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Baked in the oven, this Boursin Tomato Pasta is going to be your newest go-to recipe. The simplicity of it is hard to beat, and since the main ingredients are fresh tomatoes and Boursin, it’s full of great flavor without needing to spend a long time tending to it. You simply bake the garlic, tomato, and Boursin, then mix in the pasta along with pasta water (important!) – that’s it!
Table of Contents
This kind of recipe went viral on TikTok, with feta in place of Boursin, but I’ve been cooking with Boursin for years, so I wanted to try it this way! Boursin is a delicious, creamy soft cheese, laced with garlic and herbs. It’s usually served cold, but it actually melts beautifully, which is why it’s so good in this recipe.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- It’s simple and easy. It comes together in one baking dish and one pan for the pasta.
- The recipe is adaptable to use other cheese and vegetables so you can use what you have in the fridge.
- The roasted garlic levels up this recipe with no effort required at all.
- It’s easy to scale up for a crowd.
Ingredients
- Tomatoes – I used medium tomatoes, but if you can find gorgeous on-the-vine cherry tomatoes, those would be best.
- A whole garlic head – Yes, a whole bulb! It won’t overpower the dish, don’t worry, since it’s roasted alongside the tomatoes in a good drizzle of olive oil. This mellows the flavor so you get a sweet, caramelized flavor in the pasta.
- Spaghetti – Use whatever pasta you have. I like a long pasta, like spaghetti or linguine, here, but it won’t impact the recipe, so short shapes work too.
- Boursin – Garlic & herb is the classic Boursin cheese flavor. They do have others, but this is the best one in my opinion and perfect for this recipe. In the US, it comes in 5.2-oz packages, so you’ll need two.
- Red pepper flakes – Just for a little bit of warmth in the dish. If you are making this for children, you can of course leave them out.
- Fresh basil – I love fresh basil to lift the creamy, garlicky sauce and add freshness too.
- Parmesan – This adds a lovely saltiness and depth of flavor to the sauce.
Substitutions and variations
Make it vegan: Use vegan Boursin if cooking for vegans and use plant-based Parmesan.
Make it gluten-free: Swap the pasta for your favorite gluten-free option.
Tomatoes: You could also add some red peppers or sun-dried tomatoes to the roasting dish alongside the cherry tomatoes.
Canned tomatoes are an option when tomatoes are out of season. Instead of roasting, use them to make a tomato sauce: Roast the garlic with oil in the oven for 30 minutes. Smash the garlic into the canned tomatoes and simmer for 10 minutes. Season well, and then stir in 1 wheel of Boursin, basil, and Parmesan. Add to the cooked pasta and enjoy!
Boursin: The viral recipe used feta, so that would also work here too. I would just use one good-quality block of feta rather than two, as it is much saltier than Boursin and you don’t want to overpower the dish.
Make it spicy: Add a more generous pinch of red pepper (chili) flakes when roasting and then finish with more flakes when done. Or chop a fresh red chili and add to the roasting pan with the tomatoes. Then it will become part of the sauce at the end, with a good level of heat. Adjust how much and the type of pepper, depending on your preference.
Adding vegetables: You could add other vegetables to the tomatoes when roasting. Some chopped red onion would be delicious, or add a handful of spinach to the sauce for the last few minutes of roasting. It will wilt down into the sauce.
How to make Boursin tomato pasta
Here’s a quick visual guide — the full recipe with exact measurements is below.
ONE: Preheat the oven to 392°F (200°C/180°C fan). Place the Boursin in a baking dish. Scatter over the halved tomatoes. Cut the top off the whole garlic head, exposing the cloves, and place it next to the tomatoes.
TWO: Add the oregano and sugar, then drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
THREE: Roast in the preheated oven for about 25-30 minutes or until the tomatoes are blistered, caramelized, and the garlic is soft.
FOUR: Once roasted, squeeze the soft garlic cloves out of the skin.
FIVE: Mash them together with the tomatoes using a wooden spoon, beating in the creamy Boursin to create a delicious sauce. Add around 1/4 cup (60 ml) of the reserved pasta cooking water and stir until creamy.
SIX: Add the cooked pasta to the baking dish and stir until it’s evenly coated with the sauce. Add the chopped basil leaves and add more pasta cooking water if the sauce appears too dry. Add the Parmesan.
Tips from Margie’s kitchen
- Roasting garlic: Make sure you cover the garlic head in oil so it doesn’t burn. Once it’s roasted, the cloves will pop out when you squeeze them and have a sweet, mellow flavor.
- Making for more people: This recipe is very simple to scale up for a larger group. Since the pasta is cooked separately and drained, you don’t need to adjust any liquids.
Frequently asked questions
Boursin is a French cheese. It’s soft but also slightly crumbly (it’s delicious with bread/crackers if you haven’t tried that before!) and the flavor we are using here is garlic & herb. It is really quite garlicky, which makes it so delicious in this recipe.
Since this sauce is baked, the pasta water is important here because it loosens the baked tomatoes and Boursin into a creamy, silky sauce. Pasta water is starchy, so it won’t thin the sauce as much as regular water. It also prevents the pasta from sticking together.
I really would use fresh tomatoes here. They roast best, and you get the best flavor once they’ve burst and blistered. But if they are out of season for you, see the Substitutions section for how to make this without fresh tomatoes.
About 25–30 minutes at 392°F (200°C/180°C fan), until the tomatoes are blistered and caramelized and the garlic is soft. The Boursin should be melted and soft around the edges.
I wouldn’t mix the pasta in with the sauce until ready to serve. If you want to get ahead, you could prep everything in the baking dish, then cover and place it in the fridge. Roast when ready and then toss in the pasta. I wouldn’t roast the sauce ahead of time, as you want the Boursin to be melted and smooth.
Transfer to an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Any leftovers can be reheated in the microwave for 1-2 minutes until piping hot. Otherwise, add to a pan over medium heat and mix until it comes back into a smooth sauce. It may need a splash of water to loosen it a little.
I wouldn’t freeze this as the sauce will likely turn grainy once defrosted.
Other recipes you might enjoy
For more easy pasta recipes, try my Spicy Tomato Nduja Pasta, Baked Artichoke and Lemon Pasta, or Creamy Lemon Pasta.
Easy Pasta Recipes
Creamy Orzo with Tomato and Mascarpone
Easy 30 Minute Meals
Baked Boursin Pasta with Lemon & Artichokes
Chicken Recipes
Lemon Chicken Orzo
Comfort Food
Pesto Lasagne (Lasagne al Pesto)
If you tried this Boursin Tomato Pasta or any other recipe on the site, please do leave a rating or comment and let us know how it went!
Boursin Tomato Pasta
Ingredients
- 21 oz ripe medium vine tomatoes, about 6 medium tomatoes, halved (or about 4 cups cherry tomatoes work well, too)
- 1 small whole garlic head, or 4 large garlic cloves, unpeeled
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp superfine sugar (caster sugar)
- 8 oz spaghetti
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 10.4 oz Garlic & Herb Boursin, two 5.2-oz packages
- 0.75 oz Parmesan, grated, about 1/4 cup
- Handful of fresh basil leaves
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 392°F (200°C/180°C fan).
- Place the Boursin in a baking dish. Scatter over the halved tomatoes. Cut the top off the whole garlic head, exposing the cloves, and place it next to the tomatoes. Add the oregano and sugar, then drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
- Roast in the preheated oven for about 25-30 minutes or until the tomatoes are blistered, caramelized, and the garlic is soft.
- While the tomatoes and garlic are roasting, cook the pasta al dente in heavily salted water according to the package instructions. Reserve about 1 cup of pasta cooking water before draining (you won’t add all of it to the sauce, but it’s good practice to reserve plenty just in case).
- Once roasted, squeeze the soft garlic cloves out of the skin and mash them together with the tomatoes with a wooden spoon, beating in the creamy Boursin to create a delicious sauce. Add around 1/4 cup of the reserved pasta cooking water and stir until creamy.
- Add the cooked pasta to the baking dish and stir until evenly coated with the sauce. Add the chopped basil leaves and add more pasta cooking water if the sauce appears too dry. Add the Parmesan and stir well. Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding more salt or pepper if needed. Top with more Parmesan, some fresh basil, and enjoy!
Notes
Make-ahead and storage
To store: Transfer to an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 3 days. To reheat: Reheat leftovers in the microwave for 1-2 minutes until piping hot. Otherwise, add it to a pan over medium heat and mix until it comes back into a smooth sauce. It may need a splash of water to loosen it a little. To freeze: I wouldn’t freeze this as the creamy sauce will likely turn grainy once defrosted. Make ahead: I wouldn’t mix the pasta in with the sauce until ready to serve. If you want to get ahead, you could prep everything in the baking dish and then cover it and place it in the fridge. Roast when ready and then toss in the pasta. I wouldn’t roast the sauce ahead of time as you want the Boursin to be melted and smooth.More quick tips
- Make it vegan: Use vegan Boursin if cooking for vegans and use plant-based Parmesan.
- Make it gluten-free: Swap the pasta for your favorite gluten-free option.
- Tomatoes: You could also add some red peppers or sun-dried tomatoes to the roasting dish alongside the cherry tomatoes.
- Canned tomatoes are an option when tomatoes are out of season. Instead of roasting, use them to make a tomato sauce: Roast the garlic with oil in the oven for 30 minutes. Smash the garlic into the canned tomatoes and simmer for 10 minutes. Season well, and then stir in 1 wheel of Boursin, basil, and Parmesan. Add to the cooked pasta and enjoy!
- Boursin: The viral recipe used feta, so that would also work here too. I would just use one good-quality block of feta rather than two, as it is much saltier than Boursin and you don’t want to overpower the dish.
- Make it spicy: Add a more generous pinch of red pepper (chili) flakes when roasting and then finish with more flakes when done. Or chop a fresh red chili and add to the roasting pan with the tomatoes. Then it will become part of the sauce at the end, with a good level of heat. Adjust how much and the type of pepper, depending on your preference.
- Adding vegetables: You could add other vegetables to the tomatoes when roasting. Some chopped red onion would be delicious, or add a handful of spinach to the sauce for the last few minutes of roasting. It will wilt down into the sauce.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I made this the other night! Added some spinach. It was SO good! But now, the next night, after refrigerating it overnight, the sauce is no longer creamy but just greasy….. Is there any way I can “reconstitute” it back to the wonderful creaminess it had when I first made it?!! Help please!!!