Description
Baked Feta Pasta is a comforting dish rich with flavor, featuring roasted tomatoes, creamy feta, and fresh herbs. Perfect for a quick weeknight dinner or a delightful meal to impress guests!
Ingredients
Scale
- 20 oz grape tomatoes
- 5 medium garlic cloves, peeled and halved
- 8 oz spinach, roughly chopped about 8 packed cups
- 1/4 cup fresh basil, thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley, minced
- 7 – 8 oz block feta cheese (sheep's milk variety) drained
- 10 oz dry pasta such as campanelle, rigatoni, rotini, penne, bow tie, or cavatappi
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp salt for pasta water
- 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes or more to taste
- salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup reserved pasta water
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- In a 3-quart baking dish, combine grape tomatoes and garlic. Toss with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place feta in the center and coat with oil.
- Bake in the oven for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes, raise the oven rack to the upper third and increase the oven temperature to 450 degrees. Bake for an additional 10 minutes, until the tomatoes and feta are slightly browned.
- While the feta and tomatoes bake, cook the pasta in salted water until al dente, according to the pasta package instructions.
- Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water. Just before draining, add spinach to the pasta to wilt it. Drain the pasta and spinach together.
- Mash the tomatoes, garlic, oil, and feta with a wooden spoon until well combined. Toss in the drained pasta along with basil, parsley, and red pepper flakes.
- Add reserved pasta water a few tablespoons at a time until reaching the desired consistency. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Serve warm.
Notes
Feel free to substitute feta with goat cheese for a lighter taste.
Add additional vegetables like zucchini or bell peppers for extra flavor and nutrition.
This dish is best served fresh but can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 450
- Sugar: 3g
- Sodium: 600mg
- Fat: 25g
- Saturated Fat: 6g
- Unsaturated Fat: 19g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 42g
- Fiber: 4g
- Protein: 12g
- Cholesterol: 25mg