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For an easy weeknight pasta dish that’s fuss free and flavorful, you have to check out this baked feta pasta with bursting cherry tomatoes. The dish is pretty much hands-off, and all the magic happens in the oven. Made with just a handful of ingredients, it’s no wonder this dish went viral in Finland and is now called Tik Tok Pasta!
I learned about this recipe from my friend Grilled Cheese Social, who made it based on a viral recipe called #uunifetapasta made famous in Finland by Liemessa and originally shared by Tiiu. It became so popular that the grocery stores ran out of feta cheese!! I had to give it a try and I see what all the rage is about!! And that’s how Tik Tok pasta was born – literally with my viral video!
Baked Feta Pasta Video Tutorial
Ingredients and substitutions
- Tomatoes: Opt for cherry or grape tomatoes for this recipe. Their small size means optimal flavor, and the presentation of the tomatoes when they burst is just stunning.
- Feta Cheese: Use a block of feta cheese for best results. That’s because the block is less processed and will give a more melty consistency when baked.
- Pasta: You can use any pasta you’d like or even make this with gluten-free pasta.
- Seasoning & Herbs: You’ll need olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic and basil. Play around with the seasoning and herbs if you’d like. You can try using some fresh oregano, fresh thyme or switching the fresh garlic for roasted garlic.
How to make baked feta pasta
- Using a baking dish that’s safe for the oven like this one, add the tomatoes, olive oil, salt and pepper and mix to combine.
- Add the block of feta cheese to the center of the baking dish, and either flip it around a couple times to coat it with the olive oil and seasoning, or just add a touch more olive oil and a couple cracks of fresh black pepper.
- Bake it in the oven until the tomatoes burst and the feta looks melted (and your house smells heavenly!)
- As soon as it comes out of the oven, add some fresh minced garlic and fresh basil leaves.
- Mix it around immediately so that the garlic softens from the heat in the dish.
- Add cooked pasta on top and give everything a stir. The feta and tomatoes will essentially create a sauce for the pasta.
Tips for making baked feta pasta
- Use the freshest ingredients possible. With such minimal ingredients, I highly recommend using fresh cherry tomatoes (not canned diced tomatoes), fresh basil, and fresh minced garlic. And extra virgin olive oil makes all the difference here – it’s essentially what makes up the sauce!
- Save the pasta water. Whenever I cook pasta, I like to save ½ a cup of pasta water just in case the pasta dish comes out dry. I didn’t use it here, but you can certainly add it if you feel the baked feta pasta needs more sauce. And in general, it will help the sauce be more smooth and creamy.
- Crowd the baking dish with the cherry tomatoes. The rule with roasting cherry tomatoes is if you want them saucy, crowed the pan; if you want them dry roasted, place in a single layer to allow for air circulation. We want saucy here, and I found than an 8″x11″ baking dish works perfectly!
- Increase the heat for blistered tomatoes. You can set the oven to broil for 2 minutes at the end or turn the temperature to 450°F during the last 5 minutes of cooking.
- Try it on the stovetop. You can cook this on the stovetop over medium-low heat like I did in this Instagram video. It takes only 10 minutes and pretty similar results.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, it will still work with crumbled feta, make sure to keep the feta stacked in the middle so that it creates a melty consistency together.
Yes, I tried it with goat cheese and it creates a creamy perfect texture, but cook time may be less depending on how large the block of cheese is. I’ve also heard success using high quality full fat ricotta.
I have seen this made with penne, spaghetti, bow-tie and the works. I really don’t think there’s a wrong shape of pasta to use. However, I do like something with curves or edges so that the sauce can cling on to more of the pasta.
This pasta is best served straight out of the baking dish. If you have any leftovers, you can keep them in an airtight container in the fridge to enjoy within the next couple days.
There’s something about baked feta and bursting juicy sweet cherry tomatoes that is absolutely irresistible. Add to it some pasta, and this dish is a weeknight dream dinner come true! I’m obsessed with tik tok pasta and I hope you try it and love it too!
More pasta recipes:
- One Pan Pasta
- Cheese Stuffed Shells
- Baked Pasta with Ground Turkey
- Pumpkin Pesto Pasta
- Lemon Ricotta Pasta
- Shrimp Arrabiata Pasta
- Shrimp and Garlic Pasta
- Roasted Red Pepper Pasta
If you’ve tried this healthy-ish feel good Baked Feta Pasta recipe or any other recipe on FeelGoodFoodie, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave me a comment below! I would love to hear about your experience making it. And if you snapped some shots of it, share it with me on Instagram so I can repost on my stories!
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Baked Feta Pasta
Video
Ingredients
- 8 ounces cavatappi pasta or pasta of choice
- 2 pints cherry tomatoes
- 8 ounce block feta cheese
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- ¼ cup packed chopped fresh basil plus more for serving
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Place the cherry tomatoes in an oven-safe baking dish. Pour the olive oil on top, and season with salt and pepper. Toss until well combined.
- Place the feta block in the middle of the baking dish surrounded by the cherry tomatoes, and flip a couple times to coat it with the olive oil and seasoning.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 35 minutes, until the cherry tomatoes burst, and the feta cheese melts.
- While the tomatoes and feta are baking, cook the pasta in a pot of salted water according to package instructions until al dente. Drain, reserving ½ cup of the cooking liquid in case you'd like to toss it in.
- Immediately add the garlic and basil leaves to the cooked tomatoes and feta and toss everything to combine.
- Transfer the cooked pasta to the baking dish and toss to combine. Garnish with more fresh basil and serve warm.
Notes
- Instead of cavatappi pasta, you can use any pasta or make it with gluten-free pasta
- Instead of cherry tomatoes, you can use regular whole tomatoes or even canned diced tomatoes, but cherry tomatoes have the best flavor here.
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
Very good! At first I thought the feta would be too clumpy but once I stirred it enough it worked well.
The feta can appear clumpy at first but it mixes beautifully once baked! So glad you enjoyed the recipe, Abby!! Thank you!
Can’t believe I haven’t tried this until now – DIVINE.
Aww, so happy you like it!! Thank you, Emilie!
Made this but with vio life vegan feta and it was so good. Doesn’t need pasta water added with vegan cheese. So good. Family loved it.
Amazing!! So good to hear the recipe works well with Violife feta. Thank you so much for sharing!
I just cooked this on my stovetop and it turned out so good. It was so easy to make too and tasted even better! Thank you.
Yay, I’m happy you liked it!! So awesome that it worked on the stovetop, that’s great to hear!!
Is there a sub for the olive oil?
Yes, avocado oil would work well!
This is incredibly delicious. My husband said it was the best pasta dish he’s ever had! It’s going into my favourites binder!
Yay, I’m so glad you both loved it! Thank you!!
This was one of the best pasta dishes I’ve ever made! I used orzo, and I blended the sauce because my family has textural issues. The sauce was soooooo creamy once blended, and the orzo made it slightly like a soup!
Yum, love the tweaks you made!! So happy you liked it, Sophie!
Hi!! If doubling using 1 lb of pasta could I try to crowd in one pan or do you suggest 2 ?
I would probably split it in two unless you have a really big baking dish! If it’s deep enough it might work. Hope that helps!
Hi there, just wondering can you use regular tomatoes instead of cherry? Pls reply asap thank you
Yes, cherry tomatoes taste best but any tomato will work!
So good! I had lots of cherry tomatoes in the garden and this was the perfect use of them. I have a picky eater so when I took it out of the oven I scooped out the tomatoes and blended them until smooth, poured them back in with the feta, heated a few more minutes and then stirred. Added asparagus and chicken and everyone loved it!
What a smart trick for hiding veggies from littles! That’s amazing, I’m so happy you and your family enjoyed the recipe!! Thanks!
Ohhh Yeaaaa 😝 Glad I’m not the only one to add chicken and spinach!!!! Tho wish I had (or could afford) asparagus 🤗 P.S. How did you cook the chicken?!?