Lightened Up TikTok Baked Feta Pasta
The original recipe went viral onTikTok and then spread to other social (and non-social) media. It's great because it requires very little hands-on time, is very tasty and is a healthier way to achieve a creamy sauce than using actual cream. I've lightened it up a little farther, to my taste and for my needs.
- 1 teaspoon olive oil (plain or garlic/basil infused)
- 250 grams cherry or grape tomatoes (approximately 1 pint)
- 60 grams feta cheese (sheep, goat and/or cow)
- 2 cloves garlic (peeled and finely chopped)
- salt & pepper (to taste)
- 120 grams dry pasta (or substitute with spiralized turnips aka ‘toodles’ briefly warmed in a frying pan with a smidge or spray of oil)
- dried or fresh herbs (like basil, rosemary, thyme, parsley or dill)
- 2 pinches dried chili flakes
- 60 grams fresh spinach (you could also add this to the pasta 20 seconds before you drain it)
- a few of your favourite olives, pitted and chopped
- a smidge of anchovy paste
- 130 grams cooked or canned & drained white beans (make sure these are room temperature or warm if you add them from the fridge your pasta will get cold quickly)
- cooked, chopped asparagus or green beans
Preheat your oven or toaster oven to 200C/400F and put a pot of salted water on the stove to boil for the pasta.
To an oven-safe dish add the tomatoes, olive oil, garlic and salt and pepper. Mix it up so that the oil coats everything in the dish and the garlic falls to the bottom (less likely to burn). Put your block of feta cheese on top of the tomato mix. You may be able to use crumbled feta but I haven't tried that and we don't buy it that way. Add a tiny drizzle of oil on top of the feta as well as a touch more salt and pepper. Pop it in the oven for approximately 20-30 minutes.
At the 20 minute mark, add your pasta to the boiling water (pasta usually takes about 9-11 minutes) following the directions on the package. When the feta is lightly browned and the tomatoes are starting to fall apart, remove from the oven and put in a warm serving dish/bowl. Drain the pasta, reserving a little of the cooking water in case you need it to loosen the sauce. Add the drained pasta to the feta/tomato bowl and fresh spinach, if you're using it, and toss it all together letting the spinach wilt and the feta coat the pasta. You can add any of the other optional ingredients now. Serve immediately on warm plates - you don't want it to get cold!
