Dinner, Recipes

Easy Burrata Pasta

Easy Burrata Pasta is simple yet elegant. Pair burrata cheese with a hearty tomato sauce for a weeknight dinner that’s on the table in minutes!

I’m in class 3 of 11 in my masters and entering week 4 of 8 of my current class. No one is counting. Really. To say life is busy is an understatement. Dinners have to be prepped and ready to go and simply heat and eat. This Easy Burrata Pasta does not disappoint. Anyone else out there feel they’re in the same boat? Don’t worry, I’ve got you covered with a few simple and easy dinner recipes to have dinner on the table in minutes!

Pasta is one of those meals that’s always easy to throw together. Consider it in your arsenal of meal rotations for the week. Love making themed meals to keep life simple, i.e., Meatless Monday, Taco Thursday, you get the drill However, as a vegetarian it’s really important to make sure there’s enough protein at the meal and when it comes to pasta, it’s super easy to eat more pasta than I need. Quantity and quality matter when it comes to carbohydrates. Enter burrata cheese and some pine nuts for the protein. Spinach and tomatoes for some fiber. And now we’re talking!

Grape tomatoes about to be cooked in olive oil

Ingredients: Easy Burrata Pasta

Fresh Pasta – You can use whatever pasta you like in all honesty. However, I’ve been treating myself to homemade pasta because it really does taste much better than the dried versions. One day when I have more time I’ll go back to making my own homemade.
Tomatoes – are in season in Florida October-May, whereas in other parts of the country summer is the season. The great thing about this recipe is that as the tomatoes cook/burst in the pan it’s almost as though they are slow roasting. So technically you could make this dish any time of the year!
Garlic – Love, love, love a good garlic oil. If for some reason you do not, simply leave the garlic out, however, this recipe’s flavor is based on the garlic and tomatoes marinating/slow roasting.
Burrata – is an Italian fresh mozzarella cheese that is filled with cream and cheese shreds, called staciatella. When you cut into the ball, the creamy cheese comes spilling out and really, it’s the perfect topping for a pizza, salad, or this pasta. If you aren’t eating animal protein, look for a vegan version of cheese that would be melty in the pasta dish. Burrata is higher in fat content, so you could simply use mozzarella here in this dish. However, if you’re aiming to impress, burrata is the way to go!
Spinach – any way I can add a vegetable into the dish I do. Spinach is an easy one that I’ll make ahead and heats up as well. Frozen spinach is also great and more economic (if you’re someone who buys the fresh and it ends up going to waste).

How To Make Easy Burrata Pasta

Prepare your ingredients – drain the burrata and let it warm to room temperature on the counter. Mince your garlic. Halve the grape tomatoes.
Toast the pine nuts – if you’re using, place a pan over medium heat. Add pine nuts to the hot pan and cook, stirring frequently, for 3-5 minutes, or until toasted and lightly browned. Remove the nuts from the pan and let them cool on a plate.
Cook garlic and tomatoes – Use the same pan you toasted the nuts and return to medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil. Let the oil begin to warm. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds or until fragrant. Make sure that it doesn’t brown and/or burn. Add tomatoes and ¼ teaspoon black pepper. Cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until tomatoes have released their juices.
Cook the spaghetti – while the tomatoes cook, add spaghetti to boiling water and cook according to the package directions (fresh takes just 2-3 minutes). As you are draining your pasta, make sure to reserve 2 tablespoons of the cooking water and add to the pan with the grape tomatoes. Drain spaghetti in a colander.
Cook spinach and add spaghetti – Add the spinach and cooked spaghetti to the pan with grape tomatoes. Stir together and cook 2-3 minutes, or until spinach has wilted. When I was younger I never liked ‘pieces’ of cooked tomato. Flash forward to my years as an adult and I do prefer it as you see above, pureed and no pieces, just a sauce. This is an extra step and not one you have to do, however, if you have kids that don’t like cooked tomato like me, this might be something to consider doing as an extra step.
Plate the dish – Serve spaghetti on a plate and garnish with the pine nuts. Place burrata cheese bundle on top of the pasta. Use a small knife to cut burrata open, season with a pinch of black pepper and/or red pepper flakes, and drizzle with a teaspoon of olive oil.

Easy Weeknight Dinners

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Easy Burrata Pasta

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Print Recipe

Easy Burrata Pasta is simple yet elegant. Pair burrata cheese with a hearty tomato sauce for a weeknight dinner that’s on the table in minutes!

Total Time: 20 minutes
Yield: 4 1x

Ingredients

Units Scale

8 ounces burrata
12 ounces grape tomatoes
2 garlic cloves
1 ounce pine nuts
8 ounce pasta
1 tablespoon olive oil

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Instructions

Prepare your ingredients – drain the burrata and let it warm to room temperature on the counter. Mince your garlic. Halve the grape tomatoes.
Toast the pine nuts – if you’re using, place a pan over medium heat. Add pine nuts to the hot pan and cook, stirring frequently, for 3-5 minutes, or until toasted and lightly browned. Remove the nuts from the pan and let them cool on a plate.
Cook garlic and tomatoes – Use the same pan you toasted the nuts and return to medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil. Let the oil begin to warm. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds or until fragrant. Make sure that it doesn’t brown and/or burn. Add tomatoes and ¼ teaspoon black pepper. Cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until tomatoes have released their juices.
Cook the spaghetti – while the tomatoes cook, add spaghetti to boiling water and cook according to the package directions (fresh takes just 2-3 minutes). As you are draining your pasta, make sure to reserve 2 tablespoons of the cooking water and add to the pan with the grape tomatoes. Drain spaghetti in a colander.
Cook spinach and add spaghetti – Add the spinach and cooked spaghetti to the pan with grape tomatoes. Stir together and cook 2-3 minutes, or until spinach has wilted. When I was younger I never liked ‘pieces’ of cooked tomato. Flash forward to my years as an adult and I do prefer it as you see below, pureed and no pieces, just a sauce. This is an extra step and not one you have to do, however, if you have kids that don’t like cooked tomato like me, this might be something to consider doing as an extra step.
Plate the dish – Serve spaghetti on a plate and garnish with the pine nuts. Place burrata cheese bundle on top of the pasta. Use a small knife to cut burrata open, season with a pinch of black pepper and/or red pepper flakes, and drizzle with a teaspoon of olive oil.