Tomato Basil Boursin Pasta

This tomato basil boursin pasta recipe was inspired by the viral tiktok baked boursin pasta. Fresh cooked pasta, juicy grape tomatoes, fresh basil, garlic, herbs and creamy boursin cheese come together to create the most delicious and creamy pasta sauce of all time.

Boursin and Tomato Pasta Bake

Have you heard of baked feta pasta? This boursin pasta recipe is a very similar recipe. The original baked feta pasta is a recipe by Liemessä. The recipe went viral over and over again and has had so many variations created. After I made the original baked feta pasta, I made a baked spanakopita pasta which was heavily inspired by the original and Liemessa even made it once and credited me! I was so thrilled that day!

Fast forward a few years and I saw shewillevolve posted a Baked Boursin Pasta recipe on tiktok inspired by Baked Feta Pasta and I knew I needed to try my own twist on it. The original baked boursin pasta recipe used grape tomatoes, garlic, boursin cheese, herbs, and spices. I wanted my recipe to focus on tomato basil so I decided to add some fresh basil before it baked, as well as a second layer of basil once the sauce was done. I also used a ton of garlic, olive oil, oregano, and Italian soffritto.

Baked Boursin Tomato and Basil Pasta

Boursin is a super creamy cheese, almost like cream cheese but since it is French it feels a bit more luxurious. Baking it for about 20 minutes turns it into a perfectly creamy consistency. I love this baked boursin pasta recipe because the “sauce” bakes right in the pan while you boil your pasta. Then, once the dish is done baking, you add your pasta and a little bit of pasta water and combine all of the ingredients. It is heavenly!

I like using boursin cheese instead of heavy cream because it already has a nice thickness to it. A lot of creamy and cheesy pasta sauces use a roux, and while you can do that, I find using boursin cheese as a pasta sauce is a lot easier and faster. Also, the boursin cheese is already flavored so that is also a reason why it is a great time saver and why it is different than just making cream cheese pasta.

What is Boursin Cheese?

Boursin is very similar to American cream cheese. It is a mix of fresh cream and soft cheese that is then flavored with different herbs, spices, and sometimes garlic.

Boursin is not the type of cheese you would use on nachos because it doesn’t have a melty effect, but it is totally the type of cheese you can add to sauces, soups, or toast because if its “easily blended” ability. Boursin is carried in most grocery stores, but I find that Trader Joe’s has the best price for it.

Ingredients

Pasta – any pasta shape will work, but I like short pasta best for this dish so that you get a little bit of everything in each bite. The pasta is boiled while the rest of the ingredients are baking together in a baking dish.

Boursin Cheese – I buy the garlic and herb boursin cheese at Trader Joe’s. You can use any flavor of boursin cheese that you like.

Tomatoes – I used grape tomatoes. Sometimes I cut them in half and sometimes i keep them whole.

Basil – This recipe uses about 1.5 ounce of fresh basil. I use half during the baking process and the other half I keep fresh to add on top.

Garlic – You should plan to use no less than 4 cloves. I use 5 cloves, but the more, the better – probably! 🙂

Olive Oil – This gets added to the baking dish so that your ingredients do not burn while they are baking.

Spices – I used oregano and Italian sofrito which is a mix of crispy onions, sun-dried tomatoes, sea salt, garlic, red peppers, parsley, rosemary, and sage.

How to make Tomato Basil Baked Boursin Pasta

INGREDIENTS  

• 6-8 oz Pasta I prefer to use short pasta in this dish
• 1 Garlic and Herb Boursin Cheese
• 12 oz Grape or Cherry Tomatoes Keep whole or cut in half
• 1.5 oz Fresh Basil
• 5 cloves Garlic minced
• 1 tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 tsp Oregano
• 1 tsp Italian Soffritto Mix

INSTRUCTIONS 

• Preheat oven to 400F
• Mince your garlic and chiffonade your basil. (See notes below)
• Add your tomatoes and boursin cheese to the bottom of a baking dish. I used a 9″ x 9″ baking dish.
• Add your olive oil, minced garlic, oregano, Italian soffritto blend, and half of your basil. Mix well, without touching the boursin cheese.
• Bake for 20 minutes
• While it is baking, boil your pasta, making sure to reserve 1/4 cup of pasta water when you drain your pasta. You will use this water in the sauce once it is done baking.
• Once your dish is done baking, mix it all together and add in 1/4 cup of pasta water.
• Add your pasta, mix well, and top with remaining fresh basil.

NOTES

A chiffonade of basil is a type of cut. First, stack your basil leaves on top of each other so that the middle vein is aligned on all of the leaves. Then, roll up your basil leaves like a cigar. Lastly, slice your basil into thin strips.