Boursin Tomato Pasta (TikTok viral recipe but better!)
This boursin tomato pasta is made with 5 ingredients, requires zero to minimal chopping, takes 5 minutes to prepare + 30 minutes in the oven and tastes cheesy and garlicky and fancy and like you made a complicated sauce when you did nothing of the sort (shhh I won’t tell). It is the epitome of what I want a weeknight dinner to be- simple, flavorful, nutritious and something the whole family loves.
What do weeknights look like for you? As soon as I set foot in the kitchen I am met with a chorus of demands for snacks, one toddler climbing on the counter, the other flinging pots and tupperware onto the floor. Trying to chop a few vegetables means I run the risk that the entire roll of toilet paper gets unspooled or the dog’s water bowl is upended and my 19-month-old is drenched. It is a whirlwind of chaos that leaves me feeling like I’ve run a marathon when we finally sit down for our meal. Please tell me this isn’t just me. 🙃
That’s why I NEED simple meal ideas. I used to be the type that loved the involved process of making pasta from scratch, nursing a risotto or slow-braising some meat. But now with littles, I just simply don’t have the capacity. That’s why I stick to 30-minute meals! This boursin tomato pasta fits the bill perfectly, it is SO FREAKING EASY.
I’m sure you remember when baked feta pasta took over TikTok and subsequently the internet back in 2020? 2021? I don’t remember. Well, I hopped on that train and never looked back, I was smitten just like everyone else because duh, I love feta and I love tomatoes so how bad could that be? (said in my best Ina voice)
And then I was thinking okay how could I make this- but just a little different? A little better? A little cheesier, creamier and slightly more nutrient dense? Boursin cheese obviiii (plus a few handfuls extra veggies). The Boursin cheese provides an irresistible flavor (I use the ‘garlic and fine herbs’ variety!) and when combined with a splash of starchy pasta water it turns into a luscious, deliciously creamy sauce. And that coats the roasted burst tomatoes and pasta for a vegetarian main dish that is filling, satisfying and will have you coming back for seconds.
Why you’ll love this boursin tomato pasta:
Versatile: I mean, I feel almost embarrassed to call this a ‘recipe’. It’s more of an idea that you can run wild with and make your own. This base recipe uses very simple ingredients and you can add protein, other veggies, whatever type of pasta you enjoy, etc.
Minimal prep: this meal requires about 10 minutes of actual hands-on “doing things” and then about 30 minutes in the oven and you’re DONE. So clutch for busy weeknights.
Seasonally delicious: I love making this recipe in the height of summer when cherry tomatoes are at the peak of their season- we grow some in our garden and get a load in our weekly CSA box. The tomatoes are the shining star here and add loads of great flavor. You could even double down on the tomato flavor and add sundried tomatoes.
Kid-friendly: what kid doesn’t love pasta? And cheesy pasta!? C’mon! If your little has a hard time with ‘mixed foods’ just serve up this meal deconstructed. Keep a portion of pasta separate and then offer the roasted tomatoes, spinach and even a chunk of boursin cheese separately to see if they’ll warm up to the different ingredients.
What you’ll need to make it:
Boursin cheese: Boursin is a creamy, soft cheese available in a variety of flavors. I love to buy the variety pack of three from Costco- it’s the best price I’ve found.
Pasta: since this recipe is vegetarian and a bit lower in protein, I love to use chickpea-based pasta for an added boost of protein and fiber. But feel free to use whichever short-cut variety of pasta you enjoy.
Fresh tomatoes: cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes work perfectly for this recipe and the best part-no chopping required. Get local, high-quality tomatoes if you can!
Garlic: you’ll want to use fresh garlic here- we just toss in the whole cloves when roasting the tomatoes and then squeeze out the caramel-y roasted garlic at the end.
Extra virgin olive oil: the olive oil is a huge component of the sauce factor for the pasta so make sure to get a really good quality extra virgin variety.
Spinach: this is optional but adds another boost of nutrients and antioxidants and I’m all about that!
Red pepper flakes: another optional ingredient if you like just the subtlest kick of spice!
Fresh basil: I am a sucker for fresh herbs- it is the perfect finishing touch!
How to make:
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Place the boursin cheese in a 13×9 casserole dish. Add the tomatoes. Chop off the root end of the cloves of garlic. This makes it easier to squeeze the roasted garlic out of the peel. Add the garlic cloves to the pan. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with seasonings.
Roast for 30 minutes until the tomatoes are bursting, the garlic golden brown and the cheese is beginning to brown on top. Remove from oven and squeeze the garlic cloves out of the peel and then use a fork to mash the garlic into a paste.
While the tomatoes and cheese are roasting cook your fave pasta according to the package instructions or until al dente. Reserve ¾ cup of the starchy pasta water. Drain the pasta and add it straight to the tomato mixture. Give it a first toss. Add the chopped spinach and basil along with half of the reserved pasta water. Stir again, until the cheese, starchy water, roasted garlic paste and tomatoes form a sauce that coats the pasta, adding more water to reach your desired level of sauciness (I use the full ¾ cup of water).
Scoop into bowls and top with more fresh basil and grated parmesan cheese, if desired! MUAH. Doesn’t get much easier or tastier than this my lovelies.
Variation Ideas:
Pasta: this would be fab with chickpea or lentil pasta for an added boost of protein and fiber. You can also use brown rice or whole-wheat pasta.
Protein: toss in a can of chickpeas, shredded chicken breasts or cooked Italian sausage for an added boost of protein
Veggies: use whichever veggies you love (keep in mind that some veggies will take slightly less time to cook- ie zucchini, broccoli, red onion, etc) If you want to be a lil extra, caramelized onions are an AMAZING addition.
Cheese: if you follow me on Instagram or TikTok you’ve seen me make this at least half a dozen times with feta (that’s what the original viral recipe used). You could also try cream cheese or goat cheese!
FAQs
The pasta water becomes infused with the starch and salt from the pasta, creating a rich and savory liquid. When you use this water to make a sauce, it adds depth and complexity to the overall flavor profile and works as a natural thickener, creating a velvety and more cohesive sauce. This pasta has a beautifully creamy texture, without having to use any heavy cream, thanks to starchy pasta water.
Simply use gluten-free pasta instead of wheat pasta. You could also use spaghetti squash or zucchini ‘noodles’.
If you want to get some prep steps out of the way simply prep your 13×9 pan with the cheese, tomatoes, garlic, oil and seasonings and keep it in the fridge until ready to cook it. You can also fully prep this recipe and serve it as lunches or dinners throughout the week.
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days.
What to Serve with Boursin Cheese Pasta:
Keep this meal vegetarian and pair with a big green side salad and a baguette.
Or make it a fancy dinner party and pair with baked salmon or a whole roasted chicken.
If you love this delicious dinner, you’ll love these other simple recipes:
Watch how to make:
Okay when dinner takes like, 5 minutes to prep, we have no excuses right?
Print
Boursin Tomato Pasta
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Pasta
- Method: Oven/Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Creamy Boursin cheese, sweet burst tomatoes and 30 minutes in the oven make this weeknight pasta feel like kitchen sorcery. It’s a meal I come back to time and time again!
Ingredients
- 3 cups cherry (or grape) tomatoes
- 1 whole head garlic, cloves broken apart and root end chopped off each
- 1 5.2oz round Boursin cheese
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 10oz short-cut pasta
- 3/4 cup starchy pasta water
- 3 cups chopped fresh spinach (optional)
- Fresh basil, chiffonade
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Place the boursin cheese in a 13×9 baking dish. Add the tomatoes. Chop off the root end of the cloves of garlic. This makes it easier to squeeze the roasted garlic out of the peel. Add the garlic cloves to the pan. Drizzle everythang with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes if you’re spicy like that.
Pop the pan in the oven and roast for 30 minutes until the tomatoes are bursting, the garlic is golden brown and roasted and the cheese is beginning to brown on top. Sometimes I like to finish with one minute on broil just to get that extra toasty color on the tomatoes and cheese. Remove from oven and squeeze the garlic cloves out of the peel (try not to burn your fingertips off) and then use a fork to mash the garlic into a smooshy paste.
While the tomatoes and cheese are roasting bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. (I like to use a huge pinch of kosher salt) Cook your favorite pasta according to the package directions. Reserve ¾ cup of the starchy pasta water. Drain and add the cooked pasta to the garlic/tomatoes/cheese. Give it a first toss. Add the chopped spinach and basil along with half of the reserved pasta water. Stir again, until the cheese, starchy water, roasted garlic paste and tomatoes form a sauce that coats the pasta, adding more water to reach your desired level of sauciness (I use the full ¾ cup of water).
Scoop into bowls and top with more fresh basil, grated parmesan cheese and fresh cracked black pepper if desired! MUAH. Doesn’t get much easier or tastier than this my lovelies.
Notes
For any questions on ingredient substitutions and/or variation ideas refer to FAQs or above blog post!
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Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/4 recipe
- Calories: 433
- Sugar: 4.6 g
- Sodium: 190.3 mg
- Fat: 19.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 50.2 g
- Protein: 16.1 g
- Cholesterol: 16.3 mg
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Yes a meal my family will feast on. Love the combination of ingredients like tomatoes, spinach, cheese and garlic. Burst of all flavors. Quick and easy to make too.
Love this variation of the classic TikTok recipe!! This turned out perfectly and the spinach added a nice fresh element to the dish too!
Yay!! I’m so glad you enjoyed it Anjali! Thanks for trying 🙂
Erica
The tomato twist on this boursin pasta was amazing. So light and fresh.
This recipe embodies everything I aspire for in a weeknight dinner – simplicity, flavor, nutrition, and family-friendly appeal. Thank you for sharing this culinary treasure that has effortlessly elevated my dining experience.
Awesome! Glad you enjoyed it!
This turned out so good! I am not a huge fan of feta, but I LOVE me some Boursin cheese. Thanks for the great variation of this recipe. I threw some grilled chicken on top and the whole family gobbled it up.
Amazing!! So glad you enjoyed it Holly!!
Made this for dinner tonight and it was fantastic! I had a bunch of cherry tomatoes from my garden that I needed to use and this was perfect! So simple and easy and quick to make! My family raved about it. Will definitely be making this again and again. Every recipe I’ve made of yours has been excellent! Thanks for all of your work!
Lauren THANK YOU!! I’m sooo happy you and the fam loved it!
xx
Erica
This was sooo good. I enjoyed it actually more than the version with the feta. I used the garlic and herb Boursin, and didn’t have spinach but threw in some broccoli florets to cook with the pasta for the last 2 minutes. Definitely will make again … and again. 😊
Such a good call with the broccoli! So glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Erica
This was so delicious and easy to make. I used chickpea pasta to add protein. I love all your recipes!
I have made this twice now and love it, so easy and tasty! I add a ton of spinach. Also, I use my silicon edged tongs to remove the garlic husks – really easy and I don’t have to wait for the garlic to cool. I added some sun dried tomatoes this time around and it was great!
Wow Linda can’t believe I didn’t think to use tongs and burn my fingertips off every time LOL. Thanks for trying this recipe!
I’m going to make this tomorrow and adding chicken 🫶
Hooray! Enjoy!
This was so good! I was just looking for something to do with Boursin. I did it exactly as the recipe stated without the spinach. I will make this again for sure.
Hooray I’m so glad you liked it! Thanks for trying 🙂
Erica
I was so excited to finally make one of your recipes. My friend brought me many organic cherry tomatoes from her garden and I was happy to find your recipe. So easy and delicious. The pasta water makes it the perfect consistency! My husband and I eat vegetarian and I look forward to trying many of your other meatless dishes!
He didn’t talk much while eating this one 😁
This makes me SO happy to hear this! Thank you for trying and I’m thrilled you liked it!
Erica
What if I want to double the recipe?
Should I use two baking trays? Thank you
Unless you have a really big casserole dish or baking tray yes I would use two.
Hope this helps, thanks for making my recipe!
Erica
So easy & so good!
Woot woot! THanks for trying this recipe Nikki, I’m so glad you like it!
Erica
Never even reviewed a recipe before, but this pasta sauce was so fresh and flavorful I had to add my rating. Reminds me of Marry-Me chicken sauce. I added a dash of onion powder and a little squeeze of honey to my sauce.
I’m so honored you reviewed then, thank you!! So pleased you liked it!
Cheers,
Erica
A family favorite!!!
Loved this recipe so I had to thank you for posting it. It will definitely be on my rotation menu!
Very happy to hear Susan! thank you so much for trying the recipe and for your review 🙂
So quick and easy. My husband loved it.
Huzzah! Happy to hear Sue, thank you for your review!
I made this the other night, and it was as delicious as everyone else has said. However, I had enough for a second meal, so I refrigerated it. And when I got it out and reheated it the second night, it had lost all the creaminess I had when I first made it. Instead, it was all greasy — yuck!! Is there some way I can restore it to its original creaminess?
Help please!!
Hmmm…maybe try adding a splash of water or several ice cubes when reheating so the cheese doesn’t overheat and ‘break’. That might be what’s happening that’s causing it to seem greasy.
Fantastic easy and delicious! So many ways to vary it based on what you have on hand! Thank you for a great recipe. We loved it!
Really great!! Added roasted mushrooms!
This was great! I used the garlic and herb Boursin since that was all my grocery store had. So easy and everyone loved it. Will definitely be making this one again!
One of my family’s favorites. Delicious and easy! Win, win!
I made this for a potluck at school and it was great! I meshed this recipe with your similar one using orzo and it was a hit! Thanks!
Can’t wait to make it.
Had a small batch at a pitchin.
Unbelievable goodness.
I made this for the second time tonight and it went a lot more smoothly than first time and turned out better. This time I left the garlic in a bunch instead of spreading it all over the pan so I didn’t have to dig around in it trying to find all the cloves to squish. 😆 I also didn’t slice the tomatoes this time and kept them whole, which made it much more flavorful and less watery. Lastly I added mushrooms and chicken sausage. It smelled like an Italian restaurant and was sooooo good. We are never let down by one of Erica’s recipes!