This burrata pasta is one of the most satisfying quick dinners I make - cherry tomatoes cooked down into a creamy, garlicky sauce with white wine and a splash of cream, tossed through pasta, and topped with pillowy burrata, fresh basil, and a hit of chili. It's elegant enough for a date night, but genuinely takes about 20 minutes from start to finish. Pure sunshine dinner vibes, in my opinion.

The cherry tomatoes are really the heart of this recipe. I love using multi-color cherry tomatoes, and they have this beautiful way of softening and bursting in the pan, releasing their juices into the garlic and white wine, then get enriched with a little cream and Parmesan for a sauce that's silky, rich, and deeply tomatoey. The mini burrata on top is the finishing touch - cut into it and the creamy stracciatella centre melts into the hot pasta. It's simple, but it's magic.

If you love quick, elegant pasta dishes, try my vodka pasta, creamy mushroom pasta, or creamy tomato pasta with mascarpone. For more Italian-inspired dinners, my marry me tortellini and beans alla vodka are both reader favorites.

Ingredient Notes

The exact quantities of the ingredients you need for this recipe are included in the recipe card at the bottom of this post. Here, I've added a few notes on the ingredients you need, plus a few potential substitutions you could make if you can't eat/find a certain ingredient.

• Cherry tomatoes: Use all red cherry tomatoes or a mix of colors if you can find them. They soften and burst in the pan, creating the base of your sauce. Use the sweetest, ripest ones you can find. If cooking out of season, roasted jarred peppers or good tinned tomatoes (I only use the Mutti brand!) work as an alternative.
  
• Garlic: Cook your minced garlic gently on medium-low heat - you want it fragrant and golden, not burnt.
  
• White wine: This deglazes the pan and adds a lovely, subtle acidity that lifts the whole sauce. If you don't cook with alcohol, substitute with a squeeze of lemon juice and a splash more pasta water.
  
• Tomato paste: The key step is cooking it for 2-3 minutes until it darkens in color - this concentrates the flavor and removes the raw, tinny taste. Nothing smells better than olive oil, garlic, and tomato paste in my opinion!
  
• Heavy cream (double cream): This transforms the tomato sauce from bright and sharp to silky and rich. Half-fat crème fraîche would also work as a lighter substitute.
  
• Parmesan: Stirred into the sauce with the basil for a salty, savory finish. Make sure it's finely grated so it melts smoothly. Use vegetarian hard cheese (I often use a vegetarian-friendly Pecorino) if needed.
  
• Pasta:  love this with something that catches the sauce - short rigatoni, penne, or casarecce. Spaghetti or linguine are also beautiful. I've also seen the same sauce with ditalini which looks incredible.
  
• Burrata: Two mini burrata balls (or one per bowl depending on how many you're cooking for!). Burrata is mozzarella wrapped around a soft, creamy stracciatella centre. It goes on top after plating, not into the sauce. If you can't find burrata, fresh mozzarella works but you'll miss that incredible creamy centre.
  
• Fresh basil: Shredded and added in two stages - some stirred into the sauce, some scattered on top at the end for freshness.
  
• Chili flakes: Half a teaspoon for a gentle warmth. Adjust to your heat preference or skip entirely.

How to Make This Burrata Pasta Recipe

Step 1: Cook the Pasta

Get your pasta cooking according to the package instructions. Before draining, reserve about 60-80ml of the starchy pasta water - this is essential for building a silky tomato sauce, the pasta water is what brings it all together.

Step 2: Sauté the Garlic and Tomatoes

Heat the olive oil in a pan and add the minced garlic. Cook on medium-low heat for about a minute until fragrant. Add the halved cherry tomatoes and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they've softened and started to burst.

Step 3: Deglaze with Wine

Pour in the white wine and let it cook off for a minute or two - the alcohol will evaporate and you'll be left with a subtle, bright acidity.

Step 4: Build the Sauce

Add the tomato paste and stir it into the pan. Cook for 2-3 minutes until it darkens slightly - this concentrates the tomato flavor. Then add the cream, chili flakes, salt, and pepper. Simmer for a couple of minutes until the sauce comes together, then stir in the grated Parmesan and shredded basil.

Step 5: Toss with Pasta

Add your cooked pasta and about 50ml of the reserved starchy pasta water. Toss everything together on low heat, adding more pasta water as needed, until the sauce is silky and coats the pasta evenly.

Step 6: Plate and Top

Portion the pasta into bowls. Top each with a burrata ball, more chili flakes, a few basil leaves, a crack of black pepper, and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Serve immediately - cutting into the burrata at the table is half the joy.

Expert Tips for the Best Burrata Pasta

Don't burn the garlic: Medium-low heat, one minute maximum. Burnt garlic is bitter and will ruin the sauce. If it starts browning too fast, add the tomatoes immediately to cool the pan.

Cook the tomato paste until it darkens: This is the single most important step for depth of flavor. Raw tomato paste tastes tinny and flat. Two to three minutes of cooking deepens the color, concentrates the flavor, and transforms the whole sauce.

Reserve the pasta water: The starchy water is what turns a sauce from good to silky. Add it gradually - you can always add more, but you can't take it out. Start with 50ml and see how the sauce looks.

Don't cook the burrata: Burrata goes on top of the plated pasta, never into the sauce. The heat of the pasta softens it just enough that the stracciatella centre starts to melt. If you stir it into hot sauce, it'll lose its texture and become stringy.

Use room-temperature burrata: Take it out of the fridge 15-20 minutes before serving. Cold burrata straight from the fridge won't soften as beautifully on the hot pasta.

What to Serve with Burrata Pasta

This pasta is a complete meal, but if you want a side:

• A simple rocket salad with lemon and olive oil
• Crusty garlic bread for mopping up the sauce
• A glass of crisp white wine - something dry and Italian like Pinot Grigio or Vermentino

Storage

• Note: The burrata will melt and lose its creamy centre if stored as leftovers. It's still tasty reheated, but for the best experience, always add fresh burrata to leftover pasta.
• Refrigerator: Store leftovers without the burrata for up to 3 days. The burrata is best fresh. Reheat gently on the stove with a splash of pasta water or cream.
• Freezer: You can freeze the sauce (without the cream, pasta, or burrata) for up to 3 months. Defrost, reheat, add the cream, and cook fresh pasta to serve.

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