Giada De Laurentiis Makes Burrata the Star of This New Pasta Dinner Recipe

Charcuterie boards are great and all, but give us a single ball of burrata with some olive oil and crackers, and we’ll be more than happy. The creamy cheese has become popular on appetizer menus at restaurants and has firmly staked a claim in the cheese section at your local grocery store, and although it’s delightful on its own (or paired with honey, basil, tomatoes, and various types of bread and crackers), Giada De Laurentiis just found a new show for this cheese to star in — a pasta recipe.

“This Pasta With Asparagus & Burrata is full of vibrant flavor and texture,” a Jan. 30 Giadzy Instagram post reads. “Creamy burrata, snappy asparagus, caramelized fennel, crunchy almonds and more make this one unforgettably tasty recipe!”

What sets burrata apart from other cheeses is that it’s incredibly creamy yet still light and airy. Similar to mozzarella in shape and appearance, burrata is like mozzarella’s buttery cousin. It melts in your mouth and has a slight tang that pairs perfectly with either sweet or savory flavors. So mixing it with asparagus, fennel, and almonds, as De Laurentiis has, lets the burrata be the creamy palette cleanser in each bite.

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The hardest part of this 15-minute pasta recipe is waiting for the pasta water to boil. Once your pasta is cooked (De Laurentiis likes using penne for this recipe), and you have reserved about a cup of pasta water, you can begin frying the shallots and fennel with a bit of Calabrian chili paste. After cooking for a few minutes, you can add your chopped asparagus and cook until tender.

Add your cooked pasta directly to the asparagus mixture and sprinkle in parmesan cheese. Stir everything together and add lemon zest, lemon juice, chopped almonds, and more pasta water if the sauce is too dry.

Finally, when you’re ready to serve, place the pasta into bowls and scatter torn pieces of burrata over the top, and season with black pepper. The burrata will soften more as it folds into the warm pasta, creating an even creamier sauce with every move of the fork.

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