One Pan Caprese Pasta

Name: One Pan Caprese Pasta
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 1/2 cup diced white onion; 1 tablespoon olive oil; 2 1/2 cups dry pasta; 1 package of grape tomatoes (sliced in half); 5 fresh whole basil leaves; 2 teaspoons minced garlic; 2 1/2 cups water; 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt; 1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper; 1 1/2 cups fresh (diced Mozzarella (about 8 oz)); 2 tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar; Chopped basil leaves for garnish

Kristin Maxwell

Last updated on August 24, 2022

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This easy to make One Pan Caprese Pasta is perfect as a light and fresh main course or as a delicious side dish to your favorite meal.

One Pan Caprese Pasta - This is so good!!!

Why We Love It

This Caprese Pasta is light and fresh and has the savory flavors of the classic caprese appetizer you love, with sweet grape tomatoes, fresh mozzarella cheese and fresh basil leaves. The aroma of the basil and tomatoes as it’s cooking is just heavenly!

This beautiful dish is surprisingly easy to make, and I love that the colors feel like Christmas. It would make a great side dish for the holidays!

How to Make One Pan Caprese Pasta

Get a detailed list of ingredients & instructions in the recipe card below.

Start by cooking some onion in a little olive oil.
Add dry pasta, fresh basil leaves, garlic and sliced grape tomatoes. I love the larger Rigatoni with this dish, but any smaller pasta will do.
Pour water or chicken broth over the pasta and give it a good stir.
Bring the mixture to a boil, then turn down the heat and cover it up, letting the pasta cook and absorb the flavors for about ten minutes.
Remove the cover and crank up the heat, letting the remaining liquid reduce down for about seven minutes or so, or until the pasta is tender.
Once the pasta is cooked just right, remove the pan from the heat and sprinkle on some cubed mozzarella cheese. You could certainly use shredded mozzarella, I just prefer to have these nice chunks of melted cheese throughout the pasta. The fresh cheese melts much better than the pre-shredded. You might want to remove those cooked basil leaves, too.
Cover the pan and let the pasta rest and the cheese melt for about 5-10 minutes. Top with a drizzle of Balsamic Vinegar and chopped basil leaves.

Serving Ideas + Variations

This dish can be a side dish or a main event. As a side, you’ll get about 6-7 servings. I recommend serving with Oven Baked Chicken Breasts, Baked Pork Chops or even some nice Grilled Steaks.

This cheese and tomato pasta is also makes a lovely meatless meal. You’ll get about 4 meal size servings.

Variations

If you don’t have all of the ingredients, you can make a few variations.

Pasta – Any small cut pasta will work.

Protein – Try adding some chicken breast chunks. Saute the chicken first (don’t cook it all the way) and then add the pasta, tomatoes and water.

Cheese – Mozzarella is certainly traditional, but you could swap in a different cheese if you prefer.

Storage

Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days. Keep in mind that the pasta will be best when fresh. Reheat at 50% power for about a minute. The cheese will solidify when cooled and may not melt properly the second time around.

More One Pan Meals

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