This Baked Feta Pasta with Cherry Tomatoes, Garlic and Basil is one of those dishes that’s perfect for busy nights. The whole thing can be made in under an hour and you barely need to pay attention to it at all! Just simply fill a baking dish with feta, tomatoes, olive oil, salt and pepper and bake. Toss with fresh garlic, cooked pasta, and basil and you’ve got dinner handled!
Baked Feta Pasta with Tomatoes, Garlic, and Basil
As you can imagine, I’m always on the lookout for new food trends. Whether it’s my rainbow grilled cheese sandwich or a konbi inspired egg salad sandwich, I try to stay on top of these sort of things!
That’s why I’m super excited to share my own version of this tasty recipe!
A few weeks ago, one of my internet friends, Milla, shared a recipe that’s taken the European blogging scene by storm.
This viral recipe also know as #uunifetapasta was developed by a blogger @liemessa, of Finland. You can find her original post here — just select the translate option in the corner! And to be truthful, I love that it seems to be inspired by one of my favorite appetizers – baked feta!
Except in this dish, the the feta is baked with tomatoes and a bunch of olive oil. After the feta and tomatoes have been baked, it’s then tossed with fresh garlic, bowtie pasta, and basil.
Fair warning, your kitchen will smell a-freakin-amazing!
It’s not only a super flavorful dish but it’s also beyond easy to make. It’s one of those perfect dinners that you can prepare without really having to pay attention to it.
I also made this butternut squash pasta for Fall and it’s amazing!
For pairings, I recommend serving it with this tasty citrus avocado kale salad. For dessert, I think you should make this cake-mix banana bread with salted honey butter because I honestly can’t stop dreaming about!
How to make the Feta with Tomatoes
Baked feta is one of my favorite dishes! Before I had this pasta, I’d cook it up as an appetizer and serve it with crusty bread and crackers. Now that I’ve had it on pasta, Faaageetttaboutit! I’m only doing this from now on!
And the best thing is, the technique is the same!
To begin, simply preheat your oven to 400F. Then toss cherry tomatoes with olive oil, salt and pepper in a baking dish. Stick a block of feta in the middle and add another glug of olive oil along with a few more cranks of fresh pepper.
You’ll then bake the whole thing for 30 minutes then turn it on 450 and bake for another 5-10 minutes or until the feta is brown and the tomatoes have burst.
Remove it from the oven and get ready for the next step!
How to make Baked Feta Pasta
Now that the feta and tomatoes have been baked, it’s time for the garlic!
Remove the baking dish from the oven and add chopped garlic and red pepper flakes and stir. The residual heat will cook the garlic and pepper flakes perfectly! This is also the time where your whole kitchen will start to smell like heaven!
After that, you’ll want to break up the feta and the tomatoes and stir. Then, simply toss it with pasta.
To finish the dish, just add another glug of olive oil, some fresh basil and season with salt and pepper to taste.
That’s it! Dinner is ready!
Recipe: Baked Feta Pasta with Cherry Tomatoes, Garlic and Basil
Baked Feta Pasta with Cherry Tomatoes, Basil & Garlic
Ingredients
- 1 lb bowtie pasta
- 4 tbsp olive oil + more for finishing
- 2 boxes cherry tomatoes
- 1 block feta about 8 oz
- 2 cloves garlic finely chopped
- a few pinches red pepper flakes
- 1 handful fresh basil leaves
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400. Add 3 tbsp olive oil to a baking dish and toss with whole cherry tomatoes, salt and pepper until everything is coated.
- Add the feta in the middle and top it with remaining tbsp of olive oil plus a few cranks of fresh pepper. Bake for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, prepare bowtie pasta according to directions then strain.
- After the 30 minutes has past, crank the heat up to 450 and bake for another 5-10 minutes or until the feta and tomatoes have browned.
- Remove the baking dish from the oven and add garlic and red pepper flakes and stir so the residual heat cooks the garlic and releases the flavors from the red pepper flakes.
- Toss in the pasta and stir one more time. Finish with fresh basil, another splash of olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
And if you’d like to save this pasta recipe for later, pin it below!
xoxo,
GCS
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