Burrata Pasta (Tomato Burrata Pasta)
This recipe is everything I love about Italian food. It uses just a handful of good-quality ingredients and transforms them into a quick, simple and delicious meal...
Servings: 2 servings
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- ¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- 300 g cherry tomatoes
- ½ tsp sugar
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 250 g dried linguine
- Handful of fresh basil chopped
To serve:
- 1 large ball of burrata cheese torn
- Fresh basil
- Parmesan freshly grated
- Crushed red pepper flakes to taste
- Olive oil for drizzling
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large non-stick frying pan set over a low-medium heat. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring often.
- Add the tomatoes with a generous pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper. Stir well to coat in the oil. Leave to cook for a few minutes or until they begin to soften and show signs of bursting.
- Add the sugar, then smoosh the tomatoes with the back of a wooden spoon gently to encourage them to break down.
- Meanwhile, bring a pan of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta until al dente, you want it to still have quite a bite to it as you will finish cooking the pasta in the sauce. Reserve a cup of the cooking water and drain well.
- Add the pasta to the tomatoes, then toss to fully coat the pasta. Add a splash of pasta water, as needed, to create a smooth and silky sauce. Sprinkle in the chopped basil and season to taste.
- Top with the burrata and garnish with fresh basil. Sprinkle over plenty of freshly grated Parmesan, a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes and a drizzle of olive oil, if wished. Bring to the table and serve (alternatively, spoon into bowls before topping with burrata, basil, Parmesan, red pepper flakes and olive oil).
Notes
A splash of balsamic vinegar works really well here instead of the sugar. It's always good when you're cooking with tomatoes to add a little sugar or sweetness of some kind as it brings out the flavour and is a small thing but makes a big difference.
Always slightly under cook your pasta if you're going to toss it through a sauce to finish it as otherwise by the time you've done this it will be overcooked.
Any pasta shape will work here