I am usually one for jumping on the bandwagon and I am not even a little ashamed of it; so when I heard about the viral roasted tomato and feta pasta I needed to jump on board. It’s creamy, it’s garlicky, and most importantly it’s like 5 minutes of work which makes it a winner in my books on the days I just don’t wanna do the things.
Why is this recipe such a hit?
I know as a mom of 3, whether it’s when I am working or at home the biggest stressor of the day is dinner. It kicks of bedtime routine and because of that I want it to be something my littles will eat, I will be able to scavenge my fridge and pantry for ALL the ingredients and there is as little clean up as possible. This dish hits all of the above.
Like many “one pot” meals I have come across this roasted tomatoes and feta pasta isn’t truly and one pot meal but it is pretty close. It will leave you at the end of the evenings roasting pan, a colander, and a pot… if you make them with larger tomatoes a knife and cutting board. This is about as minimal as my dinner prep dishes go folks. So this is a big win in Michael’s books because he does the clean up.
Another great part of this meal (and really any pasta dish) is that you don’t need a special pasta to make it. Whatever is sitting in your pantry will do. It’s like our mother’s told us when we were little “they all taste the same a noodle is a noodle” and this is very true with this dish because the pasta is simply the vehicle carrying the delicious sauce.
Cooking is an Art
I was once told, baking is a science but cooking is an art. And this is so true with this recipe. Scrolling through Instagram, TikTok and YouTube I have seen so many variations of this recipe and I love it! The most stressful part of baking a recipe for the first time is not knowing how much flexibility you have with the ingredients. There is nothing worse than opening the pantry at 4pm only to discover that a key ingredient is missing and now you are starting from scratch.
With cooking you get so much freedom and with a basic recipe like this you have so much freedom to add your own flair! You like a little heat add some chilli flakes. Prefer your tomatoes a little sweeter, add some sugar or honey to your tomatoes. Only basil in your spice drawer, perfect throw that in instead of oregano. I promise this is a no stress meal, it’s really hard to mess it up!
The How
When I made the recipe I used smaller ripe on the vine tomatoes because I didn’t have cherry or grape tomatoes, honestly any tomato will do. If using the larger tomatoes, quarter them and and place them in the roasting pan, if using smaller tomatoes roast them whole. Next cut the top off the head of garlic like you would when roasting it, and place it cut side down in the roasting pan, and lastly add your brick of feta to the centre of the dish. Drizzle with olive oil, and add salt, pepper and oregano to taste.
Bake in 400°F oven for 30 minutes or until cheese is starting to get gold and toasty. I recommend that you start you pasta water when you put the tomatoes down feta into the oven, because once it’s ready to come out everything moves quickly!
Remove the garlic from the pan to cool, and mash tomatoes, feta and mix. Once the garlic is cool enough to handle squeeze out the cloves, mash with a fork and add to the tomato feta mixture. Now simply toss in your pasta of choice and dinner is served! I recommend adding Caesar salad and roasted garlic bread
Roasted Tomato and Feta Pasta
Roasted Tomato and Feta Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 Brick of Feta
- 2 pints of cherry tomatoes
- 1 head of garlic
- Olive Oil
- Dried Oregano
- Salt and pepper
- Fresh Basil
- 1 box (300g) of pasta of your choice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F
- Put feta brick in the middle of a 9x13 baking dish or roasting pan
- Cut the top off the garlic bulb
- Surround the feta with the tomatoes and place garlic cut side down in baking dish.
- Drizzle tomatoes, garlic and feta with olive oil
- Sprinkle oregano, salt and pepper over the everything
- Bake at 400°F for 30 minutes or until cheese is golden
- Cook pasta while tomatoes and feta are roasting.
- Once everything is roasted remove the garlic from the pan and mash the tomatoes and feta. when the garlic is cool enough to handle squeeze out the cloves, mash and add to the tomatoe mixture.
- Add pasta and garnish with fresh basil
Notes
This recipe really allows you to make it your own. You can add some heat with chilli flakes, it’s easily halved and goes well with any pasta living in your pantry.
I would love to see your takes on this recipe, be sure to tag me in your posts.
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