This Baked Feta Pasta is a delicious, creamy, fuss-free comforting dinner recipe with bursting flavours and the best part though?. gets done in 30 mins..
In an oven safe dish or casserole, place the cherry tomatoes, sliced red onions, sliced peppers, 1/4 cup olive oil, 1/2 tsp each - Italian seasoning, red chilli flakes, salt and pepper. Mix that through.
Make some space in the centre and place the feta cheese block. Add the remaining 1/4 cup oil on top followed by the remaining 1/4 tsp Italian seasoning and red chilli flakes.
Cut the eye of the garlic bulb, wrap it in an aluminium foil and place it in the baking dish.
Bake everything in a preheated oven of 200°C (400°F) for 30 mins.
Step 2 - Cook the Pasta
While the sauce is baking, cook the pasta as per packet instructions and keep ready.
Do remember to reserve about 1 cup of pasta water that is the water in which you cooked the pasta.
Step 3 - Combining the sauce and Pasta
Once out of the oven, the tomatoes would be bursted and juicy and the cheese would be soft and melted.
Remove the aluminium foil and open it so that the garlic cools a bit to be handled by bare hands.
Give a quick mix to the tomatoes and feta and immediately add the spinach and basil leaves. Mix well to combine. (At this stage you can serve it as a dip or also use it to top it on your bread)
Add the pasta on top. Give a quick mix and ta da your Baked Feta Pasta is ready to be served.
Video
Notes
Full Fat: Make sure to use full fat feta cheese for a creamier and flavourful pasta.
Right Baking Dish: Use a baking dish that would ensure that the tomatoes and the cheese are all crowded and clinging to each other, so that the tomatoes cook evenly without drying out.
Dry Pasta: If you find that the sauce is thin or the pasta is dried out, add the reserved starchy water to revive it.
Seasoning: The seasoning can be adjusted to suit your family needs - swap basil with oregano, or use a combination of herbs to suit your needs, amp up the red pepper flakes or use jalapeno if you like a spicy version, omit all the vegetables or add more as per choice and availability.
Hand-Torn: Whenever using fresh herbs try to simply use your hands and tear the herbs instead of using a knife to chop them for optimum flavour.
Add a Protein: Consider adding cooked chickpeas if you like and if you are a meat eater you can also add shredded chicken.
Gluten-Free: Use gluten-free pasta or you can also use zoodles (zucchini noodles)