Baked Feta Pasta | TikTok Pasta | Uunifetapasta

I hopped on the baked feta pasta bandwagon overtaking social media right now. I’m not even on TikTok, but I love a TikTok food trend! By the time this uploads, the revival of this quarantine food trend might be over, but this is still a great, easy dish I’ll be sure to make again. This baked feta pasta recipe is inspired by Finnish food blogger Jenni Häyrinen, who created her uunifetapasta back in 2019 (and who has since come out with an International Uunifetapasta Day, which just passed on February 4). According to her, the chili is not to be missed. I add my own spin with some fresh lemon zest at the end.

Instagram:   / hanaasbrink  

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Baked Feta Pasta

Inspired by Jenni Häyrinen's uunifetapasta (https://www.instagram.com/p/BteJQvRHs...)

2 pints cherry tomatoes, rinsed and drained
5 to 6 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 8-ounce block of feta cheese
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 to 1 red chili (to your taste), chopped
Salt and coarsely cracked black pepper, to taste
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (add up to 1/4 cup more if tomatoes are not juicy)
8 ounces cavatappi pasta, or another dried pasta of your choosing
Handful of basil, roughly chopped
Zest of 1 lemon

Preheat oven to 400F/200C.

In a baking dish, add a bit of olive oil. Add tomatoes and garlic. Season with some salt. Add feta to the middle of the dish and top with dried oregano, chili, and black pepper. Add the rest of the olive oil, covering the top of the feta block fully. Bake for 30 minutes.

In the meantime, make your pasta. Bring a medium pot filled with water to boil. Once boiling, add salt and pasta. Give it a stir and cook according to package instructions. When the pasta is nearly done, remove some pasta water and set aside (you may or may not need this if your tomatoes are juicy; I didn’t). Drain and set aside when ready. If the pasta gets done before the tomatoes, drizzle some olive oil to the pasta and toss to prevent sticking.

Transfer baking dish up to under the broiler level for 5 minutes, watching carefully to avoid burning. Remove tomatoes from oven. Add basil. Gently press your tomatoes to create a sauce, being careful not to squirt hot tomato juice on yourself. Break up the feta to your preferred consistency (I like it chunky). Add cooked pasta, toss well, season with salt and pepper, and lemon zest.

Season with more pepper and lemon and enjoy! (Leftovers are great cold.)

#bakedfetapasta #fetabakepasta #tiktokpasta

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