Baked Feta Pasta Tomatoes Basil (Printer-friendly)
A creamy pasta with baked feta, cherry tomatoes, and fresh basil for a simple, delicious meal.
# What You’ll Need:
→ Dairy
01 - 7 oz block feta cheese
→ Vegetables
02 - 1 lb whole cherry tomatoes
03 - 3 cloves garlic, finely sliced
04 - 1 small red onion, thinly sliced (optional)
05 - ¾ cup fresh basil leaves, torn or chopped
→ Pantry
06 - 12 oz dried pasta (penne or fusilli)
07 - 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
08 - ½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
09 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
# How to Make It:
01 - Set the oven temperature to 400°F.
02 - In a large ovenproof baking dish, combine cherry tomatoes, garlic, and red onion if using. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, season with salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes, then toss to coat evenly.
03 - Place the block of feta in the center of the tomato mixture and drizzle remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil over the feta.
04 - Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes until tomatoes are blistered and feta is softened and golden.
05 - While roasting, cook pasta according to package directions until al dente. Reserve ½ cup of pasta cooking water, then drain.
06 - Remove baking dish from oven and mash feta and tomatoes together with a fork to create a creamy sauce. Add drained pasta and half the basil leaves, tossing to combine. Add reserved pasta water gradually to achieve desired sauce consistency.
07 - Serve immediately, garnished with remaining basil and additional black pepper as desired.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- The feta melts into a creamy, salty sauce without any cream needed, which feels like a small kitchen magic trick.
- Cherry tomatoes burst in the heat and become sweet and jammy, adding depth that makes you forget this took thirty minutes total.
- It's genuinely impressive looking when you bring it to the table, even though you barely did anything.
02 -
- Don't skip reserving pasta water—it's the secret to turning mashed feta and tomatoes into an actual sauce instead of a chunky mess.
- If your feta isn't melting enough, you can mash it more aggressively or let it sit in the hot pasta dish for a minute and it will soften further.
03 -
- Room-temperature feta melts faster and more evenly than cold feta straight from the fridge, so pull it out ten minutes before baking.
- The pasta water is liquid gold—add it slowly and stop when the sauce coats the pasta lightly instead of pooling at the bottom of the dish.