Baked Mediterranean Feta Pasta
The TikTok Baked Feta Bake made another round in our kitchen and this time we upped our game from the traditional recipe that continues to sweep the internet. Read more about the original Baked Feta ‘TikTok Pasta,’ here.
For this dish we added some additional Mediterranean favorites; i.e.garbanzos beans, kalamata olives and wine; for a #meatlessmonday dish and boy was this an elevated adult mac & cheese and super tasty!
I hope you enjoy and cheers 🥂!
Some Notes
Cooking for Two or a Family – For this recipe, I used half a bag of Trader Joe’s Organic Italian Artisan Pasta Orecchiette and it was perfect for 3-4 servings. If you want enough for a family or 6-7 servings, just use a full bag or box. I’d double the ingredients with the exception of the wine.
Cooking with Alcohol – This recipe calls for 1/2 cup of white wine and at 400 degrees the alcohol cooks off without a problem. However, if you prefer to cook without alcohol, add chicken or vegetable stock instead.
Type of Feta to Use – For this recipe, I used Feta in Brine and boy was it tangy and delicious. I’m sure crumbled feta and/or block feta would work well too, but can’t attest to those flavors.
Seasoning with Salt – ALWAYS SALT YOUR PASTA WATER because it enhances the flavor inside and out. Two, that scratchy pasta water is great for finishing your dish, if you need a bit more liquid. I wouldn’t overly salt your veggies or the feta since Feta and kalamata olives are naturally salty. Once you’ve created the feta sauce, taste and salt, if needed.
Baked Mediterranean Feta Pasta
Ingredients
- 8 oz pasta, prepare to al dente and reserve 1 cup of the stretchy pasta water for finishing
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes
- 2 cloves garlic, smashed and chopped
- ½ can garbanzos beans, aka white kidney beans
- 1 handful kalamata olives, remove any seeds and slice in half
- 2 pinches 2 pinches red pepper flakes
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 drizzle EVOO
- 6-7 oz feta
- ½ cup white wine
- 1 handful fresh basil, julienne cut and reserve some for garnishing
- salt & ground pepper, for seasoning
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and prepare the pasta according to the directions and boil to al dente. Once done, reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water and drain the pasta and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking.
- In a 1.5 qt baking casserole, add the cherry tomatoes, garlic, garbanzos beans, kalamata olives, 1 pinch of red pepper flakes, a 1/2 tsp of dried oregano and toss with a bit of ground pepper and EVOO. Make room in the center of the casserole dish for the feta and top with another pinch of red pepper flakes, the remaining oregano and bit of EVOO. Drizzle the white wine over the tomato goodness!
- Once the oven reaches 400 degrees, place the Mediterranean Feta mixture in the oven and bake for 30 minutes. At the 30 minute mark, turn the boiler on to get some browning of the feta.
- Once browned, remove from the oven and combine together until creamy and delicious. Taste and determine whether you need more salt.
- Add the pasta and the fresh basil and toss together. If the pasta looks dry, add some of the scratchy pasta water until creamy and delicious.
- Serve warm and with a garnish of fresh basil, enjoy and cheers 🥂!
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