Roasted Tomato Pasta with Burrata

Roasted Tomato Pasta with Burrata is a flavorful feast for the eyes. Atop the hot bed of spaghetti are juicy roasted tomatoes, globs of burrata, and ribbons of fresh basil. It is a cheesy, decadent pasta perfect for weeknight meal or entertaining at home.

Confession: in the last couple of months, I have cut down my meat consumption to nearly no meat at all, just some fish and chicken. Not because I don't love meat (believe me, I do), but because we want to do our little part to help the environment by eating less meat. I'm interested in a challenge to create more tasty vegetarian recipes that meat lovers will love so much that they won't even notice it's meatless! This dish that definitely falls in that category: Roasted Tomato Burrata Spaghetti. It's one of those pasta dishes where you get a perfect bite of all ingredients every time (what I call a "mega bite").

Jump to:

• What's "al dente"?
• Ingredients
• Instructions
• Substitutions
• Variations
• Storage
• Equipment
• Top Tips
• Did You Like This Recipe?
• Roasted Tomato Pasta with Burrata
• Food safety

What's "al dente"?

Al dente literally translates to "to the tooth" in Italian. Al dente pasta is cooked until firm and is the ideal texture of pasta. Mushy pasta is the opposite of al dente (as in, the opposite of ideal) and doesn't have the right texture to pair with a soft sauce. Al dente pasta is perfect pasta.

The combination of the al dente pasta and tomato and burrata juices is just heavenly. It requires minimal babysitting and is a great weeknight meal!

Ingredients

• Pearl tomatoes - Have the perfect rich flavor and meaty texture to spread in pasta
• Extra Virgin Olive oil - A flavorful fat to cook the tomatoes and pasta in.
• Kosher Salt - Adds flavor to the pasta water.
• Garlic - An aromatic that adds a pungent kick.
• Burrata and burrata water - Burrata is a soft, rich Italian cheese. It has a mozzarella-like exterior and is filled with stracciatella, a creamy cheese. Adding the burrata water to the pasta makes the pasta noodles themselves delicious.
• Basil leaves - A mild and herby garnish.
• Spaghetti - A long noodle that can be coated in the cheesy sauce, such as spaghetti or bucatini.

See recipe card for quantities.

Instructions

Roasted Tomatoes

• Preheat the oven - Heat the oven to 400°F.  Place the tomatoes on a baking sheet with no less than an inch apart. Drizzle the tomatoes with 4 tablespoons of olive oil and sprinkle with 1-2 teaspoons of salt. Place in the oven and roast for 20-30 minutes, or until the tomatoes begin to burst open.
• Season the tomatoes - Place the tomatoes on a baking sheet no less than an inch apart. Drizzle the tomatoes with 4 tablespoons of olive oil and sprinkle with 1-2 teaspoons of salt.
• Roast the tomatoes - Place in the oven and roast for 20-30 minutes, or until the tomatoes begin to burst open.

Pasta

• Roast tomatoes - Heat the oven to 400°F. Place the tomatoes on a baking sheet. Drizzle the tomatoes with 3 tablespoons of olive oil and season with sea salt. Place in the oven and roast for 25-30 minutes, or until the tomatoes begin to burst open. Remove from the oven and set aside.
• Boil the pasta - In a large pot, bring 4 quarts of salted water to a rolling boil. Add spaghetti to the pot and cook until al dente per the pasta box instructions, stirring frequently. 
• Cook the garlic and tomatoes - While the pasta cooks, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a large pan or dutch oven over medium-low heat. Cook garlic in the pan until softened, about 30 seconds. Mix in the roasted tomatoes and cook for an additional minute. Turn the heat off and add the pasta directly from the pot to the pan. Toss in the basil and use tongs to toss the noodles in the tomatoes. Season with salt to taste.
• Add burrata - Use your hands to tear the burrata and add it across the top of the pasta. Cover the pan for 1 minute to let the burrata melt. 
• Serve and enjoy - Plate and serve immediately with Parmigiano-reggiano.

Substitutions

• Roasted Cherry Tomato Pasta - Replace cherry tomatoes with roasted cherry tomatoes.
• Tonnarelli - Substitute this type of pasta for spaghetti if you prefer a thicker pasta. Tonnarelli, also known as spaghetti alla chitarra, is great because it has a rough and textured surface that holds onto sauces well.
• Bucatini - Instead of spaghetti, use bucatini pasta to make Bucatini. Bucatini is a spaghetti-like noodle that has a hole in the center, which catches sauces well.
• Gluten Free Spaghetti - Use a gluten free spaghetti if you are gluten intolerant. We only recommend Garofalo Gluten Free Spaghetti, which tastes like traditional wheat based pasta.
• Homemade Pasta - Use homemade pasta from scratch instead of store bought spaghetti.

Variations

• Spicy - Add freshly ground pepper or red pepper flakes while cooking to imbue heat into the dish.
• Extra creamy - Add more Parmigiano-Reggiano and Pecorino cheese to make the dish extra creamy.

Storage

This slow roasted tomato pasta is best enjoyed immediately. However, if you have leftovers, store them in an air-tight container and keep in the fridge up to 2 days. To reheat leftovers, heat a teaspoon of olive oil in a pan over low-medium heat. Add the leftover pasta and use tongs to gently separate the pasta in the pan to cook. Place a lid on top of the pan and allow it to reheat, about 2-3 minutes.

Equipment

This roasted tomatoes recipe requires common kitchen essentials. To make this recipe, you need a cheese grater, tongs, measuring cup, skillet or non-stick pan, and medium or large pot or dutch oven. 

To explore more kitchen items to make your kitchen complete, head to our Kitchen Essentials Shop.

Top Tips

• Be sure to cook your pasta al dente and not overcook it so it has the perfect texture
• Before serving the pasta, make sure the sauce is well mixed in with the pasta so the sauce is on each piece of pasta.

Did You Like This Recipe?

If you enjoyed this roasted tomato pasta recipe, please rate and comment below. For more delicious pasta like this, check out these recipes:

• Traditional Bolognese Sauce (Ragù alla Bolognese)
• Cacio e Pepe with Burrata
• Uni Pasta (Sea Urchin Cacio e Pepe)
• Healthy Penne alla Vodka
• Eggplant Pasta (Pasta alla Norma)

Food safety

• Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
• Never leave cooking food unattended
• Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
• Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove

See more guidelines at USDA.gov.