Creamy Feta Pasta with Tomatoes (Printable version)

Rich, tangy pasta with roasted cherry tomatoes and creamy feta. Ready in 45 minutes.

# What you need:

→ Pasta

01 - 12 oz short pasta (penne, fusilli, or rigatoni)

→ Vegetables

02 - 1 lb cherry tomatoes
03 - 3 cloves garlic, minced
04 - 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
05 - 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
06 - Handful fresh basil leaves, torn

→ Dairy

07 - 7 oz block feta cheese

→ Spices & Seasonings

08 - ½ tsp dried oregano
09 - ½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
10 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

# How to make it:

01 - Preheat the oven to 400°F.
02 - In a large baking dish, combine cherry tomatoes, garlic, red onion, olive oil, oregano, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Toss to coat evenly.
03 - Create a space in the center of the dish and place the block of feta cheese. Drizzle additional olive oil over the feta.
04 - Roast for 30–35 minutes until tomatoes burst and feta becomes golden and soft.
05 - While roasting, cook pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water according to package directions until al dente. Reserve ½ cup pasta water before draining.
06 - Remove baking dish from oven. Using a fork, mash and mix the feta and roasted tomatoes together until a creamy sauce forms.
07 - Add drained pasta and most of the basil to the baking dish. Toss thoroughly, adding reserved pasta water as needed to reach desired sauce consistency.
08 - Serve immediately, garnished with additional fresh basil and freshly ground black pepper.

# Expert tips:

01 -
  • The oven handles all the heavy lifting while you catch up on life
  • That moment when warm feta meets burst tomatoes is pure kitchen magic
  • Leftovers somehow taste even better the next day if they last that long
02 -
  • Reserving pasta water is not optional, it's the secret ingredient that transforms everything
  • The feta might look firm when it first comes out but keep mashing, it'll turn into liquid gold
  • Don't skip the red onion if you can help it, it adds layers of flavor you won't even realize are there until they're gone
03 -
  • If your feta isn't softening enough, give it 5 more minutes, nobody ever complained about extra bubbly cheese
  • Double the recipe and eat it all week because it somehow improves overnight

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