Tomato Basil Pasta with Burrata
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This Tomato Basil Pasta with Burrata is made with simple ingredients, ready in 35 minutes, and full of flavor! Pasta, lean ground chicken, spinach, and fresh basil come together in a perfectly seasoned tomato sauce. Served with creamy burrata, this easy pasta dish will elevate your weeknight!
About This Recipe
This Tomato Basil Pasta with Burrata is made with mostly pantry ingredients and simple flavors get elevated when combined together. Topped with torn pieces of gooey, torn burrata cheese, this simple dinner will make your weeknight feel special!
While I’ve made the tomato sauce spicy, you can tailor the heat level to your preference and make this dish as spicy or mild as you like.
This dish comes together in about 35 minutes and can also be customized with your favorite protein – think ground Italian sausage, lean ground beef, turkey, pork, or a plant-based protein to make it vegetarian too.
Why You’ll Love It
- Quick and easy! Perfect for weeknights and ready in 35 minutes.
- High protein. 47.9 grams per serving if serving 2 as a main or 32 grams if serving 3 with other side dishes.
- Delicious! Spicy tomato basil sauce, lean ground chicken, pasta topped with creamy and luscious burrata. It tastes just as good as it sounds!
Table of contents
Ingredient Notes and Substitutes
- Aromatics: Yellow onion, fresh garlic and red chilies for the base. I used Thai Bird’s Eye red chilies but any variety is fine. Use less or omit the chilies for a milder dish.
- Veggies & Fresh Herbs: Fresh basil, fresh oregano, and baby spinach. I had fresh oregano on hand so used it here but dried oregano worked just as well during testing this recipe so feel free to use it instead! Baby spinach adds nutrients and greenery but baby kale or arugula for a slightly peppery flavor would also work.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Or use regular olive oil or your preferred cooking oil.
- Lean Ground Chicken: I used homemade minced chicken breast which I make in my food processor. Store-bought ground chicken is perfectly fine and convenient if easily available to you!
- Pasta: I used De Cecco brand Galletti n°44 but any short-cut pasta shape is fine. Penne, rigatoni, cavatapi, fusilli, etc. are great options.
- Double Concentrated Tomato Paste: Adds a robust, rich tomato flavor to the tomato basil sauce.
- Passata: A smooth and silky tomato sauce that’s made by crushing tomatoes without the seeds and skin. The only other ingredient besides tomatoes might be salt. It’s known as strained tomatoes or tomato purée in the USA and is available in cartons or large glass bottles. It’s different from tomato sauce, which has added seasonings.
- Seasonings & Spices: Kosher salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning, smoked paprika (use hot for a spicier flavor or sweet for a milder flavor), crushed red pepper chili flakes and ground cayenne for a kick of heat. Adjust chili flakes and cayenne to taste or omit for a milder flavor.
- Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese (or Parmesan cheese): Freshly grated from a block so that it melts evenly. Plus, fresh grated always has the best savory, nutty flavors!
- Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese Rind (optional): Adds extra deep, savory, and complex notes to the tomato sauce like in my Spicy Vodka Ravioli Soup. If you have it on hand and , use it! If not, no worries – the sauce will still be plenty flavorful!
- Unsalted Butter: Stirred in at the end to add richness.
- Mini Burrata Cheese: Burrata is a round cheese ball that has a tender outer shell and gooey, flowing center called stracciatella. We’ll serve this pasta dish with torn mini burrata for a creamy and luscious cheese topping! Any size will work but I love the using the mini ones for individual portions. Feel free to use fresh mozzarella ball(s) instead.
Tomato Basil Pasta with Burrata
This Tomato Basil Pasta with Burrata is made with simple ingredients, ready in 35 minutes, and full of flavor! Pasta, spinach, and fresh basil come together in a perfectly seasoned tomato sauce and is served with melty, torn burrata.
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 20
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 2 1x
- Category: Pasta
- Method: Sautéing
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- ⅓ medium / 80 grams Yellow Onion (or use red onion) – finely chopped
- 3–4 cloves / 15 grams Garlic – minced
- 1–5 pieces / 3-15 grams fresh Red Chilies, to taste (optional – I used Thai Bird’s Eye red chilies but any variety if fine, omit for milder dish, note 1*) – finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons / 2 grams Fresh Oregano – chopped (substitute ½ teaspoon dried oregano)
- ½ cup / 10 grams fresh Basil, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons / 10 grams freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese (or Parmesan cheese)
- 5 ounces / 140 grams uncooked Short-Cut Pasta shape (I used De Cecco brand Galletti n°44 but any short-cut pasta shape is fine)
- ½ tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil (or your preferred cooking oil)
- 7 ounces / 200 grams Lean Ground Chicken (I used homemade minced chicken breast)
- ¼ teaspoon Kosher Salt, to taste
- ⅛ teaspoon freshly cracked Black Pepper, to taste
- 1 tablespoon / 15 grams Double Concentrated Tomato Paste
- 12 ounces (about 1–¼ cup) / 340 grams Tomato Passata (also known as strained tomatoes or tomato purée in the USA)
- ¾ teaspoon Kosher Salt, to taste (use a little less than half the amount if using iodized sea salt)
- ½ teaspoon freshly cracked Black Pepper, to taste
- ½ teaspoon Garlic Powder
- ½ teaspoon Onion Powder
- 1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon Smoked Paprika (hot or sweet)
- ¼–½ teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper Flakes, to taste (note 2*)
- ⅛–¼ teaspoon ground Cayenne, to taste (note 2*)
- Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese Rind (optional, omit if you don’t have it on hand)
- 2 cup / 66 grams Baby Spinach
- 1 teaspoon / 5 grams Unsalted Butter
- To Serve: Reserve sliced basil, 2 x 50-60-gram balls Mini Burrata Cheese
Instructions
Prep:
- Prepare the ingredients: Chop/slice the yellow onion, garlic, red chilies (if using), fresh oregano and basil as indicated in the ‘ingredients section). Use a block grater to grate the Parmigiano Reggiano cheese and set aside.
Tomato Basil Pasta with Burrata:
- Cook the pasta: Cook the pasta al-dente in a large pot of boiling salted water according to package instructions. Reserve some pasta water, drain and set aside.
- Sauté the aromatics: Heat ½ tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil in a medium-sized deep sauté pan or deep edged skillet over medium-high heat. Add the yellow onion and sauté for a minute until just starting to soften. Then add the garlic and chilies and sauté for 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Cook the ground chicken: Add the ground chicken and season with ¼ teaspoon kosher salt and ⅛ teaspoon black pepper (or to taste). Cook for 1-2 minutes, breaking up the clumps with your spatula, until just cooked.
- Stir in the tomato paste and fresh oregano: Stir in the double concentrated tomato paste until combined well with the aromatics and chicken. Then add the fresh oregano and mix to combine. (If using ½ teaspoon dried oregano instead, add it in the next step.)
- Build the sauce: Lower the heat to medium and pour in the tomato passata. Add the Parmigiano Reggiano cheese rind (if using) and all of the seasonings and spices – the dried oregano (if not using fresh oregano), kosher salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning, smoked paprika, crushed red pepper chili flakes, and ground cayenne. Mix well to combine and simmer for 1-2 minutes to allow the flavors to meld.
- Stir in the cheese: Add the freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese and mix until fully melted.
- Add the spinach and pasta: Add the baby spinach, cooked pasta and a splash of the reserved pasta water. Mix until evenly combined and the spinach has just wilted. Remove the cheese rind and discard.
- Stir in the fresh basil and butter: Stir in most of the fresh basil (reserve some for garnish) and unsalted butter. Mix until the butter has just melted, then switch off the heat.
- Serve: Garnish with the reserved basil and torn burrata. Season the burrata with a little freshly cracked black pepper if desired. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Fresh Red Chilies. Use more or less chilies based on your heat level preference. Leave them out for a milder dish.
- Crushed Red Pepper Flakes & Ground Cayenne. Adjust to taste or omit for a milder flavor.
- Be sure to check out the full article for ingredient notes and substitutions, storage information, and tips on customizing this recipe!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/2 of recipe
- Calories: 689
- Sugar: 12g
- Sodium: 1114.2mg
- Fat: 25.3g
- Saturated Fat: 11.3g
- Unsaturated Fat: 13.4g
- Trans Fat: 0.6g
- Carbohydrates: 67.5g
- Fiber: 7.5g
- Protein: 47.9g
- Cholesterol: 78.6mg
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Cook’s Tips and Variations
- Make it creamy. Add a quarter cup of light cream, single cream, heavy cream or double cream creamy tomato pasta with burrata. Alternatively, stir in blended cottage cheese or whipped ricotta for a thicker and more cream pasta sauce like in my Creamy Kimchi Pasta with Cottage Cheese.
- Use a different protein. Ground Italian sausage, lean ground beef, turkey, pork, or a plant-based protein to make it vegetarian. Or you can use seared shrimp like in my Creamy Tomato Shrimp Pasta.
- Use your favorite jarred tomato pasta sauce. Instead of passata, jarred marinara sauce, tomato basil pasta sauce, arrabbiata for a spicy kick, etc. would all taste great!
- Use fresh tomatoes or canned tomatoes. Chopped or blended fresh tomatoes if in season and sweet and juicy, crushed canned whole peeled tomatoes, or canned cherry tomatoes smashed in the pan are great alternatives to passata. You can use up to 400 grams (1 x 14-ounce) can or fresh tomatoes.
- Add chopped anchovies or anchovy paste. It’ll add umami and savory flavor depth to the tomato sauce, like in puttanesca pasta and this Salmon Pasta with Anchovy-Garlic Sauce.
- Double the recipe. As written, you’ll get 2 generous adult-sized servings but can stretch the dish into 3 servings if serving with sides like garlic bread or a green salad. To double the recipe and make 4-6 servings, click the ‘2x’ button in the recipe card to display double the amount of ingredients. Tailor the crushed red pepper flakes and ground cayenne to your heat preference as doubling the amounts may result in a dish that’s too spicy.
Dietary Modifications
- Vegetarian. Use a plant-based ground meat substitute, cooked plant-based sausages like Field Roast Italian Garlic & Fennel Sausage that have been sliced into coins and seared, or diced mushrooms to add volume and staying power.
- Dairy-free. Make and use a vegan burrata made with cashews or if you are in the UK, try Burrella, a 100% plant-based and dairy-free alternative to burrata.
- Gluten-free. Use any gluten-free pasta of your choice.
How to Make Tomato Pasta with Burrata – Step-by-Step
Cook the pasta al-dente in a large pot of boiling salted water according to package instructions. Drain and set aside (image 1).
Sauté the yellow onion, garlic and fresh red chilies in extra virgin olive oil (image 2). Add and cook the ground chicken, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste, until just cooked (image 3).
Stir in the tomato paste, then add the fresh oregano (image 4) and mix to combine. Pour the tomato passata in the pan and add the Parmigiano Reggiano cheese rind and all of the seasonings and spices (image 5).
Mix to combine, then stir in the freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese until fully melted (image 6).
Add the baby spinach and cooked pasta and mix until evenly combined and the spinach has just wilted (image 7). Remove the cheese rind and discard (image 8).
Stir in the sliced fresh basil and unsalted butter (image 9).
Garnish with the reserved basil and torn burrata. Season the burrata with a little freshly cracked black pepper if desired and enjoy!
Storing and Reheating Leftovers
- Storing: Do not top the pasta dish with the burrata as it will become chewy when reheating. Store any leftover tomato basil chicken pasta in a sealed airtight container in the fridge.
- Reheating: Reheat in the microwave on high for 2 minutes, stirring halfway through, until hot throughout. Top with torn burrata and fresh basil just before eating.
FAQs
Yes, you can make it 2-3 days in advance but top with torn burrata after reheating and when ready to eat. Reheating burrata alters the texture and it will become chewy and hard.
Fresh mozzarella balls work and taste great but are slightly milder than burrata. Season it well with salt and pepper before eating. You can also use stracciatella, which is the inside creamy part of burrata and sold in cartons. You simply need to spoon it on top of the pasta dish and season with salt and pepper if desired.
Once you open the package, burrata should be stored submerged in the liquid it came in or in lightly salted water. It will taste fresh for 1-2 days but I have personally had it for up to 4 days in my fridge with no issues.
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