Get ready to fall in love with our go-to favorite: one pot caprese pasta! It’s vibrant, fresh, and bursting with flavor. What’s even more fabulous? It takes less than 15 minutes to whip up! Oh, and did we mention it’s a meatless masterpiece? Plus, we’ve got you covered with a vegan option for the ultimate plant-powered perfection.
Table of Contents
What is Caprese?
Caprese is an Italian-style salad that consists of fresh mozzarella cheese, tomatoes, and lots of fresh basil. We took all these flavors and turned them into a one pot pasta!
Why cooking pasta in broth is better than cooking pasta in water
If you’ve made one of our one pot pasta dishes before, then you have heard us basically shouting from the rooftops why we love it so much. The limited mess is a big bonus, but it isn’t the only reason single-pot
When you cook pasta in water, it is important to go heavy on the salt. That’s because the process of rehydrating pasta noodles is when the pasta absorbs the most flavor. So you may notice if you skip the step of salting your pasta water, your pasta tastes bland no matter how flavorful your sauce is.
How to make a One Pot Caprese Pasta
If simplicity had a poster child, it would be our One Pot Caprese Pasta. Seriously, it doesn’t get any easier than this!
- In a large pot add tomatoes, onion, garlic, pasta, marinara, salt, pepper, olive oil, basil, capers, and broth.
- Give everything a good stir.
- Bring to a boil. Cover and cook for 10-12 minutes or until pasta is al-dente. Stir in the fresh mozzarella cheese, if using, and garnish with fresh basil. It’s THAT easy!
- Feel free to add a drizzle of balsamic glaze.
Can I make this recipe gluten free?
Like all of our one pot pasta and pasta bake recipes, you can easily make this recipe gluten-free by changing out the pasta.
In our experience, gluten-free pasta tends to be a bit more delicate than regular pasta. Because of this, we recommend cutting back on the cooking time if using gluten-free pasta. Alternatively, you can use a different shape like penne or fusilli as they tend to hold their own in single pot recipes too!
Common Questions about One Pot Caprese Pasta
Absolutely! Grilled chicken, sautéed shrimp, or crispy bacon make excellent additions to boost the protein content and add extra flavor to your One Pot Caprese Pasta.
Short pasta shapes like fusilli, rotini, or penne are ideal — they hold the sauce well and cook evenly when you use the one-pot method.
To make it vegetarian, simply use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth. For a vegan version, omit the mozzarella or substitute it with a dairy-free cheese alternative.
Yes! Substitute regular pasta with your favorite gluten-free pasta variety and ensure that all other ingredients are gluten-free.
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One Pot Caprese Pasta
Ingredients
- 16 ounces cherry tomatoes
- 1/2 medium diced onion
- 6 cloves minced garlic
- 16 ounces Rummo Fusilli pasta uncooked (or similar shape)
- 1/2 cup good quality jarred marinara sauce
- 1 teaspoon sea salt more or less to taste
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper more or less to taste
- 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup fresh chopped basil
- 2 ounces capers
- 4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
- 1/2 cup fresh mozzarella cheese omit for a non-dairy recipe!
- fresh basil for garnish
Instructions
- In a large pot add tomatoes, onion, garlic, pasta, marinara, salt, pepper, olive oil, basil, capers, and broth.16 ounces cherry tomatoes, 1/2 medium diced onion, 6 cloves minced garlic, 1/2 cup good quality jarred marinara sauce, 4 cups chicken or vegetable broth, 1 cup fresh chopped basil, 2 ounces capers, 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, 1 teaspoon sea salt, 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, 16 ounces Rummo Fusilli pasta
- Bring to a boil on high heat. Cover and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook for 10-12 minutes or until pasta is al-dente. Stir in the fresh mozzarella cheese, if using, and some fresh basil.1/2 cup fresh mozzarella cheese, fresh basil for garnish
Video
Equipment
Notes
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Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
If you love this caprese pasta, try our Turkey Caprese Sandwich. It’s easy and great for
Reheating
When reheating a one pot pasta, you need to add liquid in order to loosen it up. For this recipe we add a splash of broth, give it a stir then heat in the microwave. You can always add another splash if it still needs to loosen up.
Additions/Modifications
If you are looking for a dairy free recipe- omit the mozzarella cheese or substitute for your favorite vegan cheese.
If you want to add a protein. Cooked shredded chicken or shrimp can be added once the pasta is cooked!
This pasta is great served with a side of vegetables or a salad.
If you don’t have a heavy a pot like this one. Feel free to use any 4 qt. pot.
This is definitely a 5 star for taste and texture! I would add just a half cup less of broth. It was a little watery, but with draining a bit, it was just fine. Delicious!
Thank you for the feedback! We’re so glad you enjoyed it. 😊
Xo,
Alia & Radwa
Delicious!!!!!
Thank you so much, Susie!
Xo,
Alia & Radwa
I made this for my family (10 yo, 12 yo and picky father) and it was a huge hit (and it was super easy!!) I did not have fresh basil so I imagine it would have been even more delicious. I’m going to try the other one pot pastas after this.
Hi Christine,
That’s amazing! Let us know what else you end of trying!
xo,
Alia and Radwa
Great recipe love the dish. We cook this every week and the grandkids love it. Thank you
This was my second one pasta. So good! Thank you so much for this recipe!
This is outstanding it’s in our rotation for cooking meals five stars we even cook it for company and they love it
Made this today and was really tasty and easy to make. I didn’t have cherry tomatoes so I sub with 1 can of diced tomatoes drained and we used whole wheat pasta, so good, thank you!
This is delicious and so easy! So easy, I couldn’t believe the pasta would cook all the way through but it did. Made this for dinner for family and delivered it. They loved it and said it was so tasty!
So easy and so delicious!!!
That is great to hear! 🙂
Yay! So glad to hear!