This baked burrata pasta is loaded with roasted cherry tomatoes, balsamic glazed eggplant and fresh basil. It's creamy, cheesy, and packed full of delicious vegetables. It's the perfect vegetarian baked pasta dish that's ready in under in under an hour!
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Baked Burrata Pasta
This baked burrata pasta has been a lifesaver this week. With hurricane Dorian nipping at our toes for what seems like an eternity, it's been pretty freakin' draining.
Luckily, there's pasta.
It's simple, food (especially cheesy pasta) is comforting and when I feel like I have no control, I turn to it. Not only do I get in my zen zone while I'm cooking but then I get to zonk out and savor the flavors each bite.
I have a feeling it's how some people feel about yoga and de-stressing. For me, it only really works with food.
And although I drastically changed my eating habits two years ago when I lost all that weight on weight watchers, I still love making indulgent recipes. Just not as often... lol.
So when it's time to indulge, you know I'm making some sort of cheesy pasta dish that's FULL OF FLAVOR! So let's talk about this cheesy vegetarian pasta, shall we?
It's essentially a parmesan cream alfredo sauce mac and cheese that's studded with caramelized cherry tomatoes and balsamic roasted eggplant. Lastly, the whole thing is finished with a swirl of fresh basil and baked until a cheesy crust encases the entire dish.
If I was making this for a dinner party, I'd serve it with my favorite avocado kale salad, a cheap cheese board, and some tasty Raspberry Florida Mules!
Where to Buy Burrata Cheese?
You can find burrata cheese in the fancy cheese section at most grocery stores.
If you've never had it before, you can think of as a really decadent mozzarella-cottage cheese hybrid. So, imagine if a ball of mozzarella was stuffed with even more heavy-cream soaked shredded mozzarella inside. It's basically magic.
The Burrata that I always use is made by Belgioioso which is made in Wisconsin. I've found it at Aldi, Publix, Winn Dixie and sometimes Walmart. I even created the little video you'll see below for their instagram! And on my instragram, you can win all the cheese to make it!
And if you can't find burrata, you can finely dice up 1 ball of fresh mozzarella and add 1 tablespoon of heavy cream at a time until it looks like the desired consistency.
How to make Cheesy Baked Burrata Pasta
To make this baked burrata pasta, you'll first want to roast your veggies. To do this, preheat your oven to 450 then toss chopped eggplant and halved cherry tomatoes with olive oil and salt.
Then, roast the veggies for 15 minutes then take the eggplant out and toss it with balsamic vinegar.
After that, put the eggplant back and bake for another 10 minutes. Once they're both caramelized, remove from the heat and set aside.
Meanwhile, in a large sauce pan, saute garlic with butter and then add heavy cream. Let the heavy cream reduce over medium heat then stir in the parmesan cheese.
Once the cheese sauce is smooth and creamy, stir in al dente pasta, the roasted veggies and fresh basil. To finish it, tear the burrata and stir it in.
Then divide the mixture into tiny cast iron skillets (or baking ramekins) and top with more parmesan cheese and butter. Next, broil for 5-10 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly and golden.
And lastly, before serving, top each one with more burrata, basil, olive oil and salt and pepper!
Or you could just watch this video below to learn how to make it!
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxmetMrz4mQ[/embedyt]
RECIPE: Baked Burrata Pasta
Recipe
Baked Burrata Pasta with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes, Candied Balsamic Eggplant and Basil
Ingredients
- 1 lb chiocciole pasta
- 1 large eggplant diced into small cubes
- 2 boxes cherry tomatoes halved
- 4 tablespoon olive oil divided
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 6 tablespoon butter divided
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 ½ cup heavy cream
- 2 cups grated parmesan divided
- 4 balls burrata divided
- 1 cup basil roughly chopped
- salt and pepper
- olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place diced eggplant in a large bowl and toss with 2 tablespoon olive oil and a hefty sprinkle of salt. Arrange eggplant cubes on a baking sheet, evenly spaced apart and set aside. Add halved cherry tomatoes to the large bowl and toss with remaining 2 tablespoon of olive oil and salt. Arrange cherry tomates, cut side facing upwards, on a baking sheet and set aside. Place both baking sheets in the oven and bake for 15 minutes then stir. Add balsamic vinegar to the eggplant. stir again, and place both baking sheets back in the oven for 10 minutes. Remove from oven, mix each sheet pan together and set aside.
- Meanwhile, add pasta to boiling salted water and cook until al dente. Strain and set aside.
- In a large sauce pan, add 5 tablespoon of salted butter and melt over medium heat. Add garlic and a hefty pinch of salt and cook down for 2 minutes or until fragrant. Stir in heavy cream and add ½ tablespoon salt and some fresh cracked pepper. Let simmer then slowly add in 1.5 cups parmesan, little by little, until melted.
- Add cooked pasta to the parmesan cream sauce then top with roasted veggies, basil, more salt and pepper. Tear up two balls of burrata and stir them in. Season to taste.
- Turn your oven on broil. Divide the pasta mixture evenly between four small cast iron skillets then top with the remaining parmesan cheese and butter. Broil on high for 2-5 minutes or until the parmesan is melted and slightly golden.
- Before serving, halve the remaining two balls of burrata and place each half on top of each cast iron skillet. Finish with a drizzle of olive oil, a sprinkle of salt, some fresh cracked pepper and a few basil leaves. Serve immediately.
Want to save this baked burrata pasta recipe for later? Pin it below!
xoxo
Kenz aka GCS
