Herb butter pasta with cherry tomatoes, basil and burrata

24th August 2022

Herb butter pasta with cherry tomatoes, basil and burrata.

A summery light pasta bursting with flavour from sweet cherry tomatoes and a beautiful herb butter with zingy lemon zest. Finished with fresh basil and burrata for the perfect summer meal to pair with the delicious Yealands Sauvignon Blanc. I have made a homemade orecchiette pasta which you can find the instructions for here (along with another delicious pasta recipe!) but this will work with any pasta shape, fresh or dried.

Prep time : 15 mins

Cook time : 10 mins

Serves 4

Ingredients:

For the herb butter:

150g unsalted butter, room temp

25g parmesan, finely grated with a microplane

1 cup basil leaves, finely chopped (you’ll need two cups in total for recipe)

½ cup flat leaf parsley, finely chopped

3 – 4 garlic cloves, minced

Zest of a small lemon

¼ tsp sea salt

For the sauce:

1 – 2 tbsp olive oil

600g cherry tomatoes

1 cup basil leaves, torn

Pasta of your choice, I do 80g of dried or 130g fresh per person

2 – 4 balls burrata (you can either do a whole or half one per person)

Parmesan to serve

Olive oil to serve

Method:

Make the herb butter. Mix all the ingredients together in a small bowl until well combined. The butter needs to be really soft to do this. Alternatively mix in a food processor.

Lay a piece of cling film on your bench and put the mixture on top in a ball. Roll it up and then twist the ends tightly to form it into a thick tight sausage shape. Pop it in the fridge to harden.

Prepare the cherry tomatoes. I like to squeeze the seeds out but this is optional. Put a little cut in each one then squeeze the seeds out. I do it in the sink as they have a tendency to go everywhere!

Cook your pasta in a pot of heavily salted water, keeping 1 cup of the cooking liquid before draining.

In a large frying pan heat the olive oil over medium-high heat and then add the tomatoes. Cook for a couple of minutes until lightly blistered.

Lower the heat and add ½ cup of the pasta water and stir.

Add your cooked pasta then the herb butter (cut into cubes) on top. Let it melt through and stir gently. Add more pasta water if you want it more saucy. Stir through the fresh torn basil. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with the burrata on top, extra fresh basil if you wish, a tonne of freshly grated parmesan and a drizzle of olive oil. I also like a touch of lemon zest on top, it is how I love serving all my pasta dishes.

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