Description
Baked Feta Pasta is a creamy, flavorful, and easy-to-make dish featuring roasted feta cheese and blistered cherry tomatoes combined with pasta and fresh herbs. This recipe delivers a rich and tangy sauce with simple ingredients, perfect for a quick weeknight dinner.
Ingredients
Scale
Vegetables & Cheese
- 2 pints grape tomatoes
- 1 block (8 oz) feta cheese (preferably sheep’s milk)
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled and halved
- 2 cups fresh spinach, roughly chopped
- ¼ cup fresh basil, thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley, minced
Pantry
- 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 10 oz dry pasta (penne, rotini, or fusilli)
- ½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
- ½ cup reserved pasta water
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C) to prepare for roasting the tomatoes and feta.
- Prepare Baking Dish: In a 3-quart baking dish, combine the grape tomatoes and halved garlic cloves. Drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, and toss to coat evenly.
- Add Feta: Place the block of feta cheese in the center of the tomatoes, flipping it to ensure the feta is coated with olive oil.
- Bake: Roast the dish in the oven for 30 minutes. Then increase the oven temperature to 450°F (230°C) and continue baking for another 10 minutes until the feta is golden and the tomatoes are blistered.
- Cook Pasta: While the feta and tomatoes bake, cook the dry pasta in salted boiling water until al dente. Just before draining, add the chopped spinach to the pasta pot to wilt it. Reserve ½ cup of the pasta cooking water before draining the pasta and spinach.
- Make the Sauce: Remove the baking dish from the oven and use a spoon to mash the baked feta, garlic, and roasted tomatoes together creating a creamy sauce.
- Combine Ingredients: Add the cooked pasta, reserved pasta water, crushed red pepper flakes (if using), sliced basil, and minced parsley to the baking dish. Toss everything well until the pasta is evenly coated in the sauce.
- Serve: Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper as needed. Serve the pasta warm, garnished with extra fresh herbs if desired.
Notes
- For a spicier kick, increase the amount of crushed red pepper flakes or add a pinch of chili powder.
- You can substitute grape tomatoes with cherry tomatoes if preferred.
- If fresh spinach is unavailable, baby kale or arugula can be used as alternative greens.
- If you want a creamier texture, add a splash more of pasta water gradually while tossing.
- This pasta sauce is best served immediately after baking for maximum creaminess and flavor.
