The Ultimate Sun-Dried Tomato Burrata Pasta: Your New Favorite Weeknight Indulgence
Welcome to a pasta dish that redefines creamy, decadent, and easy. Imagine a silky, vibrant sauce made from roasted red peppers and intensely flavorful sun-dried tomatoes, clinging perfectly to every piece of pasta. Now, picture a luscious ball of fresh burrata, torn open at the last minute, its creamy center melting into the warm dish, creating pockets of pure bliss. This Sun-Dried Tomato Burrata Pasta is more than just a meal; it’s a restaurant-quality experience you can create in your own kitchen in about 30 minutes. Whether you’re looking for a quick weeknight dinner, a romantic meal for two, or a dish to wow your guests, this incredible creamy burrata pasta recipe is your answer. Get ready to elevate your pasta game and discover why this might just become your new favorite dish.
Why You’ll Be Obsessed with This Recipe
This isn’t just another pasta dish. This Sun-Dried Tomato Burrata Pasta stands out for a multitude of reasons and will have you coming back for more, perhaps even joining the ranks of viral TikTok burrata pasta enthusiasts:
- Incredibly Flavorful Sauce: The combination of sweet roasted red peppers and tangy, umami-rich sun-dried tomatoes creates a sun-dried tomato pasta sauce with incredible depth of flavor that’s both bright and comforting. It’s a sophisticated twist on a classic tomato sauce, offering a vibrant foundation for our creamy cheese.
- Luxuriously Creamy (Without a Ton of Cream): We achieve a truly silky pasta sauce by blending the sauce ingredients and using a secret weapon: starchy pasta water. The final melt of fresh burrata adds a level of creaminess that is simply unparalleled, creating a rich, satisfying experience without needing heavy cream. This makes it a fantastic option for a creamy tomato sauce without cream.
- Quick & Easy for Weeknights: Don’t let the gourmet flavor fool you. This entire dish comes together in around 30 minutes, making it perfectly achievable for a busy easy weeknight pasta dinner. It’s one of those quick 30-minute pasta recipes that tastes like it took hours.
- Visually Stunning: The vibrant red-orange sauce, fresh green basil, and creamy white burrata make for a beautiful presentation. It’s a feast for the eyes as much as it is for the palate, promising a gourmet pasta at home experience. Plus, it’s a delightful vegetarian pasta recipe that truly satisfies.
A Closer Look at the Ingredients
Quality ingredients are the key to this dish’s success and will transform your Sun-Dried Tomato Burrata Pasta from good to absolutely phenomenal. Here’s what you’ll need and why each component is important.
The Stars of the Show
- Burrata Cheese: The heart of the dish. Look for the freshest burrata you can find. It should be soft and yield a creamy stracciatella filling when cut. This delicate fresh cheese is what makes our pasta with burrata cheese truly special.
- Sun-Dried Tomatoes: Use oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes for the best flavor and texture. Their concentrated sweetness and tang are irreplaceable. The oil they’re packed in is infused with flavor and can even be used in the sauce for an extra layer of richness.
- Jarred Roasted Red Peppers: A fantastic shortcut that adds a sweet, smoky depth to the sauce, transforming it into a luxurious roasted red pepper pasta base. Ensure they are drained well before using.
For the Silky Sauce Base
- Aromatics: Yellow onion and fresh garlic form the essential flavor foundation, building complexity for our sun-dried tomato pasta sauce.
- Pasta: Choose a shape with ridges or hollows to catch the luscious sauce, like Rigatoni with burrata, Paccheri, Penne, or Fusilli. These shapes are often considered the best pasta for creamy sauce because they hold every drop of deliciousness.
- Reserved Pasta Water: This is non-negotiable! The starch in the water helps emulsify the sauce, making it glossy, incredibly creamy, and ensures the sauce perfectly clings to the pasta. Learning the art of using pasta water in sauce is a game-changer.
- Herbs & Spices: Fresh basil for a touch of sweetness and vibrant aroma, and red pepper flakes for a gentle hum of heat that awakens the palate.
- Olive Oil: For sautéing the aromatics and adding richness to the sauce. A good quality extra virgin olive oil makes a difference.
Step-by-Step Guide to Perfection
Follow these simple steps to create your masterpiece Sun-Dried Tomato Burrata Pasta. We recommend reading through all the steps before you begin to ensure a smooth cooking process.
Step 1: Create the Vibrant Sun-Dried Tomato Sauce
Begin by gently heating 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Sauté the chopped yellow onion until soft and translucent, about 5-7 minutes. Add 3-4 cloves of minced garlic and 1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes, cooking for another minute until fragrant, being careful not to burn the garlic. Transfer this aromatic mixture to a blender. Add a 12-ounce jar of drained roasted red peppers, 1/2 cup of oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes (drained, reserving some oil if desired), and a handful of fresh basil leaves (about 1/4 cup). Blend until completely smooth and a vibrant red-orange hue. If it’s too thick, add a tablespoon or two of water or the reserved oil from the tomato jar to get it moving. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.
Step 2: Cook the Pasta to Al Dente
While making the sauce, bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a rolling boil. The water should taste like the sea – this is crucial for seasoning the pasta from the inside out. Add 1 pound of your chosen pasta (such as rigatoni with burrata, penne, or fusilli) and cook according to package directions, but aim for 1 minute *less* than the recommended time for a perfect al dente bite. Before draining, reserve at least 1 cup of the starchy pasta water. This “liquid gold” is essential for achieving a silky pasta sauce.
Step 3: Marry the Pasta and Sauce
Return the blended sun-dried tomato pasta sauce to the skillet and warm it over medium-low heat. Drain the pasta and immediately add it to the skillet with the sauce. Add about 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta water to start. Toss and stir vigorously for about 1-2 minutes. The starch in the pasta water will work its magic, helping the sauce emulsify and cling beautifully to the pasta, making it glossy and intensely flavorful. Add more pasta water, a tablespoon at a time, until the sauce reaches your desired consistency – luscious and coating, not watery.
Step 4: The Grand Finale: Add the Burrata
Turn off the heat. This is the moment for the star of our creamy burrata pasta recipe. Take your ball of fresh burrata and gently tear it into large pieces over the hot pasta. You can either gently stir some of the creamy stracciatella filling into the sauce for extra richness, or leave the pieces primarily on top to be distributed as you serve. The residual heat from the pasta will gently warm the burrata, causing its creamy interior to melt into delightful pockets of indulgence. Garnish generously with fresh basil leaves, a final drizzle of good quality olive oil, and freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately to enjoy the ultimate Sun-Dried Tomato Burrata Pasta experience.
Pro Tips for Restaurant-Quality Results
Achieving gourmet status for your Sun-Dried Tomato Burrata Pasta is easier than you think with these expert tips:
- Don’t Fear Salt: Salting your pasta water is crucial. It should taste like the sea. This seasons the pasta from the inside out and is the first layer of flavor, making a huge difference in the final taste of your decadent pasta dishes.
- Embrace the Pasta Water: We call it liquid gold for a reason. Always reserve more than you think you need (at least 1 to 1.5 cups). It’s the key to adjusting your sauce’s consistency without diluting the flavor, creating that perfect silky pasta sauce.
- Don’t Overcook the Pasta: Remember, the pasta will continue to cook for a minute or two in the hot sauce. Pulling it from the water when it’s perfectly al dente prevents a mushy final result. This ensures a delightful texture contrast with the creamy sauce and burrata.
- Serve Immediately: Burrata pasta is best enjoyed fresh, right after it’s made, when the cheese is perfectly melty and the sauce is hot and creamy. This is when the texture of the burrata truly shines.
Easy Variations and Substitutions
This Sun-Dried Tomato Burrata Pasta recipe is a fantastic canvas for creativity. Here are a few ideas to customize your creamy burrata pasta recipe:
- Add Protein: Stir in shredded rotisserie chicken, sautéed shrimp, or sliced Italian sausage for a heartier meal. Crispy pancetta or bacon bits would also add a delightful savory crunch.
- Pack in More Veggies: Sautéed spinach, wild mushrooms, cherry tomatoes (added towards the end), or zucchini would be delicious additions. Add them to the skillet after the onions have softened, or simply fold in fresh arugula at the very end for a peppery kick.
- Make it Spicy: Increase the red pepper flakes or add a dash of Calabrian chili paste to the sauce for a fiery kick that complements the sweet tomatoes beautifully.
- Nutty Crunch: Top the finished dish with toasted pine nuts or chopped walnuts for added texture and a hint of earthy flavor.
- Different Pasta Shapes: While rigatoni with burrata is excellent, feel free to experiment with other shapes. Even spaghetti with sun-dried tomatoes can be wonderful, though the creaminess might cling differently.
Serving, Storing, and Reheating
Make the most of your Sun-Dried Tomato Burrata Pasta with these practical tips.
What to Serve with Burrata Pasta
A simple green salad with a bright lemon vinaigrette provides a refreshing counterpoint to the rich pasta. Crusty garlic bread or a warm baguette are perfect companions for soaking up every last bit of that delicious sun-dried tomato pasta sauce. These pairings are ideal for what to serve with burrata pasta.
How to Store Leftovers
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Note that the texture of the burrata will change upon reheating—it will melt in completely rather than remaining in distinct creamy pockets, but the flavor will still be fantastic.
Best Way to Reheat
Gently reheat the pasta in a skillet over low heat. Add a splash of water or milk to loosen the sauce and bring back its creamy consistency. Stir frequently until warmed through.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What is burrata and how is it different from mozzarella?
Burrata is a fresh Italian cheese that looks like a ball of fresh mozzarella. The magic is on the inside: while the outer shell is solid mozzarella, the inside is filled with a soft, creamy mixture of mozzarella curds (known as stracciatella) and rich cream. This creamy center is what sets it apart, offering a much more luxurious and decadent texture, particularly when served with warm pasta. Essentially, it’s a mozzarella pouch filled with creamy goodness, elevating any pasta with burrata cheese dish.
Should burrata be served cold or warm in pasta?
For this dish, we add it to the hot pasta off the heat. This gently warms the burrata, causing its creamy center to melt beautifully and slowly into the sauce without becoming stringy or oily. You get the best of both worlds: warm, creamy pockets and the fresh, milky flavor of the cheese. This method is key to achieving the desired creamy texture when considering how to melt burrata in pasta perfectly.
Can I use fresh tomatoes instead of sun-dried?
While possible, using fresh tomatoes would create a very different dish. Sun-dried tomatoes provide a concentrated, intense, and distinctly sweet-tart flavor that fresh tomatoes simply lack. Their umami depth is crucial to the profile of this Sun-Dried Tomato Burrata Pasta. If you were to use fresh, you’d be making a fresh tomato sauce, which would require different cooking times, techniques, and result in a lighter, less intense flavor.
What’s the best pasta shape for this dish?
Tube-shaped pasta like rigatoni with burrata or penne, or twisted shapes like fusilli, are excellent choices because their ridges and hollows capture the creamy sauce perfectly. Other great options include paccheri, casarecce, or even orecchiette. The goal is a shape that can scoop up and hold onto the rich silky pasta sauce, making every bite delicious.
How can I make this sauce even creamier?
For an even more decadent sauce for your creamy burrata pasta recipe, you have a few options: you can add a splash of heavy cream or half-and-half to the sauce while it’s heating in the skillet, just before you add the pasta. Alternatively, stirring in a tablespoon or two of mascarpone cheese will add a luxurious richness and a velvety texture without diluting the vibrant flavors. Don’t forget the power of using pasta water in sauce generously, as its starch content is naturally a fantastic thickener.
For more daily recipes and tips, follow us on Facebook!
Click here to join our community!