Here’s an easy 30 minute dinner that you will want to make over and over again. The Boursin cheese is packed with so much flavor and gives your sauce the most creamy texture. Everything for the sauce is baked in the oven and tossed together with your cooked pasta of choice. It’s a great way to feed yourself and your family, and it’s kid-approved too 🙂
Main ingredients
Tomatoes
Cherry tomatoes are preferred for this recipe. As the tomatoes roast and burst in the oven, you get bites of juicy tomato with every bite. I had some leftover vine tomatoes that I needed to use up so that’s what I used. If using regular tomatoes, I recommend chopping them into 1 1/2″ bite sized pieces instead of large wedges.
Boursin cheese
For this recipe, you will need 2 packs (5.2 ounces each) of Boursin cheese to achieve optimal flavor and creamy texture. Any variation of the “garlic and fine herbs” and “shallot and chive” variety will do.
I get my Boursin cheese from Costco which is sold in a pack of three. They typically go on sale around the holidays, which are perfect for use in recipes like mashed potatoes and cheese platters. During non-holiday seasons, I enjoy using them in pasta dishes like this one, or lathering over pretzel chips as an anytime snack.
Shallots
Because we are roasting the ingredients in a baking pan, I recommend using finely diced shallots for this recipe. If you don’t have shallots, you can use finely diced onions. Since we are not cooking the onions down on a stovetop to ensure caramelization, the onions in this dish maintain a slight crunchy texture. If you don’t enjoy bits of onion in your pasta, you can simply leave this out.
Additional tips for making Boursin pasta
- Red pepper flakes add a subtle heat to the dish that balances out the heaviness of the creamy cheese. If you are trying to keep this kid-friendly or are sensitive to spice then simply leave it out.
- Reserved pasta water can be used to loosen up the sauce if the texture feels a little dry. Based on the juiciness of your tomatoes, you may or may not need it. Drizzle slowly a few tablespoons or so at a time while mixing with a wooden spoon until you achieve the desired sauce consistency.
- Fresh basil is beautifully fragrant and provides a mellow and subtle flavor to the dish. If you don’t have fresh basil, you can absolutely use dried basil here. About 1/2 tsp of dried basil can be sprinkled into the pan along with the other seasonings.
How should I serve Boursin pasta?
You can very well serve the Boursin pasta on its own with a side of salad and/or garlic bead. I like to pair the pasta with some seasoned chicken breast which I cook on the stovetop and cut into strips.
Boursin Pasta
Ingredients
- 2 packs Boursin cheese 5.2 oz each
- 1 lb pasta
- 2 lb cherry tomatoes
- 1 shallot, finely diced or 1/2 medium onion, finely diced
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 tsp salt plus additional for pasta water and to taste
- 1/8 tsp black pepper plus additional to taste
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes *omit to make it kid-friendly
- 2 sprigs chiffonade (thinly sliced) fresh basil about 10 leaves
- 3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 cup reserved pasta water
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package instructions for al dente. Be sure to salt the water until it is "salty like the sea." Reserve about a cup of pasta water. Drain pasta and set aside.
- Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. To a large baking pan, add tomatoes, shallots, garlic, and boursin cheese. Drizzle generously with olive oil and season with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes (omit the red pepper flakes to make this more kid-friendly).
- Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until the tomatoes have started to burst.
- Remove pan from oven and add basil. Mix the cheese and roasted tomatos using a wooden spoon until well incorporated, then add in the cooked pasta. Give everything a good toss until the pasta is evenly coated with the sauce. If it feels too dry, drizzle in the reserved pasta slowly until you achieve your desired consistency.
- Add parmesan and season with additional salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately on its own or with cooked chicken breast.
