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In this Mediterranean-inspired Baked Feta Pasta recipe, grape tomatoes, roasted red peppers, and black olives are baked in olive oil with a whole block of creamy feta cheese. Inspired by the viral TikTok sensation, this easy pasta dinner is seriously delicious!
If you love trying out viral recipes, you’ll definitely want to check out my No Peek Chicken, which is a fan favorite thanks to its simple, hands-off approach. And don’t miss out on Spaghetti Casserole, another pasta dish that took social media by storm.
A simple block of feta cheese is mixed with tomatoes, baked, and stirred together with olive oil and seasonings to make an easy oven-baked pasta sauce. The results are absolutely mouthwatering, and I’m here to tell you it’s the real deal! I grew up on this stuff and have loved it my entire life. I decided to take this nifty baked pasta recipe and play up the Mediterranean vibe by adding some of my favorite ingredients. It’s very similar to my baked feta appetizer, but it’s a lovely entree with elbow pasta mixed in!
Why I Love This Baked Feta Pasta Recipe
- Minimal Ingredients: This dish uses just a few simple, fresh ingredients to create a flavorful dish.
- Easy to Make: Baked feta pasta is perfect for busy weeknights since it requires minimal prep and the oven does most of the work.
- Customizable: You can quickly adapt this dish by adding your favorite veggies, proteins, or pasta types, making it a recipe tailored to your taste and preferences.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Baked Feta Pasta is a TikTok sensation that has taken the internet by storm! With just a few simple ingredients—creamy feta cheese, juicy cherry tomatoes, and roasted peppers—this Mediterranean-inspired dish creates a rich, flavorful sauce as it bakes in the oven.
- Pasta: You’ll need 8 ounces of pasta. I almost always use low-carb pasta, but you can use whatever you like!
- Feta Cheese: One 8-ounce block of feta is the star of this show!
- Grape Tomatoes: I use 4 cups grape tomatoes for this pasta dish.
- Garlic: Mince three cloves of fresh garlic, or put it through a garlic press.
- Roasted Red Pepper: Usually sold in jars or cans near the pickles and olives, ½ cup of roasted red pepper strips add a delicious flavor to this pasta dish.
- Olives: You’ll need ½ cup of sliced black olives.
- Oregano and Thyme: These dried herbs add a special Mediterranean flair to the sauce.
- Salt and Black Pepper: Help to enhance all the flavors.
- Olive Oil: For drizzling, about two tablespoons.
- Basil: Thinly slice (chiffonade) fresh basil leaves, plus a little more for garnish.
- Parsley: You’ll need 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley, plus more for garnish.
How to Make Baked Feta Pasta
One reason recipes like this go viral is the ease factor! We all want to feel like we can actually accomplish the dish, right? And this pasta recipe is as easy as it looks—you’ll see. Perfect for busy weeknights, this viral recipe delivers restaurant-quality flavor with minimal effort.
- Prep the oven and macaroni. Preheat the oven to 425˚F, and also boil the macaroni in a large pot according to the package directions.
- Bake the feta. While the macaroni cooks, place the block of feta in the center of a large baking dish. Arrange the grape tomatoes, red pepper strips, and olives around the feta. Season with oregano, thyme, salt, and pepper; drizzle with oil. Gently mix to coat and bake for 25-35 minutes.
- Mix the creamy cheese sauce. Remove the dish from the oven; the tomatoes should be soft. Using the back of a spoon, press the feta until creamy, and gently stir everything together until combined. Stir in the basil and parsley.
- Add the pasta to the sauce. Drain the macaroni well and then add it to the feta sauce. Stir gently to combine. Taste for salt and add more if needed. Garnish with basil and parsley. Serve.
Recipe Tips
- Use the right feta. While I think this dish would be delicious no matter what feta cheese you use, you’ll probably have the best results using brined feta. It tends to be creamier and tastier and will make a richer sauce.
- Make it your own. My best advice for this pasta is to get creative. Try adding shallots and favorite seasonings to infuse the olive oil. If you love heat, toss in some crushed red pepper flakes. And if feta isn’t your thing, swap it out for boursin cheese, like in my boursin pasta recipe.
- Tomato options. This is a perfect recipe for cherry or grape tomatoes. While it would still be delicious with chopped Roma or beefsteak tomatoes, the texture and sweetness of smaller, more vibrant tomatoes are perfect once they’re baked and crushed together with the other ingredients.
- Use a small to medium pasta. Some of the videos I’ve seen of this dish use large pasta shapes, but I think elbows, farfalle, and other smaller pasta shapes are a better choice. They blend together with the cheese and tomatoes more easily and create a more pleasing bite!
Serving Suggestions
I like to serve baked pasta with something simple, like salad and breadsticks, but you can also serve it with this side dish of easy garlic broccolini or these delicious crispy sweet potato wedges. My no-rise slow cooker basil pesto bread goes perfectly with the Mediterranean flavors of the pasta, and so does this Cobb salad.
Have a slice of my olive oil cake and a cup of cinnamon dolce latte to end a perfect meal.
How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
- To store this pasta, just place any leftovers in an airtight container and keep them in the refrigerator for one to two days.
- To reheat, place leftovers in a covered skillet on low heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until heated through. If the pasta seems a little dry, you can add a splash of water or a bit of olive oil, or both.
More Pasta Dinner Ideas to Try
- Garlic Butter Shrimp Pasta
- Creamy Tomato One Pot Pasta
- Chicken Piccata Pasta
- Slow Cooker Creamy Chicken Pasta
- French Onion Pasta
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Baked Feta Pasta Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 ounces elbow macaroni, (I use these low carb macaroni)
- 8 ounces block of feta cheese
- 4 cups grape tomatoes
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ cup roasted red pepper strips, usually sold in jars or cans
- ½ cup sliced black olives
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
- ¼ teaspoon salt, or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 6 fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced (chiffonade), plus more for garnish
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley, plus more for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 425˚F.
- Cook the macaroni according to the package directions.
- In the meantime, place a block of feta in the center of a 9×13 baking dish.
- Add tomatoes, roasted red peppers, and olives around the feta cheese; season everything with oregano, thyme, salt, and pepper. Stir the garlic into the tomato mixture.
- Drizzle olive oil over the entire dish and gently stir around the tomatoes to coat with the oil.
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the feta is soft and the tomatoes burst. Remove it from the oven.
- With the back of a spoon, press down on the block of feta cheese to make it creamy; then gently stir everything together until completely combined.
- Stir in the sliced basil and parsley.
- Drain the pasta and add it to the feta sauce; stir to combine.
- Taste for salt and adjust accordingly. Some feta is saltier, especially the ones sold in brine, so you may or may not need to add more salt.
- Garnish the pasta with more basil and parsley, and serve.
Nutrition
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
Can I make this ahead for a pot luck. If so info please
Wouldnโt recommend with pasta at all. Wouldโve been perfect if left alone for dipping as an appetizer like Tik Tok initially recommended (and author mentioned a similar app recipe).
Also noticed the recipe instructions donโt mention what to do with the garlic it recommends using.