Servings:

4

This is the fastest summer pasta in our repertoire—and it's a meal we make as soon as tomato season starts. Consider it a caprese salad turned into a pasta. The only cooking needed is for the pasta, which you can do just ahead of prepping the other ingredients so it's drained and cooled by the time you're ready to assemble the dish. Once the pasta is cooked, this irresistible summer dinner comes together in about five minutes. Toss the pasta with olive oil, thinly sliced garlic, and season. Then comes the fun part—tearing up the tomatoes and the mozzarella. If you use small basil leaves, just add them to the dish. If they are larger, tear them up too. Then toss everything together—and dinner is served.

Best Pasta to Use

The best pasta to use for this summery dish is one you have on hand. Although, some shapes work better than others. A short pasta is optimal—and a shaped pasta, like the campanelle pictured here, is perfect. Long, thin noodles like bucatini or spaghetti are less well suited, but this elemental combination of tomatoes, creamy cheese, and fresh basil is a winner with just about any pasta shape.

Don't substitute wholewheat pasta or a strongly-flavored alternative pasta such as brown rice, however. The pasta should have a more neutral flavor so the other ingredients shine.

Burrata vs. Mozzarella

Our summer pasta has just a few ingredients and one of them is cheese. You can use mozzarella or burrata for this recipe—but what's the difference between these two fresh Italian cheeses?

Both burrata and mozzarella are Italian fresh cow's milk cheeses (mozzarella is also made from buffalo milk); both are made using the pasta filata or stretched curd technique. Mozzarella is well known, while burrata is less common. It is made from an outer layer of mozzarella but hides a secret—inside the mozzarella casing is a soft, creamy filling called stracciatella, which are pieces of cheese mixed with cream.

Burrata is richer and creamier in flavor and softer in texture than mozzarella, which has a more delicate flavor and consistent texture. Both cheeses work well in this summery pasta with basil and tomatoes.

Ingredients

1 pound cooked and drained short pasta (such as campanelle)
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 thinly sliced garlic cloves
½ teaspoon coarse salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper, plus more for sprinkling
4 medium tomatoes
1 pound burrata or mozzarella cheese
Small basil leaves

Directions

Place pasta in bowl:

Place cooked and drained pasta in a large bowl.
Add olive oil, garlic, and seasoning:

Add olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper and toss to coat.
Tear tomatoes:

Tear tomatoes and scatter over pasta.
Tear cheese:

Tear cheese and scatter over pasta.
Add basil:

Add basil leaves.
Stir together:

Toss to combine, adjust seasoning if needed before serving.

Frequently Asked Questions

When should you add basil to pasta?

Fresh basil is best added to a dish after toward the end of cooking, so it retains it's bright green color and fragrant aroma. Dried basil should be added earlier in cooking.

Why should you not refrigerate basil?

Basil is susceptible to cold and should not be stored in the refrigerator; it is best kept at room temperature. Either wrap the leaves in a damp paper towel and keep them in a loose plastic bag or, if the basil has stems, store it in a glass or jar with a few inches of water. Cover with a plastic bag to increase the humidity and change the water daily. Learn more about the right way to store basil in our comprehensive guide.

What goes well with basil?

Fresh basil pairs nicely with many other foods, including tomatoes (especially with olive oil and mozzarella) and tomato sauce, nuts (from pine nuts and cashews to almonds), chicken dishes, and melon (especially cantaloupe).