Get ready to fall in love with our go-to favorite: one pot caprese pasta! It’s vibrant, fresh, and bursting with flavor. What’s even more fabulous? It takes less than 15 minutes to whip up! Oh, and did we mention it’s a meatless masterpiece? Plus, we’ve got you covered with a vegan option for the ultimate plant-powered perfection.

overhead of one pot caprese pasta in a pot

What is Caprese? 

Caprese is an Italian-style salad that consists of fresh mozzarella cheese, tomatoes, and lots of fresh basil. We took all these flavors and turned them into a one pot pasta!

Why cooking pasta in broth is better than cooking pasta in water

If you’ve made one of our one pot pasta dishes before, then you have heard us basically shouting from the rooftops why we love it so much. The limited mess is a big bonus, but it isn’t the only reason single-pot spaghetti recipes are life-changing.

When you cook pasta in water, it is important to go heavy on the salt. That’s because the process of rehydrating pasta noodles is when the pasta absorbs the most flavor. So you may notice if you skip the step of salting your pasta water, your pasta tastes bland no matter how flavorful your sauce is.

overhead caprese pasta in a pot with basil and mozzarella cheese

How to make a One Pot Caprese Pasta

If simplicity had a poster child, it would be our One Pot Caprese Pasta. Seriously, it doesn’t get any easier than this!

  1. In a large pot add tomatoes, onion, garlic, pasta, marinara, salt, pepper, olive oil, basil, capers, and broth.
  2. Give everything a good stir.
  3. Bring to a boil. Cover and cook for 10-12 minutes or until pasta is al-dente. Stir in the fresh mozzarella cheese, if using, and garnish with fresh basil. It’s THAT easy!
  4. Feel free to add a drizzle of balsamic glaze.

Can I make this recipe gluten free?

Like all of our one pot pasta and pasta bake recipes, you can easily make this recipe gluten-free by changing out the pasta.

In our experience, gluten-free pasta tends to be a bit more delicate than regular pasta. Because of this, we recommend cutting back on the cooking time if using gluten-free pasta. Alternatively, you can use a different shape like penne or fusilli as they tend to hold their own in single pot recipes too!

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overhead of one pot caprese pasta

One Pot Caprese Pasta

5 from 12 votes
Author: Food Dolls
Servings: 8 servings
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 12 minutes
Total: 22 minutes
This one pot pasta is light, bright, and delicious! It’s meatless with an option to make it completely vegan!

Ingredients  

  • 16 ounces cherry tomatoes
  • 1/2 medium diced onion
  • 6 cloves minced garlic
  • 16 ounces Rummo Fusilli pasta uncooked (or similar shape)
  • 1/2 cup good quality jarred marinara sauce
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt more or less to taste
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper more or less to taste
  • 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 cup fresh chopped basil
  • 2 ounces capers
  • 4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
  • 1/2 cup fresh mozzarella cheese omit for a non-dairy recipe!
  • fresh basil for garnish

Instructions 

  • In a large pot add tomatoes, onion, garlic, pasta, marinara, salt, pepper, olive oil, basil, capers, and broth.
    16 ounces cherry tomatoes, 1/2 medium diced onion, 6 cloves minced garlic, 1/2 cup good quality jarred marinara sauce, 4 cups chicken or vegetable broth, 1 cup fresh chopped basil, 2 ounces capers, 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, 1 teaspoon sea salt, 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, 16 ounces Rummo Fusilli pasta
  • Bring to a boil on high heat. Cover and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook for 10-12 minutes or until pasta is al-dente. Stir in the fresh mozzarella cheese, if using, and some fresh basil.
    1/2 cup fresh mozzarella cheese, fresh basil for garnish

Video

Equipment

Notes

*Tip: If you have leftovers. To reheat, just add a splash of broth and give it a stir. That’ll help it loosen up and be just as delicious!

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Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 292kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 8mg | Sodium: 1050mg | Potassium: 356mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 563IU | Vitamin C: 16mg | Calcium: 75mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Like this recipe?Please leave a comment!

If you love this caprese pasta, try our Turkey Caprese Sandwich. It’s easy and great for meal prep!

Reheating

When reheating a one pot pasta, you need to add liquid in order to loosen it up. For this recipe we add a splash of broth, give it a stir then heat in the microwave. You can always add another splash if it still needs to loosen up.

Additions/Modifications

If you are looking for a dairy free recipe- omit the mozzarella cheese or substitute for your favorite vegan cheese.

If you want to add a protein. Cooked shredded chicken or shrimp can be added once the pasta is cooked!

This pasta is great served with a side of vegetables or a salad. 

If you don’t have a heavy a pot like this one.  Feel free to use any 4 qt. pot.

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Meet Alia & Radwa

Welcome to Food Dolls! Weโ€™re so glad you found us. We are Alia and Radwa, sisters who want to share simple and easy recipes with you. We hope you find recipes here that you enjoy making as much as we do! Learn more about us!

5 from 12 votes (3 ratings without comment)

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14 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    This is definitely a 5 star for taste and texture! I would add just a half cup less of broth. It was a little watery, but with draining a bit, it was just fine. Delicious!

  2. 5 stars
    I made this for my family (10 yo, 12 yo and picky father) and it was a huge hit (and it was super easy!!) I did not have fresh basil so I imagine it would have been even more delicious. I’m going to try the other one pot pastas after this.

  3. 5 stars
    Made this today and was really tasty and easy to make. I didnโ€™t have cherry tomatoes so I sub with 1 can of diced tomatoes drained and we used whole wheat pasta, so good, thank you!

  4. 5 stars
    This is delicious and so easy! So easy, I couldn’t believe the pasta would cook all the way through but it did. Made this for dinner for family and delivered it. They loved it and said it was so tasty!