Description
This Baked Feta Pasta is a deliciously simple dish packed with flavor from roasted tomatoes, fresh spinach, and creamy feta cheese, perfect for a quick and satisfying meal.
Ingredients
Scale
- 20 oz grape tomatoes
- 5 medium garlic cloves, peeled and halved
- 8 oz spinach, roughly chopped about 8 packed cups
- 1/4 cup fresh basil, thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley, minced
- 7 – 8 oz block feta cheese (sheep's milk variety) drained
- 10 oz dry pasta such as campanelle, rigatoni, rotini, penne, bow tie, or cavatappi
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp salt for pasta water
- 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes or more to taste
- salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup reserved pasta water
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- In a 3-quart baking dish, combine grape tomatoes and garlic, toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper, and place the feta in the center, turning to coat in oil.
- Bake for 30 minutes in the center of the preheated oven.
- Remove from the oven, adjust the rack to the upper third, and increase the temperature to 450 degrees. Bake for an additional 10 minutes until the tomatoes and cheese begin to brown.
- Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package instructions in salted water until al dente.
- Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water, add spinach to the pasta pot right before draining to wilt it, then drain the pasta and spinach.
- Smash the roasted tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, and feta with a wooden spoon, then toss in the drained pasta with basil, parsley, and red pepper flakes.
- Gradually add reserved pasta water to achieve desired consistency, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm.
Notes
Feel free to substitute other pasta shapes if desired.
For added heat, increase the amount of crushed red pepper flakes according to your taste.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 450
- Sugar: 4g
- Sodium: 800mg
- Fat: 20g
- Saturated Fat: 5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 15g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 50g
- Fiber: 5g
- Protein: 15g
- Cholesterol: 20mg