Creamy Caprese Pasta

Creamy Caprese Pasta

Ooey, gooey cheesy pasta is one of my favorite things in the world. I try to feature healthier recipes on Broke and Cooking, but let's all face it...carbs is life. We've all gotta have some yummy pasta every now and then. With the weather getting colder, this is the perfect dish for getting cozy on the couch and binge-watching Netflix. It's super easy to make, and really easy on the budget. Caprese is a simple Italian salad made of fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, and basil; often dressed with salt and olive oil. This pasta tosses all that goodness together and gets a nice golden crust in the oven. Creamy Caprese Pasta is full of robust tomato flavor and can feed a herd of people for very little cost. Let's get cookin! 

Ingredients You Need:

  • 8 oz uncooked pasta such as penne, shells, or rigatoni

  • salt

  • olive oil

  • 1 1/2 cups your favorite pasta sauce

  • 1 tbsp tomato paste

  • 1/2 white onion, diced

  • 2 cloves garlic, minced

  • 4-6 oz mozzarella cheese, cubed or shredded

  • 1/3 cup heavy cream

  • 1 pint cherry/grape tomatoes (or diced fresh tomatoes

  • fresh basil

  • salt, pepper, and oregano

  • oven-safe baking dish

What To Do:

  1. Prep all the ingredients, this recipe is quick!

  2. Boil and drain the pasta, set it aside.

  3. In a large skillet over medium-low heat, saute 1/2 diced onion until nearly translucent, seasoning with salt and pepper.

  4. Add 2 cloves garlic, minced.

  5. Keeping the heat relatively low, add a healthy tablespoon of tomato paste, using a spoonula to spread the tomato paste flat onto the pan, allowing the sugars in the paste to caramelize. Be careful not to burn the tomato paste. Keep scooping up the paste/onion/garlic mixture and spreading it flat onto the pan, cooking the paste for about 5 minutes. Season with oregano or Italian seasoning. Optional: add some chili flakes.

  6. Toss in a pint of halved cherry tomatoes. I like to salt the tomatoes before tossing them in the pan. You can also leave some tomatoes whole so that they pop in your mouth! Allow the tomatoes to blister a bit.

  7. Add at least 1 1/2 cups of your favorite tomato sauce to the pan, stirring to incorporate. Allow the sauce to simmer for about 5 minutes, and add 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream. Stir.

  8. Dump in the cooked pasta, cubes of mozzarella, and chopped basil.

  9. Throw this in the oven (350F for 10 min) if you have time, but it’s completely optional and can be done on the stovetop. Serve with crusty bread, a crack of black pepper, and extra basil garnish :)

  • Serve immediately with fresh basil!

The best part is how the cheese bakes up and forms a nice crust, just like on a lasagna! The pasta is so creamy and flavorful, and I love the pop of the cherry tomatoes :) You can even top the pasta off with some grated Parmesan. 

Tonight I'm getting on a plane to Hong Kong :) I'm so excited for this amazing experience and can't wait to share it with you guys! Have a great week!!