Baked Feta Pasta - TikTok Viral Video

Indulge in the delectable world of baked feta pasta recipes, a TikTok viral sensation that has taken the culinary world by storm. With its creamy feta cheese, roasted tomatoes, and perfectly cooked pasta, this dish offers a harmonious blend of flavors that will leave you craving more.

It's quite interesting how social media plays an important role in our lives these days. I was talking to my son the other day about the latest trends, last year Dalgona coffee went viral, then Tortilla wraps hack, and now baked feta pasta.

I first learned about this dish through the internet and social media. It was one of the viral recipes on TikTok. I heard this recipe originally became popular in Finland through some bloggers. Some stories about the grocery stores in Finland ran out of feta cheese due to this viral recipe.

I don't know how true these stories are, but my kids love pasta. Therefore, I decided to give this recipe a try. So, here I am sharing my version of this baked feta pasta. I tried to keep it simple and used the ingredients easily available at my grocery store. I have also shared some variations of this recipe in this blog post.

Baked Feta Pasta

Baked feta pasta has taken the internet by storm in recent years, captivating food enthusiasts with its simplicity and delicious flavors. This viral sensation originated from a Finnish food blogger, and its popularity quickly spread worldwide through social media platforms like TikTok.

The recipe features a delightful combination of feta cheese, cherry tomatoes, pasta, and aromatic herbs, all baked to perfection in the oven. The resulting dish boasts a creamy, tangy sauce infused with the rich flavors of roasted tomatoes and melted feta cheese.

Whether you're a seasoned cook or a beginner in the kitchen, this recipe is sure to impress your taste buds and elevate your pasta game. Join the trend and discover the joy of baked feta pasta for yourself!

Ingredients for Feta Pasta Recipes

Here's a brief description of the main ingredients used in baked feta pasta:

1. Pasta: Choose your favorite types of pasta, such as penne, fusilli, or rigatoni. Pasta serves as the base for the dish, providing a hearty and comforting element.
2. Feta cheese: Feta cheese is a brined cheese with a tangy and salty flavor. It softens and melts beautifully when baked, creating a creamy and luscious sauce for the pasta.
3. Cherry tomatoes: These small, sweet tomatoes add a burst of juicy flavor to the dish. Roasting them in the oven enhances their natural sweetness and creates a rich, caramelized taste.
4. Garlic: Fresh minced garlic brings aromatic and savory notes to the recipe. When roasted, it becomes mellow and adds a subtle depth of flavor to the pasta.
5. Extra-virgin olive oil: This high-quality oil is used to drizzle over the pasta and create a luscious texture. It also helps to enhance the flavors of the other ingredients.
6. Fresh herbs: Optional fresh herbs like basil, oregano, or thyme can be added to provide a touch of freshness and aroma to the dish. They complement the flavors of the tomatoes and feta cheese.
7. Salt and pepper: These essential seasonings are used to enhance the overall taste and balance the flavors of the dish. Adjust the amount according to your preference.
8. Red Pepper Flakes: This optional ingredient can be added for a bit of heat. It adds a spicy flavor to the dish.

How to make Baked Feta Pasta

With just a handful of ingredients and in under 30 minutes, you can make this flavor-bursting, creamy, luscious, baked feta pasta. This recipe calls for basic ingredients cherry or grape tomatoes, feta cheese, pasta, olive oil, and some herbs. However, feel free to add veggies, herbs, or protein to amp up the dish.

To make feta pasta recipes, you will first prepare the tomato-feta mixture by tossing cherry tomatoes with olive oil, salt, pepper, and minced garlic in a baking dish. You will then bake the mixture in the preheated oven until the tomatoes are soft and bursting, and the feta cheese is melted and slightly browned.

While the tomato-feta mixture is baking, cook the pasta according to the package instructions until it is al dente. Reserve some of the pasta water for later.

Once the tomato-feta mixture is done baking, you will remove it from the oven and use a fork to mash the feta cheese and tomatoes together to create a sauce. Add the cooked pasta to the baking dish and toss it with the tomato-feta sauce, using some of the reserved pasta water to loosen the sauce if necessary. You can also add some fresh herbs, such as basil or parsley, at this point for extra flavor.

Transfer the pasta to serving bowls and top with some grated parmesan cheese, if desired. Serve hot and enjoy your delicious feta pasta recipes!

Tips for Baked Feta Pasta

Key Ingredients

• The two main ingredients in this dish are tomatoes and feta cheese. The sweetness from the cherry tomatoes and saltiness from the feta, add a unique flavor to the sauce, thus making this pasta yummy!!
• I prefer cherry or grape tomatoes, due to their sweet flavor. However, you can also use salad tomatoes, which are less tart as compared to other varieties of tomatoes and can be substituted in this recipe.
• Block feta cheese is what I would recommend. Substitutes for feta cheese would be goat cheese and ricotta cheese.
• Ear-shaped pasta or flat pasta such as Conchigliette (shells), Orecchiette, and Farfalle make a great candidate for this recipe, as those little nooks catch so much sauce. However, feel free to use the pasta of your choice, and cook it as per the package directions.

How to cook pasta in an Instant Pot

Cooking pasta can be very tricky, especially in an Instant Pot (pressure cooker). Here’s how I cook pasta in an Instant Pot:

1. For Instant pot cooking, add enough water to cover the pasta. Reduce the cooking time to “HALF” what is recommended on the box of the pasta, followed by a quick pressure release.
2. I do not recommend using the broth for this recipe unless the broth you are using has no added sodium (salt) in it. Since, feta cheese is heavily salted, try to avoid any additional sodium.
3. Normally, I add salt while cooking pasta. However, for this recipe, I did not add any salt while cooking pasta, as the feta is quite salty, and adding salt to pasta would just make it way saltier.
4. Reserve some of the cooking pasta water, to adjust the consistency of the pasta. Pasta thickens over some time.

Herbs and Spices

• Instead of adding whole garlic cloves, add crushed garlic cloves. Garlic when cooked, caramelizes beautifully and adds a ton of flavor to this dish. I used a whole bulb of garlic in this recipe, add as per your liking.
• Herbs and spices enhance the flavor of this dish. Feel free to add herbs of your choice. Fresh or dry herbs such as Thyme, oregano, or Italian seasoning add great flavor to this recipe.
• I like to add some crushed red chili flakes or a pinch of cayenne pepper for some heat and additional flavor.
• While baking the tomatoes, and feta cheese impart a nice flavor to this dish. I like to take it a step further and broil it at the end for a few minutes. I think the charred tomatoes and feta cheese add such a depth of flavor.
• The consistency of the sauce is quite creamy, use the reserved cooked pasta water to adjust to the desired consistency.
• Lemon juice and lemon zest are optional. However, I think it helps balance the sweet flavor of the tomatoes, and the saltiness of the feta cheese. It also adds a nice refreshing flavor to this dish.
• Use good-quality extra-virgin olive oil. Olive oil adds a nice flavor and creaminess to the sauce.

Variations

Here are a few ideas for this classic baked feta pasta:

• Add vegetables: You can add other vegetables to the roasting pan along with the cherry tomatoes, such as sliced zucchini, eggplant, or bell peppers.
• Use different types of cheese: While feta is the traditional cheese used in this dish, you can also try using goat cheese, ricotta, or even a blend of different cheeses.
• Add protein: To make the dish more filling, you can add cooked chicken, shrimp, or sausage to the pasta. Simply cook the protein separately and stir it in at the end.
• Make it spicy: If you like a bit of heat, you can add more red pepper flakes to the dish or even add some chopped jalapeno peppers to the roasting pan.
• Use different pasta shapes: While short pasta shapes like penne or fusilli work best for this dish, you can experiment with other shapes like rigatoni, farfalle, or macaroni.
• Add fresh herbs: Garnish the dish with chopped fresh herbs like basil, parsley, or chives to add extra flavor and freshness.
• Use different types of tomatoes: While cherry tomatoes work well in this recipe, you can also use other types of tomatoes such as grape tomatoes, heirloom tomatoes, or roma tomatoes.

Frequently Asked Questions

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