Beef & Pesto Cavatappi with Burrata
plus Tomatoes & Crispy Panko
- Milk
- Wheat
Cavatappi pasta tossed in silky pesto and crème fraîche with sweet Roma tomatoes, topped with melty burrata and crispy golden panko. This broiler-finished dish delivers restaurant-quality comfort in under 30 minutes—perfect for date night or cozy weeknight dinners. Sophisticated yet approachable culinary magic!
Ingredients
4 tablespoon
Pesto
(Contains: Milk)
½ cup
Panko Breadcrumbs
(Contains: Wheat)
4 ounce
Burrata
(Contains: Milk)
6 ounce
Cavatappi Pasta
(Contains: Wheat)
2 tablespoon
Crème Fraîche
(Contains: Milk)
10 ounce
Ground Beef
2 unit
Tomato
Not included in your delivery
1 tablespoon (tbsp)
Butter
(Contains: Milk)
teaspoon (tsp)
Black Pepper
2 teaspoon (tsp)
Salt
1 tablespoon (tbsp)
Olive Oil
1 teaspoon (tsp)
Cooking Oil
Nutrition Values
Utensils
Cooking Steps
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Wash and dry produce.
Trim and halve tomatoes lengthwise; cut crosswise into ¼-inch-thick half-moons.
Once water is boiling, add cavatappi to pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente, 9-11 minutes. Reserve ½ cup pasta cooking water (1 cup for 4 servings), then drain.
While pasta cooks, in a small bowl, combine panko, 1 TBSP olive oil, ½ tsp salt, and pepper (2 TBSP olive oil and 1 tsp salt for 4).
Adjust oven rack to top position; heat broiler to high.
Heat a drizzle of oil in a large, preferably ovenproof, pan over medium-high heat. Add tomatoes and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until starting to soften, 2-4 minutes.
Stir in pesto, crème fraîche, drained cavatappi, ¼ cup reserved pasta cooking water, and 1 TBSP butter (½ cup reserved pasta cooking water and 2 TBSP butter for 4 servings). Cook, stirring, until coated, 1-2 minutes. (TIP: If needed, stir in more reserved pasta cooking water a splash at a time until pasta is coated in a creamy sauce.)
Taste and season with salt and pepper if desired. TIP: If your pan isn't ovenproof, transfer pasta mixture to a baking dish now.
Evenly top pasta with panko mixture. Tear burrata into bite-size pieces and arrange on top of pasta.
Broil on top rack until panko is golden brown and cheese melts, 2-4 minutes. (TIP: Watch carefully to avoid burning!)
Divide pasta between shallow bowls and serve.
Divide pasta between shallow bowls and serve.
Customer reviews
Review summary
Updated on Dec 2025- Flavor: Some found it tasty, while others felt it lacked depth. Adding extra pesto or seasoning boosted flavor 🌿.
- Ease of prep: The dish comes together quickly, ready in under 30 minutes for a luxe pasta experience.
- Suggestions: Consider using chicken or sausage instead of beef for a better protein pairing.
- Leftovers: Reheating with added tomato paste and extra seasoning improved the flavor the next day.
Reviews from our home cooks
Fabulous with added beef. I seasoned the beef with salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, garlic powder and smoked paprika and it was a lovely addition.
LOVED this meal! I really like it with the ground beef. A suggestion would be to have it with Italian sausage in chunks/strips.
Kids did not like but we loved it. The melty cheese and panko create a cozy treat
This was delicious, but there was no beef! It really didn't need it though!
Needed veggies - we added a bunch of squash. Needed more pesto. Was thin over pasta. Would be great with those changes.
Wished there was more sauce, especially if adding a protein. We added beef and it was tasty, just lacking a sauce to hold it all together.
Very tasty. I did add more pesto because it didn't seem like what you provided was enough.
I love this one but it ends up being a little dry - it needs more of a sauce to it.
Needs to be creamier. Provide more creme fraiche in future recipes.
Either more pesto or more depth in flavor. We added ground beef as the protein option and I think sausage or chicken would have been better.
