Description
This Baked Brie Pasta Sauce recipe combines creamy melted brie with bursting cherry tomatoes and fresh herbs for a luscious, flavorful pasta dish. The sauce is baked until rich and gooey, then tossed with perfectly cooked fettuccine and garnished with fresh basil, delivering a simple yet elegant meal in just 40 minutes.
Ingredients
Scale
Pasta
- 14 oz fettuccine
Sauce
- 9 oz brie cheese wheel, rind on, cut into large chunks
- 1 lb cherry tomatoes, halved
- 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves (or ½ tsp dried)
- ½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
Garnish
- 10 fresh basil leaves, torn
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C) in preparation for baking the sauce.
- Prepare Tomato Mixture: In a large ovenproof dish, combine halved cherry tomatoes, thinly sliced garlic, extra-virgin olive oil, fresh thyme leaves, crushed red pepper flakes if using, kosher salt, and freshly ground black pepper. Toss everything well to evenly coat the ingredients.
- Add Brie: Place the large chunks of brie cheese at the center of the tomato mixture, partially surrounded by the tomatoes.
- Bake Sauce: Bake the uncovered dish in the oven for 25 minutes until the tomatoes have softened and burst, releasing their juices, and the brie has melted into a creamy, smooth sauce.
- Cook Fettuccine: While the sauce bakes, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the fettuccine until al dente according to the package instructions. Reserve half a cup of the pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta.
- Combine Sauce: Remove the baking dish from the oven and stir the melted brie and roasted tomatoes together until the sauce is uniform and creamy.
- Toss Pasta with Sauce: Add the hot cooked fettuccine directly to the baking dish and toss thoroughly to coat the pasta in the sauce. Gradually add the reserved pasta water as needed to reach your desired saucy silkiness.
- Garnish and Serve: Sprinkle torn fresh basil leaves on top and finish with a few turns of freshly ground black pepper. Serve immediately for best flavor and texture.
Notes
- You can omit the crushed red pepper flakes if you prefer a milder sauce.
- Using brie with the rind adds depth in flavor; however, you can remove it if you prefer a milder taste and smoother texture.
- Reserve pasta water is key for adjusting the sauce consistency and helping it cling to the noodles.
- Fresh herbs like thyme and basil enhance the freshness of the dish, but dried thyme works well as a substitute.
- For a gluten-free version, substitute fettuccine with gluten-free pasta.
