How to Make Burrata Pasta in 3 Steps

Parmesan makes a good cheesy base in a pasta sauce or grated on top of a fresh bowl of spaghetti, but when you’re looking for something new, it doesn’t quite have that panache. Luckily, we have an upgraded noodle dish that’s as simple as it is delicious: burrata pasta.

In case you couldn’t get enough of burrata pizza or burrata ravioli, this pasta is here to be your new favorite cheesy, carbohydrate-filled plate of goodness.

What Is Burrata Pasta?

There’s no difficult sauce to simmer all day long and no grated heap of fresh Parmesan to whisk until incorporated. Burrata pasta is a simple pasta dish made with cooked tomatoes, burrata cheese, fresh basil and noodles like fussili, spaghetti, bucatini or fusilli col buco.

Instead of the nutty, sharp flavor of Parmesan cheese, burrata cheese offers this dish a buttery, creamy softness. It makes the dish feel like a comfort food and elegant dinner all at once, so you’ll definitely want to keep this in your recipe rotation.

How to Make Burrata Pasta

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Ingredients

• 8 ounces uncooked fusilli pasta
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 8 ounces burrata cheese, torn
• 1/4 cup minced fresh basil
• Crushed red pepper flakes, optional

Tools You’ll Need

• Pasta Fork: We’ve all been there—the pasta craving hits when the dishes are stacked up from the last couple days and your serving utensils are nowhere in sight. You try using a spoon only to have the noodles slip back into the pot. Do the thing, buy the pasta fork, and use it for these special pasta occasions.
• Frying Pan: Frying pans with high walls are great when you’re cooking things like slippery noodles and tomatoes. You can shake, stir and toss without any spillage.
• Olive Oil Dispenser: Who doesn’t love a kitchen product that’s both useful and aesthetically pleasing? Transfer olive oil out of a large bottle and keep this dispenser near your stove at all times. That way, you’ll never be without it when you need to drizzle the pan with more!

Directions

Step 1: Cook the pasta

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Cook the fusilli noodles according to the package directions.

Step 2: Soften the tomatoes

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While the noodles cook, heat oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add the tomatoes and stir until just softened, about three to four minutes. Sprinkle in the garlic, salt and pepper, and cook for one minute longer.

Step 3: Combine the ingredients

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Drain the pasta, reserving 1/4 cup of that starchy water to really bring the flavors of the sauce out. Add the pasta and pasta water to the softened tomatoes, and stir to combine. Remove the skillet from the heat, and then stir in the bits of burrata and basil. Garnish the dish with red pepper flakes if you like a bit of heat and added flavor.

Tips for Making Burrata Pasta

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Can you use any type of pasta in this recipe?

Pretty much! We used fusilli because the spirals help catch the gooey burrata cheese without it slipping to the bottom of the bowl, but any curly noodle will do. When you’re in a pinch and forgot to buy special noodles, go ahead and use spaghetti or bucatini.

What kind of meat would go well in burrata pasta?

If you’d like to pack this dish with protein, you can mix and match recipes, and use the base for this recipe with a hearty Italian meat sauce. Ground beef and ground turkey would pair well with the creamy burrata.

What kind of vegetables would go well with burrata pasta?

If you want to add fresh produce to this dish, go all in with some greens. Spinach, zucchini, broccoli and kale would all be fantastic veggies in a burrata pasta dish. Saute the greens with the tomatoes so they soften as well, then combine with the pasta and burrata as normal.