Reader Recipe: From Tik Tok to your tummy, Baked Feta Pasta is yummy

Have you tried the baked feta pasta that’s been going viral? This pasta dish features weekly on our menu and we’re not tired of eating it. Why? Because we love the simplicity, the taste is amazing and the low fuss process and ingredients make it so easy.

To describe Baked Feta Pasta in a few words- It's a whole block of salty feta cheese doused with olive oil and baked with juicy cherry tomatoes, fresh garlic and basil and tossed with al-dente pasta, you get the idea! The tomatoes turn jammy, the feta bubbles and sizzles in the tomato goodness and what you get is a beautiful creamy sauce and some irresistible aromas wafting in your home!

The trend first started on Tik Tok in Finland and then took over the internet. Sales of Feta cheese went up 400% and grocery stores ran out of feta each week. I bet if you’re a pasta lover you were going to eventually try it or it’s on your menu already. There are many versions of this pasta dish, each claiming to be better than the original. I’ve tried it with the tomatoes, with tomatoes and veggies, with pesto and tomatoes, and I have loved it each time, so basically you can’t go wrong!  Pair it with a green salad on the side and you’ve got yourself a meal, one that’s visually and nutritionally a 100!! 

Life is about exploring pastabilities (excuse the pun!) so go on and create this easy yet delicious dish!

Ingredients (for 2)

2-3 cups cherry or grape tomatoes

2 cups dry pasta (choose your shape)

150 gm feta cheese block

4 cups salted water (to boil pasta)

5 cloves of garlic 

¼ cup olive oil

1 tsp crushed black pepper

1 tsp crushed red chili flakes

1 tsp crushed sea salt

1 cup veggies (eg. broccoli, asparagus, zucchini, onion, peppers, black pitted olives)

Handful basil chopped & more for garnish

Directions 

Preheat the oven to 400 F. 

Bring 4 cups of water to a boil. Add pasta to salted boiling water till al-dente and keep aside. Save a cup of pasta water.

Rinse veggies of your choice and cut them in small to medium bite size pieces. Mince the garlic. 

Take an oven safe dish large enough to accommodate tomatoes, veggies and the two cups of pasta after it’s cooked. Add cherry tomatoes and veggies, half of the olive oil, half of the minced garlic, sea salt and a sprinkle of black pepper and crushed chili flakes (optional). Turn them around till they’re all coated well. (Adding veggies to this pasta is optional but so good!)

In the center of the dish, make room to add the block of feta cheese and right on top of the cheese, add the remaining olive oil. Sprinkle crushed black pepper and chili flakes.

Bake uncovered on the middle rack for 30-35 minutes. If Feta is not bubbly and browned at the 30 minute mark, increase the heat to 450 F and bake for another 5-10 minutes till feta is melty-toasty brown and tomatoes are bubbly and jammy.

Remove the simmering feta and tomatoes from the oven. Throw in the pasta, some chopped basil and mix it thoroughly. If it looks dry, add a tablespoon of pasta water, one tablespoon at a time till it’s creamy in consistency. 

Rest the dish for a couple of minutes as the flavors develop. Garnish with some more fresh basil leaves and eat away!

Pasta la vista baby!