tiktok baked feta pasta
https://liemessa.fi/2020/09/baked-feta-pasta-original-recipe/ https://iamafoodblog.com/tiktok-baked-feta-pasta/ https://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/a35421563/baked-feta-pasta-tiktok/
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup olive oil, the good stuff
- 500g cherry tomatoes, halved
- 200g-227g feta cheese (1 block)
- 2-4 cloves garlic, squashed flat or cut in half lengthwise
- (optional) 1-2 shallots, quartered
- (optional) ~~chili flakes~~ maybe use paprika instead
- (?) maybe throw in some herbs
- salt and pepper
- 450g pasta - fusilli or farfalle look good
- salt
- fresh basil, chopped, to finish
- (?) saw someone add honey too, but that probably doesn't go?
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F / 200°C.
- In a large baking dish, toss the tomatoes, crushed garlic, and quartered shallots with the olive oil.
- Place the feta in the middle, turning it to coat it in oil.
- Season everything with salt and pepper and bake for 15-30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes, turn the heat up to 450°F / 230°C and roast until the feta is golden brown 10-15 minutes.
- While the feta is baking, cook the pasta according to the package directions.
- Save 1-2 cups of the pasta water, then drain well.
- When the feta and tomatoes are done, remove from the oven.
- Immediately add crushed red pepper, if using.
- Stir everything together until the tomatoes and feta combine into a creamy sauce.
- Stir in the drained pasta until well coated and creamy, adding in a bit of pasta water to loosen if too thick.
- Taste and season with salt and pepper.
- Stir in some chopped basil and finish with crushed red pepper. Enjoy!
Notes
- cherry tomatoes – the sweeter the better! There are so many types of mini tomatoes these days, from strawberry to grape to on the vine to heirloom. I used one package of classic cherry tomatoes and one package of cherry tomatoes on the vine.
- feta – you'll want to get a nice higher quality Greek feta since it's the main flavor of the dish. Grab a block of feta, the kind that comes in a brine, not the crumbles. If you want a milder, creamier feta, try French feta, it's less tart than Greek.
- olive oil – most of the recipes I've seen call from anywhere from 1/4 to 1/2 cup of olive oil. I went with 1/3 cup, you want enough to coat the tomatoes and feta while having a bit of oil pool at the bottom of your baking dish so the tomatoes are essentially doing a tomato confit type thing. Too little olive oil and your tomatoes will end up drying out.
- pasta – you can use any shape you like, we went with casarecce the first time and rotini the second time and both were great.
- garlic – a couple cloves of minced garlic are mixed in and the residual heat of the tomatoes mellows the sharpness out while still giving you a huge hit of garlicky goodness.
- basil – fresh basil and tomatoes are perfect pairing. Slice some up to stir in and keep some extra leaves whole to garnish with!