Baked Feta and Tomato Pasta
Have you heard of the pasta dish that’s been trending all over for a while now – the baked feta and tomato one? Of course you have! I finally gave the idea a try, making my own version (adding some spinach for extra nutritional value!) and WOW it is really, really good. And so so easy! You can make this gluten-free by using gluten-free pasta. I used ScoobiDoo noodles for the fun of them! A green salad on the side and you have a fantastic and delicious meal on the table in less than 45 minutes.
As always, when you make this recipe, please post a photo of your Baked Feta and Tomato Pasta goodness and tag my IG account or leave a comment with your thoughts!
Prep Time: 5 minutes / Cook time: 35 minutes / Serves: 4
Ingredients:
1 227gr Package Grape Tomatoes - halved
3 Roma Tomatoes - diced
4 Garlic Cloves - minced
½ Cup + 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
250gr Block Feta Cheese
A Few Grindings of Fresh Pepper – to taste
1 cup Baby Spinach – packed and coarsely chopped
1½ teaspoon Dried Basil
½ teaspoon Dried Oregano
2 teaspoons salt – to salt the water you will cook the pasta in
2 Cups ScoobiDoo Pasta – or a tubular pasta of your choice
1/3 Cup Parmesan Cheese – grated
How It’s Made
Preheat your oven to 400°F.
Put the halved grape tomatoes, the diced Roma tomatoes and the minced garlic into an oven-safe 9x13 pan.
Drizzle the ½ cup olive oil over the tomatoes and use a spoon or your hands to toss the tomatoes around to coat them in the oil.
Make space in the centre of the pan and place the block of feta cheese there, turning it in the olive oil to coat the cheese well. Drizzle the remaining 2 tbsp olive oil over the feta. Season the entire pan with generous grindings of fresh pepper.
Bake the dish in the preheated oven for 25 minutes.
Get your pot of salted water ready and turn on the heat to get it boiling.
After the 25 minutes, carefully remove the dish from the oven, add the spinach over and around the tomatoes, then the basil and the oregano, and gently stir to mix them in as best you can.
Cook for another 10 minutes to wilt the spinach. The cheese should be nice, soft and melty yet holding its shape still.
Your water should be boiling so cook your pasta. When it’s done, drain it well as tubular pasta can hold water.
After the 10 minutes, take the dish out of the oven and immediately toss everything to combine the melted feta cheese with the tomatoes, spinach, garlic and spices.
Add the cooked, well-drained, pasta to the dish with the feta/tomato/spinach goodness and toss gently to combine. Add a few more grindings of pepper and toss again.
Serve with some parmesan cheese on top or sprinkle some of my Vegan Parmesan Sprinkle on top (it adds a great flavour!).
Enjoy!
Variations:
Although I haven’t tried it and it’s an extra step, I think some cremini mushrooms sauteed in some olive oil to roast them well and added to the finished dish when tossing in the pasta would be delicious!
Try this with other cheeses that melt into a creamy state – Boursin, raclette cheese, gruyere.
