Baked Feta Pasta (TikTok Pasta)
The ever so popular Baked Feta Pasta! It's a hearty dish made with roasted tomatoes, creamy lightly tangy feta, al dente pasta, and fresh spinach and herbs. One of the easiest and tastiest recipes!
Ingredients
- 2 pints (20 oz) grape tomatoes
- 5 medium garlic cloves, peeled and halved
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 7 - 8 oz. block feta cheese (sheep's milk variety, such as Murray's), drained
- 10 oz. dry pasta such as campanelle, rigatoni, rotini, penne, bow tie, or cavatappi
- 8 oz. spinach, roughly chopped (8 packed cups)
- 1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh basil
- 2 Tbsp minced fresh parsley
- 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes, or more to taste
- 1/2 cup reserved pasta water
Directions
- 1
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- 2
Add grape tomatoes and garlic to a 3 quart baking dish. Toss with olive oil and a few pinches of salt and pepper. Place feta in the center of tomatoes, turn to coat with oil.
- 3
Bake in center of preheated oven for 30 minutes.
- 4
Then remove the baking dish, raise oven rack up to upper 1/3 of the oven. Return baking dish to oven and increase oven to 450 degrees. Bake until tomatoes and cheese are starting to brown slightly, about 10 minutes longer.
- 5
Meanwhile boil pasta to al dente in salted water (I use 1 Tbsp salt and about 3 or 4 quarts of water), according to time listed on pasta package.
- 6
Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water and right before draining pour and submerge spinach in with the pasta (it should wilt almost instantly). Drain pasta and spinach.
- 7
Smash the tomatoes, garlic, oil and feta together with the back of a wooden spoon. Toss pasta in with mixture along with basil, parsley and red pepper flakes.
- 8
Thin mixture with a few tablespoons of pasta water at a time to reach desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper as needed. Serve warm.