TikTok’s Baked Feta Pasta Recipe Is the Perfect Way to Use Up Those Tomatoes You Bought at the Farmer’s Market
It’s one of the best recipes I’ve found on TikTok
I love to garden, but gardening doesn’t always love me. This year, however, I happen to have an amazing abundance of tomato plants.
It almost makes up for the fact that the rabbits ate my pepper plants before they even flowered, the squash beetles got to my zucchini, and for some reason that I don’t understand, every cucumber I've picked has a horrid, bitter flavor.
I also grew tired of weeding at some point in July, and I kind of, well, just, let it all go.
But miraculously, my tomatoes are fabulous and plentiful.
I needed a recipe to use them, and I decided garden-fresh tomatoes are perfect for a TikTok recipe I tried this winter.
Baked feta pasta
I saw this trendy recipe on TikTok when it went viral this winter and was surprised to find how easy it was and how tasty it turned out. It occurred to me it would be a great way to use up my garden-fresh tomatoes this summer.
I enjoy cooking fresh meals for my family, but I don’t want to spend all day in the kitchen, so convenience is one of the things I look for when trying new recipes. And this recipe is very convenient.
This recipe showed up on TikTok in February and went viral. Here is the original video.
The recipe
Last winter, the recipe made the rounds across the internet. It’s even been seen in the Washington Post.
Here is my version of the original recipe. It’s a mix between the original and a version I found on Delish.
The original blogger changes her oven temperature during cooking. In the interest of keeping it simple, and to avoid burning, Delish suggests you keep your oven steady at 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Ingredients
- 1 lb pasta (the recipe says use any shape you want, I’ve tried both spaghetti and penne, and they worked great)
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 20 ounces of cherry tomatoes (about 2 boxes). The ease of the recipe is not having to chop anything, but you can use whole tomatoes if that’s what you have on hand. You will need to dice the tomatoes if using whole.
- 1 block of feta cheese (8 ounces)
- 2 to 4 garlic cloves (crushed)
- 1 or 2 pinches of red pepper flakes
- 1 handful of torn fresh basil leaves
- salt and pepper to taste
Directions
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Farenheight. Add olive oil, garlic, and tomatoes to your baking dish. If you’re chopping larger tomatoes, you’ll want about 20 ounces or 2.5 cups. Add salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Combine.
- Place the block of feta in the center of the tomatoes. If you couldn’t find a block and only have crumbed, this will still work. Pile your crumbles in the center of the baking dish.
- Bake for around 40 to 45 minutes until you can see your tomatoes are bubbling and bursting, and the feta is golden on the top.
- While your tomato dish is baking, cook your pasta of choice according to the package directions.
- Mix your cooked pasta with the baked tomato mixture until you have a lovely, cheesy pasta dish.
- Add fresh basil leaves and serve.
Note #1
Fresh basil is delicious in this recipe, but if you don’t have fresh, you can substitute it with one teaspoon of dried. Add it to the tomatoes and garlic in your dish before baking. I tried this in winter when I couldn’t find fresh basil in the grocery store, and it still turned out delicious.
Note #2
The Delish recipe suggests reserving 1/2 cup of the pasta water to add at the end. If using chopped whole tomatoes, this step is most likely not needed as there is more water content in whole tomatoes than cherry.
An easy clean up makes me happy
It’s simple, it’s delicious, and it’s easy to understand why it went viral. The best part, when it’s all done you only have to clean up one baking dish and the pot you boiled your pasta in. I highly recommend this TikTok trend.
Watch for my next TikTok recipe attempt when I make Depression-Era Water Pie. No, I’m not making that up. Water Pie is a real thing and I’ve been obsessively watching other people make it on TikTok lately. I’ll be sure to let you know how it turns out.
