Broiled Burrata Pesto Cavatappi
with Roma Tomatoes, Crème Fraîche & Golden 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)
2 unit
Tomato
Not included in your delivery
1 teaspoon (tsp)
Cooking Oil
1 tablespoon (tbsp)
Butter
(Contains: Milk)
teaspoon (tsp)
Black Pepper
2 teaspoon (tsp)
Salt
1 tablespoon (tbsp)
Olive Oil
Nutrition Values
Utensils
Cooking Steps
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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.
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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).
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Adjust oven rack to top position; heat broiler to high.
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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.
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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.)
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Taste and season with salt and pepper if desired. TIP: If your pan isn't ovenproof, transfer pasta mixture to a baking dish now.
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Evenly top pasta with panko mixture. Tear burrata into bite-size pieces and arrange on top of pasta.
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Broil on top rack until panko is golden brown and cheese melts, 2-4 minutes. (TIP: Watch carefully to avoid burning!)
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Divide pasta between shallow bowls and serve.
Customer reviews
Review summary
Updated on Sep 2026- Flavor: The pesto and burrata combination won many fans, but a large number found the overall dish bland and under-sauced. Some found the pesto too mild or too oily; a few others felt it was too overpowering — adjust the amount to your taste 🌿.
- Ease of prep: Most found this quick and straightforward to pull together on a weeknight.
- Suggestions: Add more pesto or use less pasta water to keep the sauce from turning watery and bland. Many added a protein like chicken, sausage, or shrimp to make it more filling; a squeeze of balsamic glaze or fresh garlic also helped boost depth. Toast the panko separately before broiling, and add burrata on top of the panko — not under it — so the crumbs crisp properly.
- Leftovers: Several customers noted leftovers tasted even better the next day, and the dish reheated well. One reviewer got three meals out of a single two-serving batch.
- Portions: A few felt the dish made generous portions, while others wished for more burrata or sauce relative to the pasta.
Reviews from our home cooks
SO GOOD! Burrata is not a cheese that I've had many times before, but it works SO WELL in this dish! Adds such a creamy, cheesy flavor...kind of like having pesto cheese curds in your pasta (which is a good thing)
Very easy to make and tasty with the pesto! Mushrooms would have been a nice addition, but I didn't have any. Maybe they can be added to this dish.
This wasn't bad, but the charred tomatoes added absolutely nothing to the dish, aside from an extra step. They turned to mush, were overpowered by the pesto, and if the desire to add a veggie was so strong, I'd have recommended almost anything else. Overall a good dish, will skip the tomatoes next time.
A new favorite. So delicious the tomatoes added a nice sweetness and the burrata was delicious. Change your rating scale to 10. This would be a 10/10! Sounds better than 5/5
The pesto is top notch. Easy to make and a great meal. Definite favorite.
It would be helpful to recommend tearing the burrata over the pan, to avoid losing its juicy center. I also think this dish needed a few chili flakes.
Really great flavor. Love the burrata in it. I made it with salmon because I think it is more of a side dish than a main dish.
Burrata was super fresh and yummy! The pesto was tangy and acidic, but balanced with the cheese nicely!
Delicious... 1st time trying burrata. The pesto gave a great flavor. Cavatappi holds the sauce well. Will order again
NOT. ENOUGH. PESTO. This is twice now that I've gotten a pesto dish from Hello Fresh and it was just a "whisper" of pesto flavor. I wanted more. Also, the amount of salt required for the panko breading was too much- it was very salty! Otherwise, this was a very good dish!
