Baked Feta Pasta
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Andy Hay
Welcome to my kitchen. I hope to inspire you to grow as a home cook!
This Baked Feta Pasta was uber popular a few years ago. I can’t take credit for this incredibly rich and cream (that would go to Jenni Hayrinen) dish but my word were we were excited to make it. We added a few extra aromatic spices, but we’ll get to that later!
Baked Feta Pasta- Choosing your noodle.
There is a world of pasta shapes out there, it can be overwhelming! There is in fact a right shape for the right job.
A dish like this, I think is best suited with a short noodle. We used Fusilli (those are the little spiral shaped noodles) because they allow that sauce to cling to all of their little grooves. Rigatoni would also work, but fusilli just hold their shape really well.
I boiled the pasta while the sauce was in the oven just to save a little time. When you strain it, and set it off to the side, dress your cooked noodles with a kiss of olive oil to keep them from sticking together.
Baked Feta Pasta- All about the feta.
Getting a good quality feta is super important. High quality feta isn’t salty, it’s briney, tangy and packed with creamy flavour.
Comparatively, generic feta can be overly seasoned and when cooked can add too much salt and not enough creaminess.
When purchasing your cheese, talk to the lovely person behind the counter, I’m sure they’ll be able to help you out!
The finished product.
When your feta and tomatoes come out of the oven you should see two things.
- The tomatoes – should have started to caramelise and almost char on top. This is going to ensure that they are ready to be turned into the most creamy sauce imaginable, and that they have the maximum amount of flavour.
- The Feta – should have started to melt and fall apart. We all know how firm Feta is. We want the cheese to be ultra creamy and melt into the tomatoes. If you think your Feta isn’t done, leave it in and give it a few more moments.
Other recipes to check out!
If you liked this super viral Baked Feta Pasta, here are a few other recipes to check out!
Baked Chickpeas with Tomato and Feta (One-Pan Weeknight Win)
Ingredients:
- 8 oz Fusilli
- 2 pints Cherry Tomates
- 400 g Feta
- 1/2 cup Olive Oil
- 3 Garlic Cloves minced
- 1 Yellow Onion diced
- 1 cup Fresh Basil Torn
- 1 tsp Dried Oregano
- 1 tsp Chilli Flakes
- 1 tsp Kosher Salt
- 1 tsp Black Pepper
Instructions:
- Preheat your oven to 400F.
- Into a deep baking dish, add in 2 pints cherry tomatoes , 1 diced yellow onion, 3 minced garlic cloves, 1 tsp of chili flakes, 1 tsp of dried oregano, 1 tsp of black pepper and 1 tsp of Kosher salt.
- Add in ½ cup of olive oil and toss. Make a little well in the middle of your dish and add in your block of feta. Roast for 35 min. You want the tomatoes to be soft with a bit of colour and the feta to be creamy.
- While that's in the oven, boil off about 8 oz of fusilli in salted water. Once that’s boiled off, remove from the water and set aside. Reserve about ½ cup of your starchy water.
- Once your tomatoes and feta are done, remove from the oven and with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, mix the feta into the tomatoes. The tomatoes should break down, mixing with the cheese to create a creamy sauce. Add in about 3/4 cup of chopped or torn basil. Add in your cooked pasta and mix well. If your sauce is a little thick, add in a bit of that reserved pasta water until nice and creamy.
- Serve your pasta with a bit more fresh basil, cracked black pepper and chilli flakes.
Andy Hay
Andy is the founder of ECK, Chef, and let’s admit it… the reason you’re here. He taught himself to cook, and it all paid off when he secured his spot in the season 5 Finale of Master Chef Canada. Now, Andy uses his big energy to showcase recipes that actually make people want to cook. His brand was built on butter and East Coast charm, and Andy’s kept that same energy ever since. Off-camera, you’ll find him doing what started it all: cooking for his two daughters, wife and the people he loves.
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I made the tomato feta pasta, and the feta was very clumpy after I stirred it all up. What did I do wrong ?
You might need to cook it a bit longer so the feta is soft or keep stirring until all the lumps are out.
I have this on repeat. However to speed it up I actually place spaghetti on the bottom of my dish, add about a 1/4 cup of the feta water add the rest of the ingredients and add water to cover the pasta. One dish and the pasta has even more flavour!
Sounds like some great notes for this one, Sally! Thanks!
Delicious! Kids loved it too 🙂
Love it, Beth! Glad everyone enjoyed it—especially the kids!
This is a very simple and quick meal that is super flavorful. I have made it several times and has never failed. I sometimes add a little extra water to make it creamy.
It’s so easy and delicious—totally agree, Lisa!
Absolutely delicious, thank you 😊
Glad you enjoyed it, Janine!