This pasta is PERFECTION and I don’t make that claim lightly. The simple tomato sauce is made using San Marzano tomatoes, which are simmered for a couple of hours with sweet yellow onions. Heavy cream is added to the tomato sauce for additional flavor and decadence. Then, the pasta is topped with creamy burrata cheese and a savory bread crumb topping for a little crunch. I seriously cannot wait to make this pasta again!
INGREDIENTS FOR CREAMY TOMATO BURRATA PASTA
- dried pasta or fresh pasta noodles
- burrata cheese – makes the pasta dish extra rich and creamy!
- canned San Marzano tomatoes – These tomatoes have the best flavor, so if you can find them in your grocery store I highly recommend you give them a try!
- yellow onions – peeled and chopped in half
- minced garlic
- extra virgin olive oil and butter
- seasonings for sauce: salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes for a little heat
- honey and white sugar to sweeten the tomato sauce
- heavy cream – adds a splash more richness to the sauce
- fresh basil
- for the breadcrumb topping: dried panko breadcrumbs, chopped walnuts, grated parmesan cheese, minced garlic, extra virgin olive oil and anchovy fillets (the secret to adding an unexpected, but pleasant savoriness)
HOW TO MAKE CREAMY TOMATO BURRATA PASTA
The tomato sauce is so simple to make, but it does require time and patience to develop the perfect balance of flavors. All you need to do is add extra virgin oil, butter, garlic, honey, sugar, tomatoes, salt and pepper to a sauce pan. Bring to a boil then simmer on low heat for 2 hours, uncovered, stirring occasionally.
After 2 hours of simmering, remove the onions. You don’t need the onions anymore so you can discard them or do like me and snack on them while you finish the sauce. At this point the sauce is almost done, so I start boiling water in a separate pot to cook my pasta noodles.
Once the onions have been removed, mash the tomatoes using a wooden spoon. If the sauce looks too runny, let some of the extra liquid cook off. Turn up the heat a bit if you need to.If you feel like you need more liquid, add some of the reserved pasta water (a few tablespoons as a time) to the tomato sauce. Keep in mind that you’ll be adding heavy cream so there will be more liquid added to the tomato sauce.
Stir in heavy cream and fresh basil. Turn heat off. I like to add the drained, cooked pasta noodles directly into the sauce pan to mix with the sauce, but you can serve the sauce on top of the pasta noodles if you prefer to mix the two together on your plate.
Since I have at least 2 hours while the tomato sauce is simmering, I prepare the breadcrumb topping and set aside until ready to use. To make the breadcrumb topping, fry the chopped anchovy fillets in extra virgin olive oil until mostly dissolved. The fried anchovies give the breadcrumb topping an extra salty, savory flavor that is not overpowering with all the other components of the pasta dish. Stir in garlic, breadcrumbs, chopped walnut and grated parmesan cheese. Season with salt and black pepper. When the breadcrumbs and and walnuts are toasted and crunchy, remove from heat.
To compose the dish, add pasta noodles and sauce to a plate or bowl. Top with burrata cheese and the toasted breadcrumbs. I like to season the burrata with a sprinkle of sea salt and a light drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
Creamy Tomato Burrata Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 pound dried pasta or 1.5 pounds fresh pasta
- 8 ounces burrata cheese
Sauce
- 2 cans (28 ounces each) San Marzano tomatoes, skin off with any juices
- 2 yellow onions peeled and cut in half
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 tsp salt plus more as needed
- 1/2 tsp black pepper plus more as needed
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 1 teaspoon white sugar
- ⅔ cup heavy cream and/or reserved pasta water
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes optional
- 2 tablespoons fresh basil chopped
Breadcrumb Topping
- ½ cup dried breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup chopped walnuts
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese grated
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 anchovy fillets in oil, chopped (optional)
- salt and black pepper as needed
Instructions
- In a large sauce pan, heat 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, butter, tomatoes, 1 tablespoon minced garlic, 1 tsp salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper, honey, sugar, and onions on medium high heat. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 2 hours. Stir occasionally to prevent sauce from sticking to the pan. [While sauce is simmering, make the breadcrumb topping (instruction below) and set aside. Follow package instructions to cook pasta noodles close to when sauce is nearing 2 hours of simmering. Reserve 1 cup pasta water.]
- Remove the onions and discard. Mash the tomatoes using a wooden spoon. If the sauce looks too runny, turn the heat up a bit to let some of the extra liquid cook off. If you need extra liquid, add reserved pasta water (a few tablespoons at a time) to the tomato sauce. Stir in heavy cream and chopped basil. Season with more salt and black pepper as needed. Turn heat off.
- Add cooked, drained pasta to sauce in pan and combine well. Stir in red pepper flakes.
- Plate pasta in a dish or bowl. Top with burrata cheese and bread crumb topping.
Breadcrumb Topping
- Fry chopped anchovies in extra virgin olive oil until mostly dissolved. Add minced garlic, breadcrumbs, and chopped walnuts to oil. Season with salt and black pepper. Toast breadcrumbs and walnuts in oil for 2 to 3 minutes, or until golden brown. Set aside until ready to use.
