Tiktok Pasta (Baked Feta Pasta)

Tiktok Pasta or Baked feta pasta is the perfect fall comfort food: it’s creamy, tomato-y, and SO damn delicious. It’s probably the simplest pasta dish you’ll make this month and the reward is so high for a meager effort.

It’s a hearty dish made with roasted tomatoes, creamy and lightly tangy baked feta, al dente pasta, and fresh herbs. One of the easiest and tastiest recipes!

If you love food and you’re social media savvy, you’ve surely come across the TikTok pasta recipe. It’s the one where a roasting pan is loaded with a layer of cherry tomatoes before a block of feta is placed in the center.

It’s super simple: cherry tomatoes are tossed with olive oil and placed in a baking dish with a block of feta. Everything gets baked until the tomatoes burst, releasing their sweet and jammy flavors. The feta gets melty and oozy. You mix it all up into a quick sauce and toss in minced garlic, basil, crushed red pepper, and pasta. Boom, dinner is made!

Feel free to replace the oregano and thyme with your favorite herbs. Other herb options include basil, tarragon, and parsley.

Ingredients for Tiktok Pasta (Baked Feta Pasta)

• 2 pints cherry tomatoes or any other tomatoes
• 8 oz feta cheese 1 block
• ¾ cup olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and halved
• ½ teaspoon of red chili flake or to taste
• Salt to taste
• Black Pepper to taste
• 10 oz. dry pasta (bite size)
• fresh basil chopped, to finish

Instruction for Tiktok Pasta (Baked Feta Pasta)

• Preheat an oven to 400°F/205°C
• In a large ovenproof skillet or medium baking dish, combine tomatoes, and garlic.
• Toss with olive oil and a few pinches of salt.
• Place the feta in the middle, turning it to coat it in oil.
• Season with black pepper and red chilli flakes and toss to combine.
• Mix the seasonings, olive oil, and tomatoes thoroughly, and then create a rectangular well in the middle of the pan for the feta cheese.
• Bake in the center of the preheated oven for 30 minutes.
• After 30 minutes, turn the heat up to 450°F and roast until the feta is golden brown 10-15 minutes.
• Meanwhile boil pasta to al dente in salted water (I use 1 Tbsp salt and about 2 to 3 cups of water), according to the time listed on the pasta package.
• Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water and then drain the pasta.
• When the feta and tomatoes are done, remove them from the oven.
• Mash the feta and tomatoes with a fork and mix until evenly combined.
• Stir in the drained pasta until well coated and creamy, adding in a bit of pasta water to loosen it if too thick.
• Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Stir in some chopped basil and finish with crushed red pepper. Enjoy!

Besides cherry, try these:

• Roma tomatoes
• heirloom tomatoes
• beefsteak tomatoes
• cocktail tomatoes
• grape tomatoes

To make Instant Pot Tiktok pasta (baked feta pasta):
Place water or stock, cherry tomatoes, olive oil, feta cheese, garlic, and uncooked short pasta. Cook on high pressure for 5 minutes, then quickly release the pressure and remove the lid. Turn on sauté mode and stir, breaking up the tomatoes and feta into a creamy sauce, and coating the pasta. Season to taste, stir in the basil, and enjoy.

To make Tiktok pasta (baked feta pasta) in the air fryer:
Make sure your baking dish fits inside your air fryer. Place the ingredients in the baking dish and set them inside the air fryer. Air fry at 400°F for 30 minutes, or until the tomatoes have burst and the cheese is golden. Stir the tomatoes and cheese with the garlic and red pepper until everything forms a creamy sauce then pour over cooked pasta. Season to taste and finish with basil.

Tips

• Supermarket cherry tomatoes work best with this recipe.
• Do not use crumbled feta! Block feta is the only way to go in this recipe.
• Don’t be skimpy with the olive oil.
• Cook pasta just to al dente for the best texture. When tossed with the warm sauce it will soak it up and soften a tad more.
• If you’re vegetarian, pressed tofu cubed up will add some extra lean protein.
• It’s better to use a baking dish that’s not too large – a medium baking dish will help keep all the tomatoes close together and in the olive oil so they don’t dry out too much.

Variations

• Try a veggie like spinach. More Good options would be asparagus, broccoli, frozen artichoke hearts, or zucchini (just keep in mind cooking time will vary).
• Use the pasta you have. Campanelle, rigatoni, rotini, penne, bow tie, or cavatappi are great options.
• Add a protein. You can mix in some cooked meat at the end – chicken, ground beef or ground turkey would be good options.

Nutrition

Also read: Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal

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