Recipe Background
Fun fact: This viral recipe was so popular that some countries — like Finland — completely sold out of feta cheese. And after trying Baked Feta Pasta, you'll see why. Baked Feta Pasta first gained popularity on TikTok ® because of its simplicity and unique use of feta, and untraditional cheese for pasta. Baking the sharp feta in the oven at a high temperature makes it melty and saucy when mixed with the burst tomatoes and olive oil, creating a cheesy and creamy sauce with fresh brightness. The great thing about this recipe is that Baked Feta Pasta is extremely customizable, making it simple to swap herbs, spices, and veggies.
Fun fact: This viral recipe was so popular that some countries — like Finland — completely sold out of feta cheese. And after trying Baked Feta Pasta, you'll see why. Baked Feta Pasta first gained popularity on TikTok ® because of its simplicity and unique use of feta, and untraditional cheese for pasta. Baking the sharp feta in the oven at a high temperature makes it melty and saucy when mixed with the burst tomatoes and olive oil, creating a cheesy and creamy sauce with fresh brightness. The great thing about this recipe is that Baked Feta Pasta is extremely customizable, making it simple to swap herbs, spices, and veggies.
Ingredients
- 20 ounces grape tomatoes
- 5 medium cloves garlic peeled and halved
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- salt to taste
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1 (7-8-ounce) block feta cheese plus more, to taste, drained and patted dry
- 10 ounces short pasta such as campanelle, rigatoni, rotini, penne, bow tie, or cavatappi
- 8 ounces spinach roughly chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh basil thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley minced
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Add the grape tomatoes and garlic to a 3-quart baking dish.
- Toss the contents with the olive oil and salt and pepper to taste.
- In the center of the tomatoes, place 1 block of the feta and turn to coat generously in the oil.
- Place the baking dish in the oven on the center rack and bake for 30 minutes.
- Remove the baking dish from the oven. Carefully raise the rack to the top 1/3 of the oven.
- Return the dish with the feta to the upper rack and increase the oven temperature to 450 degrees F, baking until the tomatoes and the cheese start to brown, about 10 minutes.
- While the cheese and tomatoes are baking, cook the pasta al dente according to package instructions.
- With 1-2 minutes of cook time remaining, submerge the spinach into the water with the pasta.
- Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water, then drain the remainder.
- Remove the cheese and the tomatoes from the oven.
- Using the back of a wooden spoon, slightly mash the tomatoes and the feta. Add the pasta mixture, the basil, the parsley, and the red pepper flakes.
- Thin the pasta mixture with the reserved pasta water, a little at a time, until it reaches the desired consistency.
- Add more of the salt and the pepper, as needed.
- Serve immediately.
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