Baked feta and herby bursting cherry tomatoes cook down into the most luxurious creamy sauce EVER for pasta! Inspired from the viral TikTok recipe, this baked feta pasta will quickly become a dinner regular!
Surprise! This pasta was definitely not originally planned to hit the blog this week, but it was just way too good to hold out on you guys for any longer.
Have you tried the viral TikTok baked feta pasta sensation yet? I’m here to tell you that it is worthy of every bit of attention it’s getting right now.
I’m not usually one to hop on these bandwagons, but I gotta say the words ‘baked feta’ and ‘pasta’ all in one dish was pretty enticing and WELL worth the hype!
What is Baked Feta Pasta? This pasta dish is currently going viral on TikTok, but was originally created by Jenni over on her lovely blog, Liemessa.
The classic recipe features a whole block of baked feta and bursting cherry tomatoes broken down into a creamy sauce and tossed with hot pasta and fresh herbs.
This pasta dish is extremely popular over in Finland and is better known as Unnifetapasta. It’s gone so viral over there that grocery stores are having trouble keeping feta stocked on the shelves!
I put a few of my own flairs and embellishments on the classic recipe which I guarantee you’re going to love!
This Baked Feta Pasta features…
- A rich, creamy baked feta sauce
- Bursting cherry tomatoes with plenty of aromatics (garlic, shallot + a splash of white wine)
- A generous handful of fresh basil
- Tender orecchiette pasta soaking up all the feta sauce
Making the Baked Feta Pasta
(scroll to the bottom of the post for the full recipe!)
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Feta – try to find a higher-quality block (not the crumbles) of whole feta that comes in a brine.
- Cherry Tomatoes – grape tomatoes or another smaller tomato would also work great!
- Olive Oil – the higher the quality the better! Go for an extra-virgin olive oil if you can.
- Fresh herbs – we use fresh basil in this recipe, but fresh oregano or parsley would also be great additions.
- Garlic + shallots – these get baked with the feta and are an amazing aromatic.
- Pasta – whatever pasta you like best works here!
- White wine – optional, but we love the depth of flavor it gives the feta.
How to Bake the Feta
Toss the tomatoes, shallot, and garlic with olive oil and arrange in the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish.
Place the feta in the center and season well with salt, pepper, a pinch of red pepper flakes, and a splash of white wine. (if using)
Bake the feta at 400F 35-40 minutes until the tomatoes are bursting and the feta is a lovely golden brown.
Use a wooden spoon to mash the feta + tomatoes into a sauce. Add in the pasta and fresh basil and it’s done!
Optionally, you can thin out the sauce a bit with pasta cooking water if you think it needs it. Save a little bit of pasta water just in case!
Choosing Your Pasta
We love a small shape of pasta like the orecchiette we used here today, but literally any kind of pasta works great here!
Spaghetti, angel hair, bucatini, farfalle, shells, etc. Really whatever you have on hand will work!
Flavor Variations
- Fresh baby spinach (add when you add the pasta)
- Jarred or fresh roasted red peppers (add when you add the pasta)
- Fresh grated Parmesan (adds a little extra depth of flavor – sprinkle over individual bowls of pasta)
- A few swirls of fresh pesto (add when you add the pasta)
- Cooked chicken (reheat and add when you add the pasta)
However you choose to enjoy this pasta, I guarantee it will be a dinner hit!
We’re already obsessed and planning on making it again next week adding several flavor variations.
Get ready to join the craze!!
Here’s a few similar pasta recipes I know you’ll love!
- Lemon Parmesan Fettuccine
- Pesto Cream Cheese Stuffed Shells Bolognese
- Baked Pumpkin Roasted Red Pepper Mac ‘n’ Cheese
Watch this pasta made step-by-step on Google web stories!
Baked Feta Pasta
This recipe may included paid links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.
Ingredients
- 2 pints cherry tomatoes
- 1 medium shallot, finely diced
- 6 medium cloves garlic, peeled
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 (8 oz) block feta cheese
- 1/4 cup white wine (optional)
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
- Kosher salt and pepper to taste
- 12 oz orechiette pasta (or use your favorite shape!)
- 1/4 cup fresh minced basil (or oregano, parsley, or a mix of all)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F. In a 9×13 casserole dish, toss tomatoes, shallot, and garlic with olive oil until evenly coated. Form a space in the center of pan and place feta in the center. Turn the feta to evenly coat in olive oil. Drizzle white wine over feta and tomatoes and top with red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper to taste.
- Bake feta at 400F 35-40 minutes until tomatoes are bursting and feta is a deep golden brown.
- While the feta is baking, cook the pasta according to package instructions in salted boiling water until pasta is al dente. Reserve 1/2-1 cup pasta cooking water and keep pasta warm.
- Once feta is done, remove from oven and add basil. Use a wooden spoon to mash feta together with tomatoes, garlic, and shallot until a creamy sauce forms.
- Stir pasta into sauce until evenly coated, adding pasta water if needed to thin sauce. Season pasta with additional salt and pepper to taste if needed. Serve pasta hot and enjoy!
MC says
This is absolutely delicious, and so easy. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Sarah says
You’re so welcome! Glad you enjoyed. 🙂
Beth says
Left out the wine and added a splash of balsamic vinegar just because I had it and didn’t have wine on hand. Great recipe, thanks!
Sarah says
Thanks for letting me know Beth! If you have a moment, would you mind leaving a star rating? It helps other readers and I would so appreciate it!
Katy says
Do you think using cheese tortellini would be to much or overthrow the taste?
Sarah says
Hi Katy – cheese tortellini would definitely make for a rich pasta dish, as there is a lot of cheese already in this dish, but if you’re a fan of cheesy, feel free to try it!
Joanne says
Can this be prepared ahead of time?
Sarah says
Yes it can! Once the pasta is assembled it can be reheated in the microwave or oven.