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Easy Caprese Brie Pasta

By Alexandra Caspero on May 23, 2018

No baking required! A simple, vegetarian pasta that's ready in less than 30 minutes.

Serves 4

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Toss leftover brie cheese into hot pasta for simple, creamy weeknight dinner.
With pan-roasted tomatoes and basil for an easy take on Caprese pasta!

Really wish this website had taste-o-vision so you could be slurping up these cheesy noodles while I tell you how amazing they are.

I’d remind you how simple this brie pasta recipe is and you, after taking another bite, would confirm that yes, these really are some of the best noodles you’ve ever had.

Leftover Brie Cheese? Make this Pasta

We had a bunch of friends over a few weekends ago and I decided to make my frozen sangria and a giant cheese plate. BL was craving some good cheese after our Wisconsin weekend and I thought it would be fun to have friends & babies over on our back deck for drinks, cheese and laughs.

St. Louis is definitely growing on me and I finally feel like we’ve got a good friend group. As I’ve learned after moving a few times post grad-school, it’s much harder to make new friends the older that you get. While it’s taken a few years, we both feel like we have met some incredible people in St. Louis and know they they will be in our lives for years to come.

So, why not celebrate with drinks and cheese?

The next night I decided to put the leftover brie that I had from that cheese plate to work. Since I love melted goat cheese in my pasta, I thought that brie would act in a similar way.

Bingo. Oh my, if you love the flavor of brie and cheesy, saucy pasta than this is for you.

Ingredients you’ll need for this simple brie pasta

In addition to butter or olive oil for sautéing shallots and garlic, you’ll also need:

1 cup chopped ripe tomatoes, you can also substitute canned tomatoes instead
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 cup cubed brie cheese
12 ounces whole wheat spaghetti or other pasta
1 cup torn basil leaves
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar or lemon juice

Can I use another cheese?

I made this recipe after having some leftover brie from a cheese plate, but any melty cheese will work. Mozzarella won’t work well as it will likely clump when the hot pasta water is added. If you don’t have brie, then goat cheese or feta will work.

To make the brie easier to cube, I put it into the freezer for 10 minutes.

Instructions for how to make this recipe

Start by bringing a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to package directions until al dente, then drain, then reserve roughly 1 cup of the pasta water.

While the water is boiling and the pasta is cooking, make the sauce. Heat the butter or olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat then add in the shallots and cloves garlic. Cook, stirring continuously, until the shallots are softened, about 3-4 minutes.

Add the tomatoes, salt and red pepper flakes and cook an additional 4-5 minutes until the tomatoes are bubbling and have cooked down.

Stir in the brie to the skillet along with 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta water. The pasta water helps the sauce cling to the pasta and helps to melt the brie; regular water doesn’t contain the starches from the cooking water and won’t work the same way. The heat from the pasta and a little pasta water will melt the brie into creating a sauce the clings to the noodles in the most delicious way.

Add the pasta to the skillet continue to toss until the sauce thickens and clings to the noodles. If the sauce is too thick, add a little more of the reserved pasta water to thin.

Finish by adding in fresh basil, balsamic vinegar and a little more red pepper flakes as desired and you’ve got a killer weeknight dinner.

How to Chiffonade Basil

Place a few leaves of fresh basil on top of one another, then roll up the stacks into a tight cylinder.

Using a sharp knife, start at one edge of the stack and thinly slice, creating basil ribbons.

Ready in less than 30 minutes

Have you noticed a theme with my recipes lately? Most of them are ready in less than 30 minutes.

As a new mom, I’m focused less on what we are eating and more that we are eating together. It’s why these quick meals have become my staples. I can make this pasta in the time in takes BL to walk in the door, change his clothes, and cuddle with Vander for a few minutes.

He takes the babe, I plate our meals and minutes later, we are eating.

A few tips for creating a killer brie pasta dish

I don’t cut the top rind of my brie, but that’s because I’m lazy. You are welcome to do so if you want a sauce that melts completely.

For easier cubing, you can pop the wheel of brie in the freezer for 10 minutes first. You don’t have to do this, but if you have the time and remember to do so, it’ll make slicing go faster.

Make sure your water is salted before adding the pasta in. This is how you flavor pasta and you’ll have to add more salt afterwards if the pasta isn’t flavored while it’s cooking. I dump in roughly a teaspoon salt or to my pot of boiling water.

Adding in the reserved pasta water as you finish cooking the pasta into the sauce allows the pasta to finish in the flavorful sauce and helps the sauce cling to the pasta. This one trick will completely transform the way you make pasta, trust me.

More Vegetarian Pasta Recipes

If you try this Easy Caprese Brie Pasta recipe, let me know! Leave a comment, rate it, and tag your Instagram photos with #delishknowledge . I absolutely love seeing your creations. Happy cooking!

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Meet Alex Caspero

Alex Caspero is a Registered Dietitian, New York Times Bestselling Plant-Based Chef and mom of two. She aims to cut through the nutrition noise by providing real-life, nourishing tips for body and mind. Learn more about Alex.