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Although it has summery notes, Pasta Sorrentina is actually an exceptional year-round pasta. With a quickly-cooked, light tomato sauce accented by fresh mozzarella, basil, sun-dried tomatoes and parmesan cheese, this recipe is a classic, but simple, dish.
Cheesy and irresistible, Pasta Sorrentina is a great weeknight pasta that comes together quickly! For a few other weeknight pasta ideas, check out Vodka Sauce with Fresh Tomatoes, Fettuccine with Bottarga and Anchovy, Pasta with Tuna Sauce and Shrimp Scampi Pasta.
What is Sorrentina Sauce?
Sorrentina sauce is a very simple, quickly-cooked tomato sauce with lots of flavor and heartiness from fresh basil, parmesan cheese and its signature ingredient–melty fresh mozzarella cheese.
It hails from sunny Sorrento on the Amalfi coast in southern Italy, where it’s usually a cherry tomato sauce tossed with fresh gnocchi and baked.
I like to think of this dish two ways–one, as the pasta version of popular insalata caprese abundant with fresh tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and basil. And, two, as a quick, weeknight version of a much more involved pasta al forno, i.e., baked pasta.
My version of this classic recipe is made completely on the stovetop with dry fusilli lunghi (i.e., long fusilli) and sun-dried tomatoes added for additional tomato flavor, savoriness and texture. But, I’ve included instructions for the baked version as well!
Why This Recipe Works
- Both Seasonal and Year-Round Appeal: Pasta Sorrentina can be made 100% on the stovetop, as I have done here, or finished in the oven with additional cheese, giving it a bit more heartiness for cooler months. And, it is great with garden fresh, in-season fresh tomatoes or canned–a super-flexible recipe!
- Quick and Easy: This tomato-based sauce comes together quickly and does not require a long simmer time.
- So Delicious! Pasta Sorrentina is loved by adults and children alike. It’s full of mild flavor and has a great cheesiness factor as well! Plus, this dish is vegetarian, so it has wide appeal.
Pasta Sorrentina is a perfect combination of simplicity and abundance in a tasty sauce with amazing texture and flavor. Hope you love it!
Ingredients for Pasta Sorrentina
As this dish contains few ingredients, make sure you invest in the best! To make this easy pasta with fresh mozzarella, tomato and basil, we’ll be using the following ingredients:
- Tomatoes: Either fresh tomatoes in season or canned tomatoes can be used successfully in this recipe. A traditional fresh “sauce” tomato, such as roma, plum or San Marzano, is great, but really any tomato will work! Cherry tomatoes are a popular choice for this dish. I used a variety of fresh tomatoes from my garden for this recipe. Depending on the specific combination of tomatoes that you use and their individual juiciness will dictate how long you need to simmer the sauce to get it to the right consistency. Alternatively, use canned whole tomatoes with their juice/sauce and hand-crush them, or use diced or crushed tomatoes or tomato puree.
- Fresh Mozzarella: Along with the tomatoes and basil, fresh mozzarella is the key ingredient making this dish sorrentina. For a more artisan look and texture, I suggest hand-tearing the mozzarella into small pieces, but you can also cut it with a knife, if preferred. While you can make this dish with regular, i.e., not fresh mozzarella, I do not suggest it. It just will not be the same! Alternatively, if you are lucky enough to get your hands on some buffalo mozzarella, by all means-use it!
- Fresh Basil: A key ingredient in this dish! Use lots of it, both during the sautéing step and folded in to the finished pasta. While you can use dried basil simmered in the sauce, you really need fresh basil leaves folded in at the end for best results.
- Butter: Used to sauté the garlic and other aromatics and again at the end to add richness and silkiness to the finished pasta. If you prefer to not use butter, you can substitute it with extra virgin olive oil.
- Sun-Dried Tomatoes: Use these for extra tomato flavor, umami (savoriness) and texture. If you don’t have any, you can leave them out.
- Parmesan Cheese: The incredible depth of flavor and savoriness of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese is just what the sauce needs to round out its flavors.
- Pasta: I used an unusual shape called fusilli lunghi, aka, fusilli col buco here, but this dish works with so many different shapes, such as bucatini, spaghetti and cavatappi. If you are baking this dish, I suggest a short shape such as fusilli, gnocchi, paccheri or rigatoni.
Pasta Sorrentina, Step-by-Step with Pro-Tips!
Here are the main steps for how to make this pasta alla sorrentina recipe:
- Melt butter in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Then add basil, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic and crushed red pepper flakes to the pan. Cook until the garlic has softened and browned a bit, about 3 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- PRO-TIP: Be careful not to burn the garlic!
- Add the tomatoes, salt and black pepper to the pan, increase the heat to medium, and stir well.
- Cook, uncovered, about 10 minutes or until this mixture has turned saucy and reduced a bit. Stir occasionally, then turn off the heat.
- PRO-TIP: You can prepare the sauce in advance up to this point and refrigerate it for up to two days if necessary.
- Meanwhile, once the water comes to a boil, add salt, then the pasta, stirring frequently.
- Turn the tomato sauce back on to medium-low heat after the pasta has been cooking for about 5 minutes. Cook the pasta for 2 minutes less than the package directions, or about 2 minutes before you think it is al dente.
- PRO-TIP: Be sure to reserve at least 1 cup of the starchy pasta water.
- Transfer the cooked pasta to the pan and toss well, allowing the pasta to finish cooking in the wonderful flavors of the sauce.
- Add pasta water if more moisture is needed, about ½ cup at a time.
- PRO-TIP: The pasta water is key! Add it to the sauce along with the pasta for the additional moisture needed to finish cooking the pasta.
- Once the pasta is al dente, remove the pan from the heat, then stir in the remaining basil and butter and toss.
- PRO-TIP: The additional butter is “mounted” on the finished pasta at the end for additional richness and silkiness.
- Carefully fold in the mozzarella and Parmigiano cheeses until well-combined. Sprinkle with a bit more grated cheese and serve immediately. That’s it!
- PRO-TIP: Mozzarella tends to get clumpy if it sits too long, so serving this dish immediately is key.
Check out my answer to “How Much Salt Should You Add to Pasta Water?” here, as featured in Appetito’s online Italian Food and Drink Magazine. (Hint: I also mention it in the recipe below.)
More Delicious Pasta Recipes with Tomatoes
If you love making pasta sauces with tomatoes, here are a few more recipes to try out:
- Bucatini Pasta with Ricotta, Slow-Roasted Eggplant & Tomatoes–hearty and delicious
- Pasta with Grape Tomato Sauce–a quick sauce made with grape or cherry tomatoes
- Sicilian Pesto with Busiate Pasta–a classic, Sicilian, raw tomato and almond pesto
- Pasta alla Checca–a super-easy, no-cook, tomato and ricotta sauce that anyone can make!
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are answers to some frequently asked questions about pasta with sorrentina sauce:
You can, but it is not recommended. Regular (i.e., not fresh) mozzarella will not perform the same way in this dish and you may be disappointed. However, if you decide to use regular mozzarella, definitely do not use pre-shredded as that contains an anti-caking coating that will not work in this dish.
Traditional pasta alla sorrentina is often baked, and I have included instructions in the recipe for baking as well! If baking this recipe, after mixing the pasta, sauce and cheese together, simply transfer the skillet immediately to a 400°F oven for about 8 minutes or until the cheese has melted and is bubbly. You can also add a bit more cheese and finish the dish under the broiler for a minute or two, to get a crispy, browned cheesy topping.
You can prepare the tomato sauce for pasta sorrentina in advance and hold it in the refrigerator for up to two days. Just heat the sauce when you are ready to combine it with the pasta. Do not add any of the cheeses until the very end, as noted in the recipe.
Leftover pasta sorrentina can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat it, covered, in a small skillet over medium low heat with a little bit of water until heated through.
Try serving this recipe with Pesto Turkey Meatballs, Sauteéd Broccoli Rabe, Neapolitan Zucchini A Scapece with Vinegar and Mint or Roasted Eggplant with Crispy Garlic and Herbs–all are delicious pairings!
Recipe Variations and Substitutions
Here are a few ideas to change up this pasta dish:
- Add protein: Shrimp, crab, chicken or Italian sausage are all great in this dish for additional protein.
- Change the cheese: Try luxurious buffalo mozzarella if you are lucky to have some, or scamorza, in place of the fresh mozzarella. Also, use Pecorino Romano as a substitute for the parmesan cheese.
- Add some veggies: A dark leafy green, such as baby spinach or arugula, is so good in this dish. Add it at the same time as the pasta.
- Make it spicy! For additional heat, either increase the amount of crushed red pepper or add some Calabrian chile paste at the beginning of the cooking process (or both). And, of course, don’t forget to drizzle some homemade spicy pepper oil over the finished dish!
Kitchen Tools for Pasta Sorrentina
To make sorrentina pasta, you’ll need the following:
- Cutting board with non-slip mat underneath (I use shelf liner)
- Sharp chef’s knife
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Multiple bowls to hold prep
- Cheese grater (optional)
- Large sauté pan or Dutch oven
- Wooden or silicon spoons, tongs
- Large pot for cooking pasta
- Colander, large mesh strainer or spider for scooping out or draining pasta
- Large serving bowl or platter and serving utensils
More Italian Pasta Recipes to Try
I hope that you are enjoying my Italian food blog Mangia With Michele and all of my Italian recipes!
If you’ve tried Pasta Sorrentina with Tomatoes, Basil and Fresh Mozzarella or any other recipe on the blog, please let me know how it went in the comments below. I love hearing from you!
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Pasta Sorrentina with Tomatoes, Basil and Fresh Mozzarella
Ingredients
- 5 Tbsp butter, divided
- 1 cup chopped fresh basil, divided
- ½ cup chopped or sliced sun-dried tomatoes, drained of any oil
- 2 Tbsp chopped garlic (about 4 cloves)
- Pinch crushed red pepper
- 1½ pounds fresh tomatoes, cored and diced with juice or 1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes, hand-crushed (See Note.)
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 1 pound pasta + salt for pasta water
- 12 ounces fresh mozzarella, hand-torn into small pieces (drained if a lot of liquid)
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese + more for top
Instructions
- Prep all ingredients according to specifications above. Put a large pot of water on to boil.
- Melt 4 Tbsp butter in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Then add ½ cup basil, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic and crushed red pepper flakes to the pan. Cook until the garlic has softened and browned a bit, about 3 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Be careful not to burn the garlic.½ cup chopped or sliced sun-dried tomatoes,, 2 Tbsp chopped garlic, Pinch crushed red pepper
- Add the tomatoes, salt and black pepper to the pan, increase the heat to medium, and stir well. Cook, uncovered, about 10 minutes or until this mixture has turned saucy and reduced a bit. Stir occasionally. (You can prepare the sauce in advance up to this point and refrigerate it for up to two days if necessary.) Turn off the heat.1½ pounds fresh tomatoes,, ½ tsp salt, ¼ tsp black pepper
- Meanwhile, once the water comes to a boil, add salt, then the pasta, stirring frequently. Turn the tomato sauce back on to medium-low heat after the pasta has been cooking for about 5 minutes.1 pound pasta
- Cook the pasta for 2 minutes less than the package directions, or about 2 minutes before you think it is al dente. Be sure to reserve at least 1 cup of the starchy pasta water.
- Transfer the cooked pasta to the pan and toss well, allowing the pasta to finish cooking in the wonderful flavors of the sauce. Add pasta water if more moisture is needed, about ½ cup at a time.
- Once the pasta is al dente, remove the pan from the heat, then stir in the remaining ½ cup basil and 1 Tbsp butter and toss. Then, carefully fold in the mozzarella and Parmigiano cheeses until well-combined.12 ounces fresh mozzarella,, ¼ cup parmesan cheese
- Sprinkle with a bit more grated cheese and serve immediately. Buon Appetito!
Notes
- Either fresh tomatoes in season or canned tomatoes can be used successfully in this recipe. A traditional fresh “sauce” tomato, such as roma, plum or San Marzano, is great, but really any tomato will work! I used a variety of fresh tomatoes from my garden for this recipe. Depending on the specific combination of tomatoes that you use and their individual juiciness will dictate how long you need to simmer the sauce to get it to the right consistency.
- Alternatively, use canned whole tomatoes with their juice/sauce and hand-crush them, or use diced or crushed tomatoes or tomato puree.
- Use a large pot with 5 to 6 quarts water for 1 pound of pasta. Bring the water to a boil before adding the salt. Use 1½-2 Tbsp salt.
- The pasta water is important! Add it to the sauce along with the pasta for the additional moisture needed to finish cooking the pasta.
- Turn the heat off before adding the cheeses. Mozzarella tends to get clumpy if it sits too long, so serving this dish immediately is key.
- The additional butter is “mounted” on the finished pasta at the end for additional richness and silkiness.
- Pasta Sorrentina can also be baked: after mixing the pasta, sauce and cheese together, simply transfer the skillet immediately to a 400°F oven for about 8 minutes or until the cheese has melted and is bubbly. (Or, transfer the pasta mix to a baking dish.) You can also add a bit more cheese and finish the dish under the broiler for a minute or two, to get a crispy, browned cheesy topping.
I really shouldn’t have looked at this recipe right before lunch…..those photos are making me crave! Will definitely try this soon. Have never heard of fusilli lunghi, but this looks like a really fun pasta to try.
Thanks, Tony! Craveworthy is what I do lol! It’s a fun shape. Hope you give the recipe a try. 🙂
This recipe was so delicious-my whole family loved it! Will definitely make it again.
So glad you enjoyed the recipe, Gloria! Thanks for your comment. 🙂