Baked Feta Pasta The Viral Tiktok Tomato Feta Pasta Recipe

This Baked Feta Pasta comes together in less than an hour and tastes like something you would order at a restaurant! The block of feta cooks down into a creamy sauce and the tomatoes are roasted to perfection. Once you add spinach, basil, garlic, and pancetta to the mix, you have a really unforgettable dish. I love serving this over rigatoni pasta because the sauce fills up the inside of the pasta, but you can serve it with any pasta shape you have on hand.

Ingredients in Baked Feta Pasta

Pancetta Garlic Feta Cheese – make sure you get the feta block, not crumbles. Feta is made Heirloom Cherry Tomatoes – I think heirloom cherry tomatoes have the best flavor, but you can use grape tomatoes or classic cherry tomatoes. These small tomatoes burst while cooking and that liquid makes up some of the sauce. Extra Virgin Olive Oil Crushed Red Pepper Flakes Kosher Salt and Black Pepper Fresh Parsley Pasta Noodles – cook pasta to al dente while the sauce bakes! My favorite shapes to use for this recipe are rigatoni, rotini, and cavatappi because they soak up the sauce so well. You can also use gluten-free pasta. Reserved Pasta Water – read on below to see why pasta water is the secret ingredient! Spinach Fresh Basil Leaves Grated Parmesan Cheese Optional add-ins: shallots (cook with the pancetta and garlic if adding), broccoli, zucchini, bell peppers, or chicken or Italian sausage for extra protein.

Equipment

Because you cook the pancetta and garlic before baking, I like to make Baked Feta Pasta in a cast iron pan. It transfers so easily from the stovetop to the oven. However, you can also cook the pancetta and garlic in a frying pan and then transfer it to a baking dish.

Baked Feta Pasta – A TikTok Sensation

This Baked Feta Pasta recipe originated on TikTok! A Finnish blogger posted the original recipe it and it went super viral in Finland. It became a stateside sensation once TikTok user @grilledcheesesocial posted the recipe on her page. It got over three million views! When I first made this recipe, I had to go to three different grocery stores to get a block of feta! Some viral food trends fall short of their big reputation, but this one truly lives up to the hype! It is so yummy and unlike any other pasta I have tried. I have made it so many times now and I have put my own spin on it!

The Magic Ingredient

All the ingredients in this Baked Feta Pasta are delicious and important. However, one ingredient takes this recipe to the next level – pasta water. Now, I know you’re thinking, “You mean that stuff I pour down the drain?” YEP. You need to start saving a little bit of that magic stuff before you drain the pasta. Have you ever had a sauce that just won’t stick to your noodles? Pasta water is the answer! It is salty and starchy and it helps the sauce thicken and cling to the noodles. I usually save about a cup of pasta water and then once I combine the sauce and noodles, I just add a little pasta water at a time until I reach the desired consistency. Try it, you will believe it when you see it. Read Next: 35+ Quick and Easy To Follow Dinner Ideas Your Family Will Surely Love

Other Pasta Recipes to Try

If you love this Baked Feta Pasta as much as we do, try some of our other pleasing pasta recipes!

Creamy Bowtie Asparagus Pasta Chicken Artichoke Pasta Creamy Cajun Shrimp Pasta Tomato and Basil Pasta One-Pot Creamy Garlic Noodles

You can never go wrong with Italian-inspired meals, especially a good, hearty pasta. We love using fresh, garden tomatoes for our spaghetti sauce and will often make homemade canned spaghetti sauce when we have an abundance of tomatoes so we can enjoy the bright, fresh flavor all year long.