This Lemon Basil Pesto Pasta with Burst Cherry Tomatoes recipe is made with a variety of basil called lemon basil, burst cherry tomatoes, crispy prosciutto, and creamy burrata. Despite the fancy sounding list of ingredients, this dinner is super easy to throw together and can be done in under 30 minutes.
It is a great way to put those garden herbs and tomatoes to good use in the late summer, particularly if you are growing lemon basil or sweet basil.
💡 Recipe Inspiration
Any type of sweet or Italian basil will work really well in this dish. I used lemon basil because I love to grow it in our home garden and I wanted to create a dish that would let this particular ingredient shine. I also love to grow cherry tomatoes in my garden, though more often than not the squirrels get more than their fair share of the tomatoes.
If I have extra basil I love to make this Creamy Pesto Gnocchi dish, or if you have rosemary growing in the garden, this Cast Iron Focaccia with Rosemary would go well alongside the Lemon Basil Pesto Pasta.
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🌟 Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Garden-Fresh: This recipe uses basil and tomatoes, which brings me so much joy when I grow them in my garden and can use them in a dish for dinner. Great for using your garden produce!
Summery: It’s the perfect light and summery dish.
Quick: It looks and sounds fancy, but it's super easy and quick to pull together, no lingering over the stove.
🛒 Ingredients:
Below are the ingredients needed to make Lemon Basil Pesto Pasta with Burst Cherry Tomatoes.
- Lemon Basil: If you happen to have lemon basil growing in your garden, then this dish is for you! If you don’t, that’s fine too, use any type of sweet or Italian basil to make the pesto. Or in a pinch, use store-bought Genovese pesto. Lemon Basil does actually have a very noticeable lemony taste to it. It's pretty amazing!
- Parmesan: This is an important part of the dish, so use real parmesan and grate it yourself if possible. I like Trader Joe’s parmesan because the flavor is not overwhelmingly strong and its fairly inexpensive.
- Olive Oil: A critical component of the pesto. Use extra virgin olive oil which adds flavor and fat. Choose any brand that you already know that you like, or if you need a starting point, I recommend Spanish olive oil from Trader Joe’s or Costco.
- Pasta: I recommend a short, fat, ribbed pasta like rigatoni. If possible, I also recommend buying a high-quality imported Italian pasta that is slow-dried and bronze-drawn. This type of pasta is more flavorful and the texture is better for covering in sauce. However, it is quite a bit more expensive. You could also use tortellini, which is great with pesto or in a creamy tomato sauce like this Marry Me Chicken Tortellini.
- Prosciutto: If possible, get the prosciutto freshly sliced from the deli counter and look for one that is imported from Italy. This is also an expensive ingredient, but the recipe only calls for ¼ lb.
- Cherry Tomatoes: Any type of cherry tomatoes works here, or you can also use grape tomatoes.
- Burrata: Any brand works. Trader Joe's has one that's generally less expensive.
- Salt: Added to taste to bring out flavor.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
📝 How to Make Lemon Basil Pesto Pasta With Burst Cherry Tomatoes.
Below are the step-by-step instructions for how to make Lemon Basil Pesto Pasta With Burst Cherry Tomatoes. It is a quick dish with only a few steps and limited time lingering over the stove.
Note: The recipe card with instructions, ingredient list, and quantities is included further below these step-by-step photos.
Step 1. Make the Pesto: Wash and pat the lemon basil (or sweet or Italian basil) dry. Using a knife and cutting board, mince the basil as small as possible. Or, this can be done in a food processor, or spice grinder, or even a blender in a pinch.
Add the freshly grated parmesan cheese, extra virgin olive oil, and a pinch of salt. Stir to combine. Taste and adjust any of the ingredients if needed.
Tip: Don't overdo it with the olive oil. The pesto should be more like a paste and less like a liquidy sauce. The emphasis should first be on the basil, then second on the parmesan.
I omit pine nuts or any nuts because they can be expensive and don't add enough flavor to me for it to be worth it. See my Experiment on Pesto With Pine Nuts vs. Walnuts for a detailed comparison of different types of pesto.
Step 2. Make the Pasta: Cook the pasta according to the package directions erring on the side of al dente. Keep in mind that not all packaging has accurate timing for al dente pasta, so consider checking it 1-2 minutes before the "al dente" timing.
Tip: For a really excellent meal, use Italian imported slow-dried bronze-cut pasta. It is quite a bit more expensive, but I find that when I buy the higher quality pasta, the pasta itself becomes a feature of the dish, rather than just the vehicle for the sauce.
Step 3. Crispy Prosciutto: Bring a sauté pan to medium heat (a setting of #4 out of #10 on an electric stove). Add the prosciutto and cook until crispy, about 3-5 minutes. Flip over and cook for another 3 minutes until both sides are crispy. Remove the prosciutto and set aside.
Step 4. Burst Cherry Tomatoes: Add the cherry tomatoes to the sauté pan, cover, and stir occasionally until a few of the tomatoes just start to burst, about 10 minutes.
To Assemble: Toss the pasta in the pesto and top with crispy prosciutto and burst cherry tomatoes. Break the burrata into pieces and serve along with the pasta.
🍴 How to Store and Reheat:
- To Store: If possible, store all the ingredients separately. Place them in sealable containers in the fridge.
- To Reheat: This dish is best on the day that it is made, but if you have leftovers you can gently reheat it for another meal. If possible, keep the pesto and pasta separate when storing. Allow the pesto to come to room temperature. Heat the pasta in the microwave. Separately heat the cherry tomatoes at 50% power for 30 seconds to 1 minute.
- Assemble again: Toss the warm pasta in the room temperature pesto, add the warmed-through tomatoes, prosciutto (this doesn't need to be reheated, or if desired, you can add it to a saute pan to crisp up again), and the burrata.
If You're Interested in More Pesto or Pasta Dishes, You May Love These:
If you tried this Lemon Basil Pesto Pasta Dish or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. I'd love to hear from you!
Lemon Basil Pesto Pasta With Burst Cherry Tomatoes
Ingredients
- 2 cups lemon basil
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 lb pasta, such as rigatoni
- 18 oz cherry tomatoes
- ¼ lb prosciutto
- 8 oz burrata
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Make the Pesto: Wash and pat dry 2 cups of lemon basil. Add the basil to a food processor or spice grinder and pulse or mince by hand. Add the minced basil to a medium bowl. Add the parmesan, olive oil, and a pinch of salt. Stir to combine. Taste and adjust the amount of olive oil, parmesan, and salt as needed.
- Pasta: Cook the pasta according to the package directions, erring on the side of al dente.
- Prosciutto: Bring a large sauté pan to just under medium heat (think a#4 on a scale of 1-10). Add the prosciutto and cook until crispy about 3-5minutes. Turn once and cook on the other side until crispy, another 3 minutes or so. Remove from the pan and set aside. Once cool, roughly break the crispy prosciutto into smaller pieces.
- Cherry Tomatoes: Add the cherry tomatoes and a drizzle of olive oil to the pan. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally for 8-10 minutes. Some, but not all, of the cherry tomatoes should just start to burst.
- Assemble: Toss the pasta in the pesto. Serve warm and top with crispy prosciutto and burst cherry tomatoes. Gently break the burrata into 4 pieces and serve with the pasta.
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