Feta Tomato Pasta (+Video)
This Feta Tomato Pasta recipe was made famous on Tik Tok and for good reason! Roasted tomatoes are combined with warm feta cheese, garlic, seasonings and pasta!
A CREAMY FRESH TOMATO PASTA
You’ve probably seen this particular recipe making the rounds on Tik Tok. If you haven’t, then you may have seen some of your friends making it and posting about it! The original recipe is made with a block of feta cheese placed into a baking dish, cherry tomatoes surround the feta cheese, a bit of olive oil added, then it’s baked. Finally, it’s tossed with cooked pasta. I added my own little twist to this favorite. I thought it definitely needed more seasoning. I added garlic, seasonings, fresh basil and a touch of sugar to cut the tartness of the feta and cherry tomatoes!
TIPS FOR MAKING TOMATO FETA PASTA RECIPE
- Not a fan of feta cheese? No problem! Not everyone likes the texture of feta cheese. I recently made it with (2) 4 ounce logs of goat cheese and it was amazing! You could also try mozzarella cheese, ricotta cheese, burrata cheese or even garlic and herb Boursin cheese.
- Don’t buy the feta that is packaged with brine. It will make it super tangy.
- Try adding some grilled chicken for added protein (and flavor!)
- All of these cheeses can be found with the other cheese in your grocery store or sometimes they are in their own separate cheese case in the deli area of your grocery store.
- Don’t skip the little amount of sugar that is added. This dish runs on the “tart” side. Roasting the tomatoes will bring out some of their natural sweetness but the combo of the tomatoes and feta cheese can make it a bit more acidic for most palates so I definitely recommend it.
- Play around with the seasonings and different types of pasta! This is a pretty simple recipe to tweak. You don’t even need to use cherry tomatoes. You could dice up some Roma tomatoes and throw them in the pan.
- The fresh basil really makes this dish. Get the fresh basil! I promise you won’t regret it. It really makes this dish taste so fresh!
- I didn’t use the whole box of pasta here as the original recipe required. I think too much pasta can make this dish more “dry” whereas I wanted it more “saucy.” If you want to make the whole (one pound) box of pasta, I would roast another pint of tomatoes to this recipe to make sure there is enough cream sauce/pasta ratio.
- I think a drizzle of balsamic vinegar would be amazing in this if you enjoy balsamic.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (FULL RECIPE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POST)
- cherry tomatoes
- extra virgin olive oil
- fresh garlic
- granulated sugar
- red pepper flakes (optional)
- kosher salt
- black pepper
- Italian seasoning
- feta cheese (see suggestions below in recipe card for other cheese options)
- fresh basil leaves
- rotini pasta
HOW TO MAKE FETA TOMATO PASTA:
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Place the tomatoes, along with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, garlic, sugar, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper and Italian seasoning into a baking dish (I used an 11″x 7″ dish – but it doesn’t matter the size). Stir to combine.
Make space for the cheese in the middle of the dish and place the block of feta in the center of the dish. Pour the remaining olive oil on top of the cheese.
Bake for 20 minutes. While it is cooking, make the pasta. After the 20 minutes, turn the broiler on your oven on high and broil for 5 minutes until the cheese starts to turn golden brown and the tomatoes char slightly. Remove.
With a fork, mash the feta and tomatoes until it forms a chunky sauce, I like to keep it a little on the chunkier side but you can mash it as much as you like.
Add the torn fresh basil and mix it in.
Add the cooked pasta and coat it in the sauce.
Serve immediately with some Garlic Knots.
CRAVING MORE RECIPES? GIVE THESE A TRY!
Feta Tomato Pasta (+Video)
Ingredients
- 2 pints cherry tomatoes
- 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 8 ounce block feta cheese
- 10 fresh basil leaves torn
- ¾ pound box rotini pasta cooked per directions on the box
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Make space for the block of cheese in the middle of the dish and place the block of feta in the center of the dish. Pour the remaining olive oil on top of the cheese.
- Bake uncovered for 20 minutes. While it is cooking, make the pasta.
- With a fork, mash the feta and tomatoes until it forms a chunky sauce, I like to keep it a little on the chunkier side but you can mash it as much as you like.
- Serve immediately.
Video
Notes
- Not a fan of feta cheese? No problem! Not everyone likes the texture of feta cheese. I recently made it with (2) 4 ounce logs of goat cheese and it was amazing! You could also try mozzarella cheese, ricotta cheese, burrata cheese or even garlic and herb Boursin cheese.
- Don’t buy the feta that is packaged with brine. It will make it super tangy.
- Try adding some grilled chicken for added protein (and flavor!)
- All of these cheeses can be found with the other cheese in your grocery store or sometimes they are in their own separate cheese case in the deli area of your grocery store.
- Don’t skip the little amount of sugar that is added. This dish runs on the “tart” side. Roasting the tomatoes will bring out some of their natural sweetness but the combo of the tomatoes and feta cheese can make it a bit more acidic for most palates so I definitely recommend it.
- Play around with the seasonings and different types of pasta! This is a pretty simple recipe to tweak. You don’t even need to use cherry tomatoes. You could dice up some Roma tomatoes and throw them in the pan.
- The fresh basil really makes this dish. Get the fresh basil! I promise you won’t regret it. It really makes this dish taste so fresh!
- I didn’t use the whole box of pasta here as the original recipe required. I think too much pasta can make this dish more “dry” whereas I wanted it more “saucy.” If you want to make the whole (one pound) box of pasta, I would roast another pint of tomatoes to this recipe to make sure there is enough cream sauce/pasta ratio.
- I think a drizzle of balsamic vinegar would be amazing in this if you enjoy balsamic.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Thanks so much to @grilledcheesesocial on Tik Tok for creating such an amazing recipe and sharing it with all of us!
i halved the recipe (but used the same amount of feta cause it’s the best part) and loved this recipe!! i also added some pasta water to the feta-tomato mixture and it made it a bit smoother and all around a better texture imo. super delicious!!!
thank you so much!
If you use one of your suggested cheeses do you bake it the same way as if you were using the feta?
Yep! As long as the cheese is room temperature and not straight from the fridge 🙂
I made this today. We thought the flavor was good although I’ll add kalamata olives next time. The texture of the sauce though was a little gritty. I’m sure it was an ‘operator error’.
I get it – feta isn’t for everyone. It does have a texture that not a lot of people love. Try it with maybe goat cheese or mozzarella next time!
This was absolutely delicious. I love how much flavor it had and it was absolutely easy. Not to mention when my kids found out mom was making the TikTok pasta they were so excited and they agreed it was amazing. We’ve made this a few time since and even tried it with goat cheese which worked amazing as well. Thank you so much, it’s a keeper.
Ha! Love it! Thank you so much Alli!
I’ve looked everywhere for feta cheese and cannot find it in any of my local grocery stores. Would crumbled feta cheese work?
I give a bunch of other cheese suggestions above. You won’t get the same texture with crumbled feta.
Wow! This was AMAZING! I love your added seasonings and you really give the best detailed instructions and tips (which is why I love you!) They really made all the difference. Now my family wants to try all the different cheeses that you suggested. Mozzarella is up next!
Wow! This made my day! I am so happy you found my tips useful. Sometimes I worry I go into *too* much detail! Let me know when your family tries the other cheeses!
The recipe says “1/2 Black Pepper”. Is it 1/2 Tsp or 1/2 Tbsp? Thanks.
Good catch! It’s teaspoon – I fixed it. Also, please feel free to add more to taste. 🙂
Would you recommend cream cheese?
Hi Leeann – I think cream cheese should work too.