Baked feta pasta Tik Tok recipe
I am coming your way today with another Tik Tok viral recipe. We have barely finished soaking in Dalgona and cereal pancake recipes from last year and here we are today in 2021 with baked feta cheese. That said, I am yet to join Tik Tok but I think I will join now after listening to Yumna of feelgoodfoodie on the food blogger pro podcast. Her social media ethics is ace! She made this recipe viral too by the way. Everywhere I turn on Instagram, I see people making baked feta pasta or tortilla wrap. I have tried both and I am sharing my take on the many variations of the popular pasta dish with you today. Related recipe: Boursin pasta! this recipe is so good and you can swap feta for Boursin to make today’s recipe. If you are wondering how this dish tastes, well, you can definitely taste the cheese and its strong flavour. It is tangy and if I were to make it again, I would probably add honey, Worcestershire sauce or a bit of brown sugar to counterbalance the tanginess from the cheese and tomatoes. My advice is, if you haven’t tried feta cheese before whether on its own or in salad, then do a taste test before using a whole block of it as in this recipe. Feta cheese is definitely not for everyone but it’s a great addition to your salad. It does pair beautifully well with my air fried honey soy chicken, the sweetness from the chicken did lift the whole dish.
Why this recipe works.
It is simple! Anyone can make it, including children under supervision of course.
Minimal prep and less dishes to clean up.
Although not quick, you can have this from the kitchen to the dinner table in less than 40 minutes.
If you love feta cheese then this pasta dish is for you. It is tangy yet delicious.
It uses fresh ingredients and you can use any shaped pasta of choice.
Budget-friendly
Few facts about this dish
Finnish food blogger Tiiu and Jenni Hayrinen first shared this recipe in 2018 and 2019, respectively. Thanks to the power of social media and Tik Tok, it went viral recently and from what I read, grocery stores ran out of feta cheese in Finland as everyone wanted to have a go of this easy dish. Jenni called for #uunifetapasta and the universe listened. Here we are, one and half years later making it in our kitchen all over the world. While we do not know where this recipe originated from, we can definitely thank Jenni for this simple oven feta recipe.
Baked feta cheese ingredients
These are what you will need to make this simple dish Feta cheese Cherry tomatoes Pasta Olive oil Salt and pepper Italian seasoning Red pepper flakes Fresh Garlic
How to make baked feta cheese
Preheat the oven at 180C/356F To an oven safe dish, add cherry tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper then mix to combine. Make space in the middle of the baking dish, enough to fit the feta. Place the block of feta in the middle of the seasoned tomatoes then drizzle with some more olive oil. Place the baking dish in the preheated oven and bake until the tomatoes bursts and the cheese is softened. This should be between 25 to 30 minutes. 10 minutes before the end of the roasting process, bring the pasta to boil in salted water according to the instruction on the packet until al dente. (Do not over salt the pasta as the cheese already contains salt) Drain the pasta and set aside. Remove the baking dish from the oven, sprinkle immediately with red pepper flakes and Italian seasoning. Using the back of a ladle, mash the tomatoes, garlic and the feta together until a creamy consistency is achieved. You can leave some tomato chunks if you like for texture. Add the drained pasta and mix to combine. Garnish with some fresh basil. Serve and enjoy!
Tips
Reduce the amount of feta and complement with single or double cream. Skip the pasta and soak all the delicious baked tomato juice and feta cheese with some homemade garlic bread. Toss in some cooked chicken, ham, shrimps or flaked salmon into pasta to make it a whole meal. For low carb option, skip the pasta for zoodles. You can swap feta for goat cheese, I haven’t personally tried it with goat cheese but I have seen a few people try it on the internet with great success. Save some pasta water for the final dish, you might be needing it to loosen the dish up in case it comes out dry. I did not need to add any as my tomatoes were juicy enough.
How to store
Just like any other pasta dish, you can store it in the fridge for up to 3 days in an airtight container. Make sure it is completely cooled before storing in the refrigerator.
More pasta recipe
Creamy beef pasta Baked tortellini Creamy bacon pasta Vegetable pasta bake Easy baked spaghetti If you made this super easy pasta recipe, don’t forget to leave me feedback. Tag me @thedinnerbite on Instagram and save away to your Pinterest. Please subscribe to the blog if you haven’t for free new recipes in your inbox DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? PLEASE RATE IT AND LEAVE ME A COMMENT. USE #THEDINNERBITE OR TAG @THEDINNERBITE ON INSTAGRAM SO I CAN SEE YOUR PHOTOS, I WOULD LOVE TO SEE YOUR CREATIONS. THANK YOU!
