This one pot caprese pasta is one of our favorites! It’s bright, fresh, and flavorful. What’s even better is that it is ready in less than 15 minutes! Did we mention that it is meatless with an option to make this a vegan too!
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 shout from the roof tops 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.
Well, here’s why preparing noodle dishes in one pot is such a great evolution of pasta cooking!
How to make a One Pot Caprese Pasta
- 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 up great in single pot recipe too!
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One Pot Caprese Pasta
Ingredients
- 16 oz 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 oz capers
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 16 oz Rummo Fusilli pasta uncooked (or similar shape)
- 1 tsp sea salt more or less to taste
- 1 tsp fresh ground pepper more or less to taste
- 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.
- 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.
Video
Notes
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.
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!