recipes.

Chef Lars Kronmark of the CIA, taught us so many unique ways to use blueberries. In this photo he’s making us Blueberry Breakfast Sausages which were out of this world!

After cooking school was over each day we spent time at the gorgeous Harvest Inn (owned by famous Chef Charlie Palmer.) The Inn is super relaxing and the bed was seriously the most comfortable one I’ve ever slept in!

The group I was with was super fun & we got to know each other even better over delicious food & wine each evening.

One of the nights we dined at the oldest winery in Napa called V. Sattui Winery. This family owned business was started in 1885 and makes more than 60 different wines with dozens of 90+ point rated wines among its current vintages. As you can imagine, the food & wine was fantastic!

It was there that I tried a blueberry pasta dish, quite like this one that I developed. I made a creamy cheese sauce and the blueberries are tossed in at the end of cook time. If you can make your own pasta I suggest you do that, that’s how they served it at the winery.

Another special treat was meeting some of the local Napa kids ages 8-12 who joined us for a special blueberry luncheon at the CIA. The visiting food service professionals created a whole lot of dishes with the all star ingredient: blueberries. The kids were asked to taste all the dishes & share their opinions. Recipes ranged from sweet to savory, breakfast & lunch. The kids responses were so cool! They loved the food & the blueberry inclusions. It really is amazing how kids open their minds when we allow them to.

I hope you enjoy this recipe & remember to add blueberries to your meals! You can follow the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council on Twitter & Instagram too.

For Recipe Details Click Here.

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Disclosure: I was invited on this trip by the US Highbush Blueberry Council, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

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