Caprese pasta is truly one of the simplest pastas you can make. Sweet cherry tomatoes, garlic, and olive oil are tossed with al dente linguine and finished with fresh mozzarella, hand-torn basil leaves and a healthy drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. We especially love to serve this dish in the summer but it is so good we eat it all year round!
We are huge fans of cherry tomatoes in our family and use them for so many dishes, like chicken with tomatoes and capers, or tomato mozzarella salad.
And since we love a Caprese salad every now and again, we thought a Caprese pasta would probably be pretty good.
We love the combination of the fresh basil with the warm, slightly wilted cherry tomatoes, and then the fresh mozzarella and extra virgin olive oil just take this over the top.
Caprese pasta is great for an easy summer weeknight pasta alongside some grilled chicken thighs or a green salad.
How to make it
Each number corresponds to the numbered written steps below.
- Slice 24 ounces of cherry or grape tomatoes in half and slice 5 cloves of garlic. Bring a large pot of salted water (2 tablespoons of kosher salt per gallon of water) to boil and cook pasta for 1 minute less than al dente.
- Heat a large pan to medium-low and saute the garlic in 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil until golden (about 2 minutes). Once golden add the hot red pepper flakes and cook for 20 seconds.
- Add the tomatoes and cook for a few minutes while waiting for the pasta to cook.
- Add 1 cup of pasta water.
- Add the pasta and toss to emulsify and continue to cook the pasta for 1 more minute (until al dente).
- Remove the pan from the heat and add 12 ounces of fresh mozzarella balls. Give the pasta another toss; the residual heat will slightly melt the mozzarella balls.
- Season with salt to taste and add 10 or so basil leaves by hand tearing them into pieces. Drizzle with a couple of tablespoons of your best extra virgin olive oil. If the pasta is at all dry add a touch more reserved pasta water to loosen it up.
- Adding burrata to individual servings of pasta will amp up the creamy factor in this dish. If you’re able to get your hands on some, you could use less or no fresh mozzarella. But why not both though!? Enjoy!
Top tips for Caprese pasta
- The olive oil. We’ll often use regular olive when cooking but since we’re only quickly cooking the tomatoes and using very few ingredients we recommend using this extra virgin olive oil. We also recommend using your best extra virgin olive oil for a final drizzle after plating.
- The mozzarella. We recommend using fresh mozzarella for this Caprese-style pasta. If you can’t find the smaller ciliegine or pearls, opt for a large ball of fresh mozzarella and cut it into squares. This recipe allows the fresh mozzarella to melt slightly but if you’d like it to be more melted, add it to the pan at the same time as the pasta.
- The pasta water. Since there isn’t much sauce in pasta Caprese, we urge you to reserve your pasta water. Saving pasta water is always a good rule of thumb because you never know when you might need it.
- Extras. As pictured above, another serving option is to top each individual plate with a ball of burrata. Burrata will add to the decadence of the dish. Another option is to add a drizzle of balsamic glaze to the Caprese pasta at the very end.
More great recipes we think you’ll love
If you love this Caprese-style pasta, we think you’ll love these other recipes!
- Roasted cherry tomato pasta – Oven-roasted cherry tomatoes tossed with pasta and basil.
- Fettucine with cherry tomato butter sauce – This Marcella Hazan-inspired pasta is a Sip and Feast fan favorite.
- Chicken Milanese with tomato, mozzarella, and basil – chicken cutlets with cherry tomatoes, fresh mozzarella balls and basil.
- Easy marinara sauce – Classic marinara with tomatoes, garlic, and fresh basil.
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Caprese Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 pound thin linguine or any pasta you like
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil divided
- 5 cloves garlic sliced
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed hot red pepper flakes
- 24 ounces cherry or grape tomatoes halved, (this is equal to 2 American dry pints)
- salt to taste
- 2 cups reserved pasta water will most likely not need it all
- 10 basil leaves
- 12 ounces mozzarella balls or a large ball cut into bite sized pieces
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and cook pasta until 1 minute less than al dente.
- Heat a large pan to medium-low and saute the garlic in a ¼ cup of extra virgin olive oil until golden (about 2 minutes). Once golden add the hot red pepper flakes and cook for 20 seconds.
- Add the tomatoes and cook for a few minutes while waiting for the pasta.
- Add the pasta and 1 cup of pasta water. Toss to emulsify.
- Once the pasta is al dente remove the pan from the heat and add the mozzarella balls and toss once more. The residual heat will slightly melt the cheese.
- Season with salt to taste and add the basil leaves by hand tearing them into pieces. Drizzle with the remaining extra virgin olive oil. If the pasta is at all dry just add a bit more of the reserved pasta water to loosen it up. Enjoy!
Notes
- If you want the cheese completely melted just add it to the pan at the same time as the pasta instead of adding it when the pan is removed from the heat.
- Makes 4 large or 6 moderate-size servings.
- Always reserve extra pasta water to thin the sauce in the event it dries out.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I’ve been making this dish with raw tomatoes and garlic for years. Sautéing them first really amped up the flavor. My only alteration was offering fresh grated parm at the table. It was a big hit!
Wonderful! ❤️
Really great and simple.
So happy you enjoyed, Ken!
Delicious! I added white wine before adding the pasta. To finish the dish, I drizzled balsamic vinegar.
This is a new favorite dish! I like to squeeze a little fresh lemon into the pan, which really brightens the flavors. I’ve been making this almost every day for lunch since finding this recipe!
Hi there, I’m so happy you found the recipe and are enjoying it! Thanks for the comment!
Can I serve this dish as a room temperature pasta salad where I would use a penne or gemelli pasta??
Hi there, yes, you can definitely serve at room temp.
I absolutely love this recipe. I packed it for a picnic and it was a real hit. I used a normal block of pollyo instead of fresh mozzarella and I flavored the pasta with a little help from pecorino romano. I was wondering if it’s a bad idea to pack this for a picnic because of the mozzarella and/or pecorino? It tasted very fresh and amazing but I wonder what your experience is with this kind of stuff? How well does mozzarella and pecorino hold at room temp when part of a recipe like this? Or as part of one of your pasta salads? Any tips on this would be greatly appreciated thanks and keep up the amazing work!
Hi there, I think it’s ok to pack for a picnic and sit for a few hours, but I wouldn’t keep it in direct sun for a long period of time. I’d recommend keeping it in a cooler bag until you’re ready to serve.