What to do for dinner in late-summer/early-fall with an abundance of grape tomatoes and fresh herbs? Well that would be Skillet Burst Grape Tomato Casarecce with Lemony Breadcrumbs. It’s a very simple pan roasted grape tomato pasta with white wine, garlic, fresh herbs, topped with the most crunchy lemony breadcrumbs, and finished with luscious burrata cheese.
This perfect late-summer dinner is ready in under 30 minutes using basic pantry staples and end-of-season garden bounty. If you’ve never used it, Casarecce pasta is a very narrow, twisted, and rolled tube, almost resembling a scroll. If you can’t find it, substitute a similar twisted, tubular pasta like cavatappi, cavatelli, gemelli, or fusilli.
If you have any leftovers, keep the bread crumbs and buratta separate. When ready to eat, reheat the pasta in a microwave for a few minutes, then top with crumbs and cheese.
Skillet Burst Grape Tomato Casarecce with Lemony Breadcrumbs
Ingredients
- 1 cup finely torn ciabatta bread
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- Crushed red pepper flakes to taste
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 1 pound casarecce pasta, or other twisted tubular pasta
- 1 1/4 lbs. red and yellow grape tomatoes
- 6-8 cloves garlic, smashed
- 2 Tbsp. fresh thyme leaves
- 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh oregano
- 1/3 cup dry white wine
- 1/2 cup manchego cheese, grated
- 2 cups fresh basil, roughly chopped
- 2 balls fresh burrata cheese, each ball split in two
Crisp bread crumbs until golden 
Cook until the tomatoes begin to pop 
Basil and Manchego cheese are added 
Stir together with some reserved pasta water 
Top each serving with bread crumbs
Directions
- In a large skillet set over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons olive oil. When the oil shimmers, add the bread, a pinch of red pepper flakes and pinch of kosher salt. Cook, stirring occasionally until golden and toasted all over, about 5 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon zest. Slide bread crumbs onto a plate. Wipe the skillet clean.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to package directions until al dente. Just before draining, remove 1 cup of the pasta cooking water. Drain.
- Meanwhile, place the same skillet used for the bread over high heat and add the remaining olive oil. When the oil shimmers, add the tomatoes, garlic, thyme, and oregano, and a pinch each of salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Cook until the tomatoes begin to pop, about 4-5 minutes. Pour in the wine, cook 1 minute.
- Add the pasta and a splash of the pasta cooking water to the skillet, tossing to combine. Remove from the heat and add the manchego cheese and basil, toss to combine. If needed, thin the pasta sauce with a little of the reserved cooking water.
- Divide the pasta among shallow bowls, nestle in half a burrata ball, and top with bread crumbs.
Loosely adapted from a recipe found on halfbakedharvest.com
Accounting for Taste 