Broiled Burrata & Beef Pesto Cavatappi
with Roma Tomatoes, Crème Fraîche & Golden Panko
- Milk
- Wheat
Cavatappi is tossed with browned ground beef, Roma tomatoes, and a creamy pesto-crème fraîche sauce until coated and silky. The pasta is topped with torn burrata and seasoned panko, then slid under the broiler until the cheese melts and the breadcrumbs turn golden and crisp. A rich, satisfying pasta that comes together in about 30 minutes.
Ingredients
4 tablespoon
Pesto
(Contains: Milk)
½ cup
Panko Breadcrumbs
(Contains: Wheat)
10 ounce
Ground Beef
4 ounce
Burrata
(Contains: Milk)
6 ounce
Cavatappi Pasta
(Contains: Wheat)
2 tablespoon
Crème Fraîche
(Contains: Milk)
2 unit
Tomato
Not included in your delivery
2 teaspoon (tsp)
Salt
1 tablespoon (tbsp)
Olive Oil
1 teaspoon (tsp)
Cooking Oil
1 tablespoon (tbsp)
Butter
(Contains: Milk)
teaspoon (tsp)
Black Pepper
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.
Pat ground beef dry with paper towels; season all over with salt and pepper.
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 ground beef; cook, breaking up meat into pieces, until browned and cooked through, 4-6 minutes.
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 Sep 2026- Flavor: The burrata and pesto combination was well-loved, but several found the dish bland or under-seasoned, especially without enough sauce. Adding extra pesto, tomato paste, or seasoning the beef with Italian seasoning and garlic powder made a noticeable difference 🍲.
- Ease of prep: Quick and straightforward to put together, even with the broiler step.
- Suggestions: Use more pesto and crème fraîche, especially when adding a protein, to keep the pasta from turning dry. Season the ground beef with Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and smoked paprika for deeper flavor; some felt Italian sausage would work even better than ground beef. Add more tomatoes for balance, and consider adding the burrata on top of the panko so the crumbs can crisp properly under the broiler.
- Leftovers: At least one reviewer noted the dish tasted better the next day after the flavors had time to meld.
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.
