TikTok Feta Pasta Recipe

Many of you who use the TikTok app or even Instagram might have seen the viral recipe that originated in Finland for Feta Pasta. Apparently this recipe became so popular that grocery stores were completely sold out of feta. The basic idea behind the recipe is to start with cherry or grape tomatoes, a block of feta cheese, and seasonings that gets baked, and then pasta is added. If you search the #fetapasta hashtag you will see thousands of videos showing so many variations. I admit I don't normally hop on the bandwagon with what's popular on TikTok, but I knew I had to try this dish.

I was a tad nervous about the idea of using an entire block of feta and wondered if it would be overpowering. Good thing I didn't let that stop me, because the flavor was absolutely wonderful. It was tangy, but in the best way! I did check out several recipes so that I could get a better idea of what I wanted to do to make this dish my own. I shared my results on Instagram and received a lot of positive comments. It turned out that not too many people had heard about it, so I thought I was share a step-by-step recipe with pictures to show you how to make it.

Here are the ingredients you'll need:

Cherry or grape tomatoes (one pint per block of feta)

A block of Feta cheese (can use vegan feta)

Fresh garlic (if cloves are huge, cut in half)

Fresh basil

Olive oil

Seasonings I recommend: Sea salt, cracked black pepper, red pepper flakes, and dried herbs like Oregano, Basil, parsley or Italian seasoning

Pasta of your choice (I used mini Farfalle)

Optional:

fresh spinach

Grilled chicken or shrimp

How to make it

1. Heat your oven to 400°. Start by adding your tomatoes and garlic cloves to a baking dish, then drizzle with olive oil and seasonings. Make sure the tomatoes are well coated. Make a space in the middle of the baking dish to place your block of feta cheese. Drizzle more olive oil and add more seasoning.

2. Once the oven has come to temperature, place your tomatoes and feta in oven and bake for 30 minutes. If want the tomatoes and cheese to get a little brown, you can broil on high in the last few minutes or turn on the convection feature if you have that option. Cook your pasta in well-salted water while this step in being done, and set aside one cup of the cooked pasta water.

3. Take a large fork or spoon to lightly smash the tomatoes and mix it with the feta. Make sure to smash up your garlic cloves first so you don't forget, otherwise you'll have huge chunks.

4. Now add your fresh basil and spinach.

5. It's time to add your pasta and gradually add the pasta water depending on how saucy you want it to be. The pasta will absorb the liquid so I added the whole cup. I promise it won't be watery.

6. Top with grilled chicken or shrimp and enjoy!

Tips and recommendations:

Do not skip the fresh basil or red pepper flakes. Both of them add so much flavor!
If you can't get a block of feta cheese, crumbles will work just as well. Add it in the middle of the baking dish the best you can. You might need a larger size container, so keep that in mind.
If you don't like feta cheese, you can use goat cheese or Boursin
If you are making a larger batch, you can double the ingredients. Be sure to use a large enough baking dish to give enough space to add your pasta.
I highly recommend reserving some of the pasta water to keep your pasta from being too dry. Do this by using a glass measuring cup or any heat-proof cup and scoop out some of the water from the cooked pasta before draining. You can add as much or as little as you like.