By Arabella Peterson Hosting 01.06.2025

This Fragrant Roasted Tomato Rigatoni Is Perfect for Summer

With sweet tomatoes and creamy burrata, this is the kind of pasta made for long lunches in the sun.

Welcome to Put on a Spread, a recipe series that takes you inside the kitchens – and dining rooms – of some of our favorite home cooks. For this installment, chef and supper club host Xanthe Ross, shares her fragrant roasted tomato rigatoni recipe.

Few meals capture the joy of cooking quite like a simple pasta done exceptionally well – especially when it’s served in good company on beautiful tableware. For chef, supper club host and recipe developer Xanthe Ross, flavor always starts with quality ingredients and thoughtful technique.

Her roasted tomato rigatoni with burrata is a dish that celebrates abundance – sweet, blistered cherry tomatoes, silky cream, and pillowy burrata come together in a sauce that’s comforting, but elevated. Finished with confit garlic and fresh basil, you’ll want to savor every bite.

Served here with our Petal Tableware – featuring piped edges, a delicate curved shape and pastel hued linen – it turns even the simplest weekday meal into an occasion. Whether you're hosting friends or treating yourself to a solo feast in, it’s a dish that feels special from the first forkful to the last.

Ingredients

2 x 150g balls of burrata
700 g cherry tomatoes, halved
2 garlic cloves, peeled but left whole
Extra virgin olive oil, for cooking
1 onion, chopped
1 Tbsp. tomato purée
1/2 bunch of fresh basil
50 ml double cream
500 g rigatoni
1 head of confit garlic (see tip below)
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

Preheat the oven to 425°F (400°F fan) gas mark 7. Take the burrata out of the refrigerator so it’s at room temperature when you’re ready to serve.
Put the tomatoes and garlic cloves into a baking tray, drizzle generously with oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, put a splash of olive oil, the onion and a pinch of salt into a saucepan over a low-medium heat and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft and translucent. Add the tomato purée, stir to combine and cook for another two minutes.
Shred most of the basil, keeping about eight leaves back for serving. Once the tomatoes are cooked, add them to the onions along with the basil and cream. Season with salt and pepper, then allow to cook for about 10 minutes over a medium heat.
Meanwhile, bring a large saucepan of generously salted water to the boil and cook the rigatoni according to the packet instructions. Drain, reserving about two ladles of the pasta water.
Add the pasta water to the tomato sauce and let it cook for a couple more minutes, then add the rigatoni. Drizzle with a few tablespoons of olive oil and season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook over a low heat for just a couple of minutes until the pasta is completely covered with the sauce.
Divide the pasta between shallow bowls and top each bowl with half a ball of burrata. Finish with a few confit garlic cloves, a drizzle of olive oil, salt and pepper and a couple of fresh basil leaves.

For more from Xanthe, follow her at @xanthemross.