Baked Feta Pasta Recipe
Who doesn't love a viral TikTok recipe? If you have been living under a rock, TikTok is the new place to get all the latest recipe ideas, and most go viral for their simplicity. This baked feta pasta combines Greek and Italian ingredients, and trust us when we tell you that they are a match made in heaven. Recipe developer Ting Dalton came up with her own spin on the viral baked feta pasta recipe, and it's a great dish to serve a crowd. "This TikTok recipe went viral, and for a good reason. Simplicity at its best — the salty, creamy goodness of feta mixed with the sweetness of cherry tomatoes and the aromatics of basil," Dalton raves. "It's like the perfect combination. And then you add the pasta — freshness, and comfort in a bowl." How good does that sound?
Another thing that Dalton can't help but point out? The ease of it. "The best thing is that you really don't have to do much at all except mix all the ingredients in a baking dish, bake and mix with cooked pasta!" she shares.
Gather the ingredients for this baked feta pasta
To start, you will need to gather all the ingredients. Be sure to pick up a dried pasta of your choice, cherry tomatoes, feta cheese, extra virgin olive oil, sea salt, black pepper, garlic cloves, and fresh basil.
Preheat the oven and start loading the baking dish
Turn the dial of your oven to 400 F and let it get hot while you do the rest of the prep work.
Take out a baking dish and add the cherry tomatoes and the garlic first. Drizzle the olive oil over the top and then season with salt and pepper. Then, be sure to stir to combine well.
Add the feta and bake
Nestle the block of feta right in the middle of the tomatoes, and be sure to rub it around a bit so that it gets some of that oil and seasoning. Rub it on the bottom of the pan then flip it, so that both the top and bottom of the feta will be coated.
If the oven has preheated, pop the baking dish in for 35 minutes. Continue cooking until the feta cheese softens down and the cherry tomatoes get so hot, they burst.
Cook the pasta and add basil leaves
As you wait for the tomatoes and feta to cook in the oven, grab your selected pasta and some salted water. Check the back of the box and follow the instructions to cook, as every brand and type of pasta will vary. Before you drain the pasta, measure ½ cup of the cooking liquid and set it to the side. Then you can drain the water from the pasta.
Now, remove the tomatoes and feta from the oven and add the basil leaves to the baking dish. Toss everything well to combine.
Add the basil leaves and pasta
The last thing you will need to do to complete the dish throw in the cooked pasta with the feta mixture and toss it again to combine. Garnish with a little more fresh basil on top and voila, you are all set!
Serve and enjoy
Now, all there's left to do is grab a fork and dig in. This pasta makes a great main course or a side to a protein. If you want to serve it warm, Dalton recommends that you "enjoy it with garlic bread or fresh bread, or a green salad." It's also great the next day. "The pasta is great cold too — so you could even have cold pasta for picnics, BBQs, or lunchboxes," Dalton notes.
- 4 cups cherry tomatoes
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 (8 ounce) block feta cheese
- 8 ounces cavatappi pasta (or pasta of choice)
- ¼ cup chopped fresh basil, plus more for serving
- Preheat the oven to 400 F.
- Add the cherry tomatoes and garlic to a baking dish. Pour the olive oil on top, and season with the salt and pepper. Combine well.
- Place the feta block in the middle of the baking dish, and rub it around so that the oil and seasoning coats it as well.
- Bake in the oven for 35 minutes, until the cherry tomatoes burst, and the feta cheese melts.
- While the tomatoes and feta are baking, cook the pasta in a pot of salted water according to the package instructions. Drain and reserve ½ cup of the cooking liquid.
- Add the basil leaves to the cooked tomatoes and feta and toss everything to combine. Then add the cooked pasta to the baking dish and combine it with the tomatoes.
- Optionally garnish with more fresh basil and serve.
| Calories per Serving | 369 |
| Total Fat | 20.9 g |
| Saturated Fat | 7.4 g |
| Trans Fat | 0.0 g |
| Cholesterol | 33.6 mg |
| Total Carbohydrates | 34.7 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 2.7 g |
| Total Sugars | 5.6 g |
| Sodium | 433.6 mg |
| Protein | 11.4 g |
