Description
This Baked Feta Pasta recipe is a delightful, creamy, and easy-to-make dish featuring roasted grape tomatoes and a block of feta cheese baked together until soft and bursting with flavor. Tossed with fresh basil and bow tie pasta, this crowd-pleaser is perfect for a comforting weeknight dinner or casual get-together.
Ingredients
Scale
Produce
- 2 ½ cups grape tomatoes, washed and dried
- ¼ cup chopped fresh basil
Dairy
- 1 (8 oz) block of feta cheese
Pantry
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 5 tablespoons olive oil
- 12 oz bow tie pasta, cooked and drained
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) to ensure it reaches the correct temperature by the time you’re ready to bake.
- Prepare Baking Dish: Place the washed and dried grape tomatoes in a medium-sized baking dish, spreading them evenly.
- Add Feta Cheese: Position the block of feta cheese in the center of the tomatoes in the baking dish.
- Drizzle Olive Oil: Drizzle 3 tablespoons of olive oil evenly over both the tomatoes and the feta cheese.
- Season: Sprinkle the Italian seasoning and salt evenly over the entire dish, ensuring balanced flavor.
- Final Olive Oil Drizzle: Drizzle the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil specifically over the top of the feta cheese.
- Bake: Place the baking dish in the preheated oven and bake for 30-35 minutes until the tomatoes have burst and the feta cheese has softened considerably.
- Mix Ingredients: Remove the baking dish from the oven and stir the softened feta and roasted tomatoes together to combine their flavors and create a creamy sauce.
- Add Basil: Stir in the chopped fresh basil to add a bright, aromatic freshness to the dish.
- Combine Pasta: Add the cooked and drained bow tie pasta to the baking dish and toss everything together until the pasta is fully coated with the feta-tomato sauce.
- Serve: Serve the baked feta pasta hot for best flavor and enjoy a comforting, flavorful meal.
Notes
- You can substitute bow tie pasta with penne, fusilli, or any short pasta you have on hand.
- Use full-fat feta for creamier texture or reduced-fat feta for a lighter dish.
- If fresh basil is unavailable, dried basil can be used, but add less as it is more concentrated.
- For a gluten-free option, use gluten-free pasta.
- Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and reheated gently.
