Baked Feta and Tomato Pasta
Try this take on a viral recipe combining baked feta cheese, tomatoes, olive oil and herbs into a tangy, salty pasta dish. Just as easy as it is delicious!
Equipment
- 12" (Extra Large) Skillet or 13 x 9 Baking Dish
- Potato Masher (Optional)
- Normal Kitchen Utensils
Ingredients
- 1 Lb Pasta Rotini, Fusilli, Penne, Bowtie, or Orecchiette
- 24 Oz. Grape or Cherry Tomatoes Whole
- 8 Oz. Block of Feta Cheese Crumbled Works In A Pinch
- 4-5 Cloves Garlic Chopped
- 1/2 C Olive Oil
- 1 1/2 tsp Dried Oregano
- 1 1/2 tsp Dried Basil
- 1/2 tsp Red Pepper Flakes Or More (Optional)
- Salt and Pepper to Taste
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
- In your skillet of baking dish, toss the tomatoes with all but a about a Tbsp of the olive oil. Once coated, mix in the basil, oregano, (optional) red pepper flakes and a heavy pinch of salt.24 Oz. Grape or Cherry Tomatoes, 1/2 C Olive Oil, 1 1/2 tsp Dried Oregano, 1 1/2 tsp Dried Basil, 1/2 tsp Red Pepper Flakes, Salt and Pepper to Taste
- Place the feta cheese directly in the center of the tomatoes and cover with the remaining olive oil.8 Oz. Block of Feta Cheese
- Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes. Then increase the oven temperature to 450 and bake an additional 10 minutes.
- While the feta and tomatoes bake, boil you pasta per the directions on the bag. Be sure to salt the water.1 Lb Pasta
- Remove the feta and tomatoes from the oven and add the garlic. Mash with the (optional) potato masher or a fork, being careful when popping the tomatoes.4-5 Cloves Garlic
- Drain your pasta, reserving a half cup of pasta water. Toss the pasta with the feta and tomatoes in the skillet/baking dish. Add some of the reserved pasta water if the dish feels dry.
- Note: the tomatoes will often take the flavor spotlight if you mix them directly with the feta. If you want the feta to be more obvious in the dish, set it aside before mashing the tomatoes and mixing them with the pasta. Then add the feta on top of the pasta when serving.
- Season with salt and pepper and serve right away.
Notes
Feel free to use fresh herbs instead of dried. The general conversion is 3x the volume of fresh versus dried.