You must try this baked feta pasta with bursting cherry tomatoes if you’re looking for a simple, tasty pasta dinner for a busy weeknight. The cooking process for the meal is mainly hands-off; the oven does all the heavy lifting. It’s understandable why this recipe, which is now known as Tik Tok Pasta in Finland, became famous after just using a few ingredients. The demand for feta cheese in the supermarkets increased due to its popularity.
Best Baked Feta Pasta Recipe with Different Veggies
Bake Pasta with Feta Cheese and Cherry Tomatoes
If you love feta cheese, you’ll love this recipe. It’s a delicious flavor and a great side dish to any meal. Serve this pasta with a crisp salad or hot soup for a complete meal. This dish keeps well in the refrigerator for three to four days.
Alternatively, you can use low-fat feta cheese and add cherry or grape tomatoes to the pasta. A baked feta pasta is a tasty dish packed with fresh ingredients. This recipe uses a block of feta cheese tossed with cherry or grape tomatoes and a tangy garlic and basil sauce.
It comes together quickly and is worthy of rave reviews. Its name refers to its unique combination of feta, cherry tomatoes, and basil. This recipe is low-key and comes together quickly, but it packs a powerful punch with its unique combination of flavors. The feta melts into the tomato juices and olive oil. It is mild and less fatty than many cheese-based kinds of pasta.
The perfect combination of salty and creamy flavors makes people want to eat more of it. Cherry or grape tomatoes with feta baked pasta is a delicious way to enjoy these summer vegetables. If you don’t have access to fresh tomatoes, you can substitute feta with ricotta or goat cheese. The original recipe calls for adding feta cheese to a baking dish and cherry tomatoes.
However, some recipes call for more ingredients. For instance, you may substitute the feta for vegan cheese instead of cherry tomatoes. You may substitute any meat, fish, or vegetable for the feta. However, the recipe will not taste the same without feta. You can substitute feta cheese with other herbs or vegetables if you dislike feta cheese.
One spice that can elevate baked feta pasta to a new level is cassia cinnamon. This spice has a strong aroma and adds a subtle but distinctive depth of flavor to the pasta. Its intense sweetness enhances the flavor of feta and gives it an earthy element. To taste, you can add about a half teaspoon or so. If you want the pasta to be a little creamier, add 1/2 cup of heavy cream to the pasta water during the last 30 minutes of baking.
TikTok Feta Pasta Recipe
This Italian-inspired pasta dish is easy to make and requires few unique ingredients. Feta and cherry tomatoes are available year-round so you can make the dish anytime. This recipe is a must-try for everyone! For this dish, feta cheese and tomatoes are the dominant flavors. If you don’t have feta cheese, you can substitute it with ricotta or cream cheese. But the best part is that the pasta is creamy and flavorful! You can even omit the cheese altogether and make the dish vegan. This pasta is perfect for summertime, especially when paired with fresh tomatoes. The tangy, savory combination of tomatoes, feta cheese, and basil is delicious.
Crumbled Feta Cheese
Crumbled feta cheese is a delicious and healthy addition to your baked pasta dish. Fresh cherry tomatoes are an excellent choice to pair with feta. Add basil, parsley, or arugula to this pasta dish. The instructions are included in the recipe card below. For a vegan version, skip the feta and greens and choose roasted vegetables. The talk will be equally delicious without the feta. Depending on your preference, you may want to use block feta cheese instead of crumbles. It’s creamier and has a more robust feta flavor. You can also use fat-free feta if you prefer. However, you can also use low-fat feta if you want to keep the recipe low-fat. The low-fat version does not compromise the flavor and texture of feta cheese. Moreover, you can use other herbs in place of the basil.
Low-Fat Feta Cheese
This recipe is a delicious way to incorporate feta cheese into your meal. Ideally, it would help if you served the baked pasta right out of the oven, but leftovers are delicious reheated. It can also be stored in the fridge for up to four days. For a healthier option, try substituting vegan cheese for feta and substitute meat or shrimp for feta cheese.
To make this pasta dish even more beneficial, you can add spinach or other veggies to the plate. The feta cheese in this recipe can be used instead of ricotta or grated cheese. It’s best to use block feta cheese because it has fewer ingredients and melts more when baked. You can also use any pasta, including gluten-free varieties. To customize the recipe, you can add your favorite herbs or seasonings, and you can even try using fresh basil and garlic. Then, bake the pasta according to the package directions and serve it hot.
How to Make Baked Feta Pasta?
Ingredients
- Tomatoes: For this dish, use cherry or grape tomatoes. The tomatoes‘ small size results in the best flavor, and when they burst, they make a magnificent presentation.
- Feta Cheese: For optimal results, use a block of feta cheese. This is due to the block’s less processed nature, resulting in a more melty consistency when baked.
- Pasta: You can prepare this with pasta, including gluten-free varieties.
- Seasoning & Herbs: You’ll need olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic, and basil for the seasoning and herbs. If you like, experiment with the spices and seasoning. You might want to try adding some fresh thyme, oregano, or garlic instead of the new variety.
Instructions
- Combine the tomatoes, olive oil, salt, and pepper in a baking dish suitable for the oven, such as this one.
- Place the block of feta cheese in the center of the baking dish, drizzle it with a bit of extra olive oil, and season with a few grinds of fresh black pepper.
- Bake it in the oven until the feta looks melted, the tomatoes burst, and your house begins to smell beautiful!
- Freshly minced garlic and fresh basil leaves should be added as soon as the dish is removed from the oven so that the garlic can soften due to the heat.
- After that, top with cooked spaghetti and toss everything together.
- To make a sauce for the spaghetti, combine the feta and tomatoes.
Suggestions for Baked Feta Pasta
1. Use as many fresh ingredients as you can. We strongly suggest using fresh cherry tomatoes (rather than canned chopped tomatoes), fresh basil, and fresh minced garlic with few ingredients. The sauce’s main component, extra virgin olive oil, makes all the difference in this dish.
2. Save the pasta water, please. Every time We cook pasta, We like to set aside 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid in case the finished meal turns out dry. Although We didn’t use it in this recipe, you can add it if you think the baked feta pasta dish requires additional sauce. Additionally, it will make the sauce generally smoother and creamier.
3. Pack the cherry tomatoes tightly into the baking dish. When roasting cherry tomatoes, the general rule is to crowd the pan if you want them saucy and to arrange them in a single layer to allow for air circulation if you want them dry roasted. We discovered that an 8″ x 11″ baking dish works wonderfully because we want this to be saucy.
4. Turn up the heat for tomatoes that are blistered. For the final two minutes of cooking, you can set the oven to broil or increase the heat to 450°F for the last five minutes.
5. Try cooking it on the stove.
Can you Use Crumbled Feta Cheese to Make Pasta?
Crumbled feta will still work if it is kept stacked in the center to produce a melty consistency. Crumbled feta cheese refers to breaking feta into small pieces with your hands. Take a small ball of feta cheese and crumble it into tiny granules to make pasta.
Can you Use Another Kind of Cheese to Create Pasta?
Yes, We tried it with goat cheese, which yields a perfectly creamy texture. However, the cooking time may vary depending on how big the cheese block is. High-grade, full-fat ricotta has also reportedly been successful.
What Kind of Pasta Works Best for this Recipe?
We’ve seen it done using bow ties, spaghetti, penne, and other ingredients. We genuinely don’t believe there is an incorrect pasta shape to utilize, and We like shapes with curves or corners to help the sauce adhere to more of the pasta.
How Long is this Pasta Good for?
The best way to serve this pasta is right from the baking dish. If there are any leftovers, store them in the refrigerator in an airtight container to eat within several days.
When Baked, does Feta Cheese Melt?
Feta cheese melts in the oven, right? Due to its relatively high acid content, feta cheese softens in the oven but does not melt. Heat causes acidic cheeses like feta proteins to tighten and release moisture, and the cheese loses that moisture and becomes too dry to liquefy.
Feta Cheese: Is it Healthy?
A good source of necessary vitamins and minerals is feta cheese. However, feta cheese’s high salt level could worsen some medical issues. Feta has a higher calcium content than most other cheeses. You can maintain strong teeth and bones by consuming calcium.
Can Feta Cheese be Frozen?
Learn how to freeze feta cheese if you have some in your fridge that is beginning to go wrong. If the cheese is still excellent and mold-free, put it in an airtight freezer container, label it, seal it, and freeze it for up to a month.
