Indulgent, creamy, and packed with tangy Gorgonzola cheese, Olive Garden Steak Alfredo is a copycat recipe for the popular restaurant dish. Fettuccine in a creamy homemade Alfredo sauce, tossed with sun dried tomatoes and fresh spinach. Join me as I recreate this comfort food classic.
I love easy copycat recipes, this Copycat Olive Garden Chicken Pasta is the best, or you might try my popular Copycat Chipotle Chicken. And for dessert, make this White Chocolate Raspberry Copycat Nothing Bundt Cake or the Chocolate Bundt Cake.
If you know me (and this blog!) you know how much I love putting my own spin on favorite dishes so that I can whip them up in my own kitchen. That’s how I came up with this recipe — I tried it at Olive Garden and was completely sold!
Why You Will Love this Recipe
- I love pasta, I love steak, so this Olive Garden Steak Gorgonzola Alfredo is just what the doctor ordered, but sadly Olive Garden has now discontinued this flavorful dish.
- Okay – I’ll admit that my doctor probably wouldn’t be too happy if I ate this daily, but every once in a while is just fine! It’s all about moderation, am I right? My version of this dish is on the healthier side, as it is homemade and I use all fresh and organic ingredients.
- This Olive Garden Steak Alfredo recipe involves quite a few of ingredients but once you’ve gathered everything you need it’s very easy to create. You’ll be able to enjoy this dish in under one hour. Let’s get started!
Top Tips for the Best Copycat Steak Gorgonzola Alfredo
- Prep all of your ingredients ahead of time, once you start on the sauce, it comes together quickly and this will make short work of it.
- Place an oven safe dish into a warm oven (150 degree) while cooking the steaks, this will help them stay warm.
- If your creamy gorgonzola sauce thickens too much, add some pasta water, it will not only thin the sauce, but using pasta water will also help the sauce adhere to the pasta mixture.
- Serve family style or plate individually, twirling some fettuccine alfredo onto the plate, laying one or two medallions on top sprinkling with additional gorgonzola, sun-dried tomatoes and a drizzle of balsamic glaze.
Simple Olive Garden Steak Marinade Ingredients
- Steak | I have tried out this recipe with all sorts of cuts of beef: rib eye, sirloin, eye of round, and steak medallions. My preference; tenderloin beef medallions, everyone commented how tender they are and cut like butter!
- Balsamic | Balsamic vinegar appears twice in this Olive Garden Steak Gorgonzola recipe: for the meat, as well as a glaze over the finished dish. You may also choose to make your own balsamic reduction. See below for instructions.
- Italian Dressing & Herbs | This recipe calls for fresh rosemary and your favorite Italian dressing.
Simple Ingredients
- Marinated Steaks | I have tried out this recipe with all sorts of cuts of beef: rib eye, sirloin, eye of round, and steak medallions. My preference; tenderloin beef medallions.
- Gorgonzola | The star of this Olive Garden Steak Gorgonzola dish! It is one of the milder types of blue cheese, meaning a slightly tangy and creamy flavor.
- Parmesan | Opt for freshly grated parmesan if you can – it really does make a difference.
- Heavy Whipping Cream | I use organic heavy cream.
- Butter | Use regular or unsalted butter when you cook your meat (it’s a game changer!) and in your gorgonzola alfredo. Remember if it’s soft coming out of the fridge it’s not real butter.
- Sun-Dried Tomatoes | For a bit of sweetness. You can use sundried tomatoes in oil, or you can opt for a no-oil version.
- Spinach | Use fresh baby spinach, it’s tender, and full of flavor.
- Spices and Seasonings | This recipe calls for fresh rosemary, salt, pepper, garlic, nutmeg, and parsley, as well as your favorite Italian dressing to marinate the meat in.
Make your own Balsamic Reduction – it’s easy!
Also called balsamic glaze, this lightly sweet and tangy sauce adds amazing flavor to so many dishes! You might try it on my Caprese BLT’s or drizzled over these brussels sprouts.
In a small saucepan, add 1 cup balsamic vinegar and if desired, optional ¼ cup brown sugar.
Bring to a low simmer, stirring occasionally until reduced by half, if you add sugar it will take about 8 minutes or so, if you just use balsamic vinegar it will take twice as long. It should coat the back of a spoon. Cool and serve drizzled over this delicious recipe. Store any leftovers in a jar.
Recommended Equipment
- Pan fried steaks are the best, but you want a heavy duty, even heating pan to get the best char on the outside. This Staub All-Day pan is my favorite pan, I use it for so many dishes, like this healthier Mongolian Beef.
- High-Sided Saute Pan like this one to make your homemade alfredo sauce, with plenty of room to toss the fettuccine around.
- Tongs & Pasta Fork sturdy tools in your kitchen make recipes such as this so much easier!
How to make Olive Garden Steak Gorgonzola
Step 1 Marinate the Steaks
Mix together the Italian dressing, balsamic vinegar, and rosemary.
Pat the meat dry and season steak with a little salt and pepper to taste. Marinate the steaks for 30 minutes at room temperature, or for up to 4 hours in the fridge. Place in a shallow dish, or for easier clean up in a baggie.
I used tenderloin steaks that were about 1 inch thick, and sliced them in half horizontally, so they were thinner, thereby cooking quicker. Do this before adding to the marinade.
Step 2 Boil Pasta
Boil a large pot of water, cook the fettuccine pasta to al dente according to package directions. Make sure you add salt to the water, but no oil*! Drain and set aside, making sure to reserve some pasta water to add to the sauce.
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Why you should never, ever add oil to your pasta water
It’s a common misconception that adding oil to your pasta water will decrease your chances of your pasta sticking. However; in reality it causes more harm than good. Adding oil to your pasta water actually creates a barrier on the pasta and makes it more difficult for sauce to adhere to the pasta, so don’t add oil to your pasta water!
To avoid clumpy pasta, instead, make sure to boil pasta in plenty of water (the package should tell you how much) and stir just after adding pasta to boiling water, returning to boil as quickly as possible, then stir occasionally while cooking.
If you need to unstick clumpy pasta, dip it briefly in just boiled water and drain immediately, or you can try microwaving it for a few seconds at a time, the steam created from microwaving should release the starches clumping it together.
Step 3 Make the Gorgonzola Alfredo Sauce
While the pasta is cooking, start on the sauce. In a large saute pan or pot, high sided is best, melt butter adding the garlic to saute for the last minute, then stir in the heavy cream.
Reduce the heat to low and add the nutmeg and parsley. Stir in the Parmesan and gorgonzola cheeses until melted and combined. Bring to a low simmer, then remove from heat.
Step 4 Cook the Steaks
Heat butter and olive oil in a large skillet (I love my Staub All-Day Pan!) over medium-high heat. Remove the steak medallions from the marinade, allowing excess marinade to drip off.
Add the steaks to the hot skillet and cook 2-4 minutes per side, depending on preferred doneness.
Remove steaks to a warmed plate and cover with foil, allowing them to rest for 5 minutes. Don’t skip this step!
Toss the cooked pasta, sun-dried tomatoes, and spinach in the Alfredo sauce. Turn until the pasta is coated, the spinach has wilted, and the sun-dried tomatoes are bright red.
Step 5 | Plating Steak Alfredo
Swirl a generous amount of the gorgonzola fettuccine and alfredo sauce onto a serving plate, then place portions of steak on top. Sprinkle with gorgonzola cheese, chopped sun-dried tomatoes, and a little fresh chopped parsley and don’t forget to add the balsamic drizzle. Enjoy!
Variations
- If you can’t find gorgonzola cheese, any type of blue cheese will work, but gorgonzola is a milder blue cheese.
- To make your Olive Garden Steak Alfredo a bit healthier, use low sodium Italian dressing. You can also use whole milk instead of heavy cream.
- Substitute Parmesan cheese for Romano or Asiago.
- Instead of fettuccine, you can use linguine or spaghetti. I actually used tagliatelle, because I couldn’t find fettuccine anywhere!
- Lite Olive Garden Steak Alfredo | Instead of using pasta, replace with spaghetti squash or zucchini zoodles. Then this becomes a keto or low-carb steak alfredo!
Pro Tips
- Make sure that the steak is at room temperature before you cook it!
- Don’t skip the nutmeg — it compliments the cheese sauce beautifully!
- If your sauce is too thick, add a few tablespoons of pasta water at a time to thin it out. Be sure to reserve at least a cup of pasta water. Pasta water will allow your sauce to stick to the pasta better.
Frequently Asked Questions
Olive Garden Alfredo sauce is made primarily with cream, Parmesan and Romano cheeses, and seasonings. You can stick with the basics, or you can add gorgonzola, mozzarella, or asiago. If you’re after a healthier version, use half-and-half instead of heavy cream.
To make your alfredo sauce thicker, you can add one of the following ingredients: cream cheese, Parmesan, shredded cheese, heavy cream, but as you add the pasta and other ingredients it will thicken more than you realize, so don’t do anything until you have tossed everything together.
Yes, you can substitute milk for heavy cream in Olive Garden Steak Gorgonzola Alfredo sauce if you want to save on calories, or if you simply want a lighter sauce. You could also use a combination of low-fat milk and neufchâtel cheese instead of cream.
What to serve with Olive Garden Steak Alfredo
- Try this Copycat Olive Garden Salad, or a simple crisp green salad with ranch dressing.
- Make this amazing garlic cheese bread or these copycat Olive Garden Breadsticks from my friend Amy.
- Make it even better and pair with Air Fryer Asparagus!
- Whip up a fun cocktail or mocktail
I hope you love this top secret recipe with the famous Olive Garden Alfredo sauce. You just cannot go wrong for a special occasion, like Valentine’s day or a romantic dinner; make this Steak Alfredo Olive Garden style.
More great copycat recipes:
- Copycat Panera Autumn Squash Soup
- Olive Garden Crock Pot Chicken
- Orange Scones
- Copycat Chipotle Chicken
- Panera Copycat Broccoli Cheese Soup
- Honey Bran Muffin
- Pumpkin Yogurt | Copycat Noosa
I hope you loved this Olive Garden Steak Gorgonzola — if you did, would you share your creation on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest? And be sure to comment below!
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Olive Garden Steak Alfredo
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Ingredients
Steak Marinade
- 1-2 pounds steak I used tenderloin; ribeye, butterflied filet mignon, sirloin, eye of round, medallions all work
- ½ cup Italian dressing use your favorite
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary chopped
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Cooking the steaks
- 1-2 tablespoons butter
- 1-2 tablespoons olive oil more or less depending on how much steak you are cooking
- Kosher salt and pepper to taste
Toppings/Garnish
- Balsamic Glaze*
- 2 ounces Gorgonzola cheese or more
- Extra sun-dried tomatoes chopped
Gorgonzola Alfredo Sauce
- ½ cup butter unsalted (1 stick) May use salted, just reduce salt
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1 clove garlic smashed and minced (or replace with ½ teaspoon garlic powder)
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg try fresh grated!
- Kosher salt
- Black Pepper
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese fresh grated is best
- 1 tablespoon Italian Flat Leaf parsley chopped (curly parsley may be used)
- 4 ounces gorgonzola cheese crumbled
- 2 cups baby spinach
- 1 poud fettuccine pasta or similar, cooked and drained
- ¼ cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil or no oil
Instructions
- Mix together Italian dressing, balsamic vinegar, rosemary and whisk or place in jar shaking well to combine. Pat the steaks dry with paper towels and salt and pepper to taste.
- Place the steaks in gallon size baggie or in shallow glass baking dish* and pour marinade over the steaks, marinate on the counter for 30 minutes or in the fridge up to 4 hours. *If placing in shallow dish, be sure to lift steaks to get marinade under and flip in 15 minutes. If steaks have been in fridge for longer than 1 hour, remove and allow to come to room temperature for 30 minutes.
- Cook fettuccine according to package directions; do not add oil or butter to the water, but please add some salt. Cook to the lower side of al dente, the minimum number of minutes on the package. Drain* and set aside (reserve ½-1 cup pasta water to add to the sauce).
- While the pasta is cooking make the sauce. In a large (high sided) skillet or medium saucepan, add butter and melt, tossing the garlic in the last minute, stirring constantly until fragrant. Add the heavy cream over medium heat, stirring to combine. Reduce heat to medium-low then stir in nutmeg (garlic powder, if not using fresh garlic) and parsley. Don’t skip the nutmeg, it compliments the cheese sauce beautifully!
- Stir in the parmesan and gorgonzola cheeses, stirring until melted and combined. Taste, then add additional salt and pepper as needed. Bring to a low simmer, then remove from heat.
- Heat a large skillet (I love my Staub All Day Pan) to medium-high heat, add butter and olive oil to pan and melt.
- Remove steaks and allow excess marinade to drip off, add steaks and cook 2-4 minutes per side, depending on desired doneness. Remove steaks and place on warmed plate and cover with foil, allowing to rest 5 minutes.
- Add the cooked pasta, sun-dried tomatoes and spinach to the sauce; tossing until pasta is coated and spinach has wilted and sun-dried tomatoes are bright red. If alfredo sauce is too thick, add a few tablespoons of pasta water at a time until desired thickness.
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Notes
Make your own Balsamic Reduction – it’s easy!
Also called balsamic glaze, this lightly sweet and tangy sauce adds amazing flavor to so many dishes! You might try it on my Caprese BLT’s or drizzled over these brussels sprouts. In a small saucepan, add 1 cup balsamic vinegar and if desired, optional ¼ cup brown sugar. Bring to a low simmer, stirring occasionally until reduced by half, if you add sugar it will take about 8 minutes or so, if you just use balsamic vinegar it will take twice as long. It should coat the back of a spoon. Cool and serve drizzled over this delicious recipe. Store any leftovers in a jar.- Pro Tip 1 | Make sure that the steak is at room temperature before you cook it!
- Pro Tip 2 | Don’t skip the nutmeg — it compliments the cheese sauce beautifully!
- Pro Tip 3 | If your sauce is too thick, add a few tablespoons of pasta water at a time to thin it out. Be sure to reserve at least a cup of pasta water.
Nutrition
Allison
Soooo good! Just made this for the family this evening, everyone loved it! Thanks so much for sharing.
Loved reading this! Thank you so much, Allison!!
Nancy
I love Olive Garden and being to replicate this at home is a winner!
It’s a great one!
Andrea
This copycat recipe is so perfect. I love this olive garden meal and now I can make it at home. It turned out so good!
Yay! Thank you for sharing!
Kelley
This was so rich and creamy. It was the perfect meal for date night we loved it!
So glad you loved it, great for date night.
Beth
I’m getting so hungry just looking at this! I love all the rich flavors here, and it really does look exactly like the Olive Garden version.
Thank you!
Suja md
This was a such a delicious and easy recipe! So good!
So glad you liked it.
Tayler
This recipe is a spot on copycat! I’ve made it several times and it always turns out perfectly!
So glad to hear this Tayler, thanks for your sweet words!
Sue
I’m literally drooling…where has this dish been all my life??
Haha, right!?
Janessa
Steak Alfredo is one of my favourite dishes at the Olive Garden! I’m looking forward to making it at home.
I know you will love it!
Amanda Wren-Grimwood
I had been looking for a new steak recipe and this dish really inspired me. It was absolutely delicious and I loved the gorgonzola cheese.
So glad to hear that you loved it!
Ieva
This recipe is our absolute favourite way to cook steak! Love the gorgonzola and sundried tomato combination with the meat! Just lovely!
Thank you!!
Michaela Kenkel
Who needs to ever go to Olive Garden again?!?! This recipe was 1000% better than anything I have ever had there!! YUM!
Haha, I completely agree! So glad you loved it!
Mindy
6 stars!!
Mindy
This is so good my family wants me to make it again next week! I personally think it’s better than Olive Garden’s! The only disappointing thing is that there were no leftovers!
Yay, love hearing this!!
Julie Menghini
This is an amazing meal. I made it for some friends and they thought that I was a five-star chef. That creamy pasta with my favorite tenderloin is a meal worthy of a five-star restaurant!
Wahoo, that is great! Love hearing that Julie!
Tasia ~ two sugar bugs
This copycat steak Alfredo looks so perfect for a Sunday Dinner! I’ll definitely be adding it to my list!
Thank you Tasia, I agree wholeheartedly!!
Tristin
I adore ordering the steak Alfredo from Olive Garden, but don’t always feel like going out to eat. This came out even better than Olive Garden’s version!!
Thanks Tristin, I am so glad you loved it!