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This upscale burrata pasta with tomato, fresh basil, and balsamic vinegar comes together in under 20 minutes for a quick and easy date night dinner.
Burrata with pasta might just be one of our favorite pairings. It’s super creamy and decadent, which easily elevates any pasta dish without any extra effort. Paired with sweet balsamic, fresh basil, and juicy blistered tomatoes, this burrata pasta recipe is simply the best way to enjoy fresh, flavorful ingredients without the fuss.
What This Recipe Entails
All you have to do is make a quick sauce with blistered tomatoes, white wine, olive oil, and balsamic while the pasta boils. There’s virtually no prep involved in this recipe, so it comes together quickly and easily.
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 10 to 15 minutes
Ingredients
All you need is a few simple, fresh ingredients to make tomato burrata pasta:
Sweet grape tomatoes – Grape tomatoes are the perfect size for blistering and serving whole in pasta, but they can be quite sour, so make sure to look for the sweet variety. Sweet cherry tomatoes will also work just fine.
White wine – You’ll use this to deglaze the pan and make the sauce, so make sure to choose a dry white wine you enjoy the flavor of, because you will taste the difference! We find that a mid-tier sauvignon blanc or pinot grigio works well. (As Alice Waters says in her MasterClass, only cook with wine you would drink!)
Olive oil – We use 2 kinds of olive oil in our recipe: a lower quality one for cooking, and a high quality extra virgin olive oil for finishing. You can always use the extra virgin olive oil for both steps, but we like to save the good stuff for applications where you’ll actually taste it.
Balsamic vinegar of Modena – This high-quality variety of balsamic vinegar, produced in Italy, is deliciously thick and glossy – perfect for drizzling over upscale dishes like this burrata pasta!
Burrata – You can usually find burrata near the fresh mozzarella in the grocery store. Buy a super fresh, local burrata if you can for the best flavor.
Fresh basil – Fresh herbs are a must in this dish! Add some chopped basil to the sauce and garnish your plate with whole leaves for a bright and beautiful flavor.
Pasta shells – Medium shells work best for scooping up delicious bites of tomato and burrata. We tried this recipe with lots of different pasta shapes and recommend sticking with shells for the best experience.
Boil the pasta. Cook the shells in a large pot of salted water according to the package directions.
Blister the tomatoes. Cook whole grape tomatoes with garlic and olive oil over medium-high heat, turning the tomatoes over occasionally, until their skins are soft and wrinkly and their juices are beginning to release.
Deglaze and simmer. Add the white wine and scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spatula to release any burned-on bits of garlic, then lower the heat to a simmer. Stir in the basil and salt and simmer until fragrant.
Finish. Add EVOO and balsamic vinegar to the sauce, then remove from heat. Add the pasta shells to the sauce and toss to combine.
Serve. Portion the pasta out into shallow bowls for serving. Top each dish with a few dollops of burrata cheese, a generous drizzle of balsamic vinegar, and fresh basil leaves. Serve immediately.
Serving Suggestions
Date night dinner for two – Pair this elegant pasta with your favorite wine and a side salad, or fresh Italian bread and dipping oils, for a romantic dinner at home. We love making this dish for Valentine’s Day dinner! Plus, it’s easy for home cooks of any level to make – so if you want to surprise your SO with a fancy dinner, you don’t have to stress about messing it up.
Easy weeknight dinner – Who says you need a special occasion to enjoy a fancy pasta dinner? We love that this recipe cooks in under 20 minutes. It’s perfect for weeknights when you want a little extra treat (because burrata ain’t cheap).
Summer dinner party – Celebrate the fresh, in-season flavors of tomatoes and basil with a summer dinner party on the patio. It’s easy to scale this recipe up and serve it to a crowd. Pair it with a bright limoncello spritz for a night to remember!
Our burrata pasta with blistered tomatoes makes a delicious date night dinner for two. Grab a bottle of wine and a loaf of bread, and give this recipe a try next time you’re craving a fresh yet indulgent pasta dinner!
Expert Tips
Cooking with wine – Only cook with wine you would drink! It can be tempting to cook with cheap wine since using “good” wine might feel like a waste – but it’s definitely worth it. Once you taste the difference, you’ll be happy to sacrifice a few ounces of your favorite vino for a dish like this burrata pasta. (And by “good” wine, we’re not necessarily talking expensive. Just pick a wine you actually enjoy – not one that tastes like grape juice that was left in the sun too long.)
Mise en place – The tomatoes and sauce cook quickly, so make sure to have all of your ingredients ready to go before you start cooking (known as mise en place). This will help you time everything appropriately.
Recipe timing – You don’t want the tomatoes to simmer in the wine for too long (trust us, wine-infused tomatoes aren’t as tasty as you might think), so wait to start cooking them until the pasta is almost done boiling. Or, if you don’t want to stress, start them once the pasta has already been boiled and drained.
Love this recipe? You may also enjoy these easy pasta recipes:
1teaspoonbalsamic vinegar of modenaplus extra for drizzling
4ouncesburrata
Fresh basil leavesfor garnish
Instructions
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta shells and cook according to package directions.
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Add tomatoes and minced garlic, then stir gently to combine. Cook until tomatoes are lightly blistered, about 2 to 3 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally to turn the tomatoes over. Their skins should be soft and wrinkly and the juices should just be starting to release.
Add the white wine, lower heat to a simmer and scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spatula to release any burnt-on bits of garlic. Stir in fresh chopped basil and sea salt and simmer for just a few minutes, until fragrant.
Add ½ tsp of the extra virgin olive oil and 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar. Stir gently to combine and remove from heat.
Drain the cooked pasta and toss with 1 tablespoon of the extra virgin olive oil. Then, transfer the cooked pasta to the skillet and gently toss to combine.
Portion out the pasta into serving dishes. Top each plate with a few dollops of burrata, a generous drizzle of balsamic vinegar, and fresh basil leaves. Serve immediately.
Notes
Pasta shells: Shells are the best pasta shape for this recipe – we tested a few different kinds to figure this out! They fill up with a delicious medley of sauce, tomatoes, burrata, and balsamic for tons of flavor in every bite.Deglazing: The white wine is used to deglaze the pan, which means the caramelized bits of garlic and tomato stuck to the pan will release. This adds extra flavor to the sauce and keeps these ingredients from burning. The flavor of your wine will come through, so make sure to use a wine you’d actually enjoy drinking – read more about this in our blog post above!Freshbasil: The fresh basil leaves are more than just a garnish in this recipe. They make a huge difference and add tons of flavor to this dish!Serving suggestions: We highly recommend serving this dish with a side of fluffy, fresh bakery bread – you can use it to soak up any extra sauce or cheese on your plate once the pasta is gone! Pair this pasta with your favorite wine and a side salad for an elegant date night at home. Or, make it for a summer dinner party, paired with a bright and refreshing limoncello spritz.Mise en place: The tomatoes and sauce cook quickly, so make sure to have all of your ingredients ready to go before you start cooking (known as mise en place). This will help you time everything appropriately.Recipe timing: You don’t want the tomatoes to simmer in the wine for too long (trust us, wine-infused tomatoes aren’t as tasty as you might think), so wait to start cooking them until the pasta is almost done boiling. Or, if you don’t want to stress, start them once the pasta has already been boiled and drained.
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Keyword balsamic vinegar, burrata, date night, fresh basil, garlic, olive oil, pasta shells, summer, tomatoes, valentine’s day, white wine
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Join the Conversation
Patricia Langdonsays:
We’re making this again tonight. Definitely one of our top ten favorite Candid Cooks recipes!
Still delicious! Definitely best with quality *sweet* grape tomatoes, fresh basil leaves and balsamic drizzle when served, and bread to sop up any extra sauce.
This dish was so easy to put together & delicious! It’s the perfect dinner for a busy weeknight. I used large pasta shells for this which were great for scooping up the tomatoes and burrata. Will definitely be making this again!
We’re making this again tonight. Definitely one of our top ten favorite Candid Cooks recipes!
Hope you enjoyed it! It’s one of our favorites too!
Still delicious! Definitely best with quality *sweet* grape tomatoes, fresh basil leaves and balsamic drizzle when served, and bread to sop up any extra sauce.
Glad you enjoyed it!
This dish was so easy to put together & delicious! It’s the perfect dinner for a busy weeknight. I used large pasta shells for this which were great for scooping up the tomatoes and burrata. Will definitely be making this again!
Awesome, so happy you liked this recipe! The large pasta shells are definitely the way to go 🙂
Excellent! Nice to be introduced to burrata cheese! Really enjoyed this pasta dish, which goes great with the warm weather.
So glad you enjoyed it!! It is the perfect warm weather dish 🙂