Baked Feta Pasta

An easy to make pasta with baked feta, cherry tomatoes, bell peppers, and onion inspired by current TikTok trends.

• Preparation Time: 20 mins
• Cooking Time: 40 mins
• Total Time: 60 mins
• Calories: 497 Calories

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon lemon zest
• ½ cup olive oil
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• ½ teaspoon dried basil
• ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1 (12 ounce) package penne pasta
• ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• ½ cup sliced red bell pepper
• ½ cup sliced red onion
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt
• 1 (8 ounce) package Cheese, feta
• 2 pints cherry tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 cup baby spinach
• 4 cloves peeled garlic, or more to taste

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).

Step 2

Combine cherry tomatoes, bell pepper, onion, olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, lemon zest, red pepper flakes, black pepper, Italian seasoning, basil, and sea salt in a 13x9-inch baking dish.

Step 3

Make room in the middle of the pan and add block of feta cheese. Flip in oil, making sure cheese remains intact and becomes well coated.

Step 4

Bake in the preheated oven until the cherry tomatoes begin to blister and split, 40 to 45 minutes.

Step 5

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add penne and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, about 11 minutes. Drain and reserve about 1 cup of the pasta water.

Step 6

Remove feta-tomato mixture from the oven. Mash garlic, tomatoes, onions, and peppers with a heavy spoon and mix with the feta cheese, creating a sauce. Stir in spinach and cooked pasta. The spinach will get cooked from the heat of the pasta sauce and pasta. Add pasta water, a little at a time if needed, to reach desired consistency. Mix well and serve.