Pesto Confit Tomato and Burrata Rigatoni

A classy pasta dish bursting with layers of texture and flavour

by Justina Sullivan

a white bowl filled with thick rigatoni pasta, green pesto, red cherry tomatoes, creamy burrata cheese, caper berries and a glass of white wine sits on top of a green wooden dining table

Recipe: Pesto Confit Tomato and Burrata Rigatoni

The most loved Italian ingredients combined in this recipe of Pesto Confit Tomato and Burrata Rigatoni

Everyone loves a good pasta dish and with thousands of pasta recipes to choose from or create yourself it’s almost impossible to get bored of cooking and eating it. Whether it’s simple parmesan and oil spaghetti (Cacio e Pepe), fresh seafood, garden vegetables, tomato sauce or meat ragu, you are at any point in time ready to fall in love all over again with a bowl of it.

The most loved ingredients in Italian cooking

The combination used for this pasta sauce is undoubtedly a classy celebration of some of the most well-known and loved Italian ingredients – basil pesto, burrata cheese, oregano, olive oil, caper berries and of course, tomatoes. All these ingredients work harmoniously together adding elements of salty, sweet, spicy, sour and umami.

a pot of cooked rigatoni pasta being poured into a large sieve to separate from the cooking water

What is Rigatoni Pasta?

Rigatoni is a large tube-shaped pasta defined by recognizable ridges rolling down their length. These ridges all in all make a great adhesive surface to grab onto sauces and grated cheese more easily.

The ends are cut square (as opposed to penne which has a diagonal shape). The pasta takes its name from the Italian word rigato which means ‘ridged’ or ‘lined’. Rigatoni is most commonly served in the South of Italy, especially Sicily.

small bright red cherry tomatoes, garlic cloves and a sprig of thyme simmering in a black cast iron pot of olive oil

Confit cherry tomatoes with infused olive oil

This is a really handy recipe that can be used multiple times for multiple meals. Juicy cherry tomatoes, garlic and thyme are slowly simmered in olive oil to produce to most intense flavour bomb that any tomato could hope to achieve.

The garlic becomes slightly sweet and rich in umami flavour. Even more exciting is the leftover oil becomes infused with rich flavour resulting in a delicious garnish for drizzling over pasta, bread or any other dish you desire.

Click here for Flaevors Cherry Tomato with Confit Garlic Recipe

A lady wearing a black top stands in front of a kitchen hob holding a large frying pan with rigatoni pasta coated in green pesto being tossed into the air

Best rigatoni pasta sauce

Three very classic Italian ingredients harmoniously combined with juicy confit tomatoes to really make this pasta the ultimate Italian dish. Whilst eating you will notice the varied textures in your mouth – the thick satisfying bite of rigatoni, juicy popping cherry tomatoes, soft umami garlic, creamy milky burrata and the perfect sharpness of caper berries cutting through and cleaning your palette.

a white bowl filled with thick rigatoni pasta, green pesto, red cherry tomatoes, creamy burrata cheese, caper berries and a glass of white wine sits on top of a green wooden dining table

How to cook the perfect Rigatoni pasta

As this is a thicker larger pasta, undercooking will result in a rather unpleasant eating experience. For a perfect bite, it’s best to follow the suggested cooking times written on the pasta packaging.

Once added to the sauce the pasta will continue to absorb more liquid and cook through to the perfect texture. To finish drizzle the finished bowl of pasta with the infused olive oil left over from the confit tomatoes. This will keep it shiny and moist with an added boost of flavour.

empty pasta bowls and a saucepan from a dinner sitting in the kitchen sink

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green wooden table with a cream ceramic pasta bowl filled with thick rigatoni pasta, green basil pesto, red confit cherry tomatoes, creamy burrata cheese, caper berries and a glass of white wine

Pesto Confit Tomato and Burrata Rigatoni

Rigatoni pasta, a Southern Italian favourite is combined with juicy confit cherry tomatoes, creamy burrata, caper berries, and basil pesto. A classy textured pasta dish that also embodies colours of the Italian flag
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Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Servings: 2

Ingredients

  • 120 g Rigatoni pasta
  • 2 heaped tablespoons of basil pesto
  • 12 confit tomatoes + 4 confit garlic cloves Recipe here
  • 4 tablespoons infused olive oil from the confit tomatoes and garlic
  • 1 large burrata pulled into pieces
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt flakes
  • A squeeze of lemon juice
  • 8 large caper berries
  • Fresh oregano leaves for garnish

Instructions

  • Boil pasta in salted water for the time instructed on the packaging. Drain, reserving a small cup of the cooking liquid, and return the pasta to the pot.
  • Stir through basil pesto along with a splash of the reserved cooking liquid, salt flakes, garlic, and 2 tablespoons of tomato confit oil. Cook, gently stirring to combine, over medium heat for a minute so the pasta nicely absorbs the liquid and oil.
  • Remove from heat, add a good squeeze of lemon juice and gently stir again to distribute evenly.
  • Transfer pasta between 2 bowls. Evenly divide confit tomatoes and torn burrata pieces between each bowl. Finish by topping with caper berries and fresh oregano. Drizzle each bowl with the remaining 2 tablespoons of confit olive oil.
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  • green wooden table with a cream ceramic pasta bowl filled with thick rigatoni pasta, green basil pesto, red confit cherry tomatoes, creamy burrata cheese, caper berries and a glass of white wine

Notes

Suggested Rigatoni brands: