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Made into a one-pot meal, this simple baked feta pasta is a leveled-up version of the creamy, delicious, trendy TikTok dish that’s taking over the internet!
Though baked feta pasta is taking the internet world by storm right now, we actually feel like our version of it is totally leveled up — here’s why:
Most baked feta recipes call for baking the feta along with the cherry tomatoes, olive oil, and spices, and boiling the noodles separately (while everything else is in the oven). Once the noodles and the feta + cherry tomato bake are done, these recipes call for mixing the two together. OUR recipe, though, calls for baking EVERYTHING (noodles, feta, cherry tomatoes, everything!) together so that you don’t have to worry about the extra step of boiling noodles separately. This makes the entire process completely fuss-free and basically hands-off!
Where did Baked Feta Pasta start?
Good question! We first saw baked feta pasta when our friend, Yumna Jawad of Feel Good Foodie, posted it on her website (you can find her recipe HERE). Yumna said that she learned about this recipe from Grilled Cheese Social who heard about it from a viral recipe called #uunifetapasta that was made famous in Finland by Liemessa but originally shared by Tiiu.
Ingredients Needed
To bring this creamy feta pasta bake together, you’ll need…
- 12 ounces of dry pasta (penne, bowtie, rotini, or elbow are all great choices!)
- 3 cups of broth or water
- 1 (8-ounce) block of feta cheese
- 1 pint of cherry tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- ½ teaspoon of sea salt (plus more to taste)
- ¼ teaspoon of ground black pepper
- 2 minced cloves of garlic
- ¾ ounce of fresh roughly chopped basil (approx. a ¼ cup)
How To Make Baked Feta Pasta
The process is simple, and that’s what we think makes this recipe so great! Here’s what you’ll need to do:
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Add the block of feta to the baking dish – place the block of feta cheese in the middle of the dish.
- Add pasta + broth – add the dry pasta to the baking dish (around the block of feta), pour the broth over top the uncooked pasta, and carefully stir the pasta and broth together (being careful not to bump any noodles under or on top of the feta) to make sure that all of the pasta is submerged in the liquid.
- Add the cherry tomatoes, EVOO, salt, and pepper – sprinkle the cherry tomatoes over top of the noodles and drizzle everything with the EVOO, salt, and pepper.
- Cover tightly + bake – cover the baking dish with foil as tight as possible, and bake at 400°F for 40 minutes.
- Add the garlic and basil + stir – once finished baking, remove the foil, add the minced garlic and fresh basil, and stir everything together until well combined. Serve and enjoy!
Serving and Storage Tips
This pasta is best served right out of the baking dish, but reheated leftovers are also really tasty! Store any leftover baked feta pasta in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Frequently Asked Questions
What tastes good with feta cheese?
The bursting cherry tomatoes in this recipe pair beautifully with the feta cheese, as does the garlic and basil! If you want to round out your meal with a protein + side salad, you’ve got a couple of options! You can…
- Press the easy button – keep things super and hands-on cooking time minimal simple and purchase a rotisserie chicken and bagged side salad.
- Make your own – while your feta pasta bakes, throw in some chicken thighs to bake alongside it (then slice and serve them over top the finished pasta)! While everything is baking, make a quick arugula salad.
Can you make feta cheese pasta with feta crumbles?
The recipe will work with crumbled feta, but it’ll definitely yield a less creamy, melty texture. For best results, we definitely recommend using a block of feta if possible!
Is feta cheese healthy?
This totally depends on what healthy means to you! If your body tolerates dairy well, then feta cheese is a really delicious option that’s loaded with protein and calcium. As with any cheese, though, it does come with a higher fat content (though lower than many other cheeses) than many other protein-rich foods.
Is feta cheese the healthiest cheese?
Whether it’s the healthiest cheese or not, we’re not totally sure (that’s truly variable from person to person), but it does tend to be lower in calories than other cheeses. While it may be lower in calories, though, it’s actually higher in sodium than many other cheeses. Feta cheese also contains significant amounts of CLA (conjugated linoleic acid), a super nutritious fatty acid.
More Favorite Pasta Recipes
- Easy No-Boil Pasta Bake
- Caprese Orzo Salad
- Chicken Caprese Casserole
- Easiest Oven-Baked Mac and Cheese (Dump-and-Bake!)
- Lemony Garlic Parmesan Pasta
- One Pot Pasta with Italian Sausage and Kale
- Pesto Meatballs
- Homemade Hamburger Helper
- Gluten Free Pasta Primavera
Ingredients
- 12 ounces penne pasta rotini, bowtie, or elbow pasta will also work
- 3 cups chicken broth or water
- 1, 8- ounce block of feta cheese
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt plus more to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 0.75 ounces about 1/4 cup fresh basil, roughly chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 F.
- Place the block of feta in the center of a 9×13 inch baking dish, then pour the dry pasta around the feta.
- Pour the broth over the uncooked pasta, then carefully stir the pasta with the broth (making sure not to stir the feta in with it), to make sure that the pasta is fully submerged in liquid.
- Sprinkle the cherry tomatoes over top of the noodles, then drizzle over the olive oil and salt and pepper.
- Cover the baking dish with foil as tight as possible, and bake at 400 F for 40 minutes.
- Once finished baking, remove the foil, add the minced garlic and fresh basil, and stir everything together until fully combined. Serve and enjoy!
Nutrition Information
Recipe Notes
- Make sure you use a block of feta cheese, not crumbled feta.
- For gluten-free, we recommend Barilla or Jovial pasta
Ramya says
Will be making this soon can i use vegan feta and vegetable broth as am a vegan i love pasta soooooooooooo much perfect for my after office meals will dm you if i make this and let you know how it goes Thanks Ramya
Brandi Schilhab says
Yes, please let us know how it works with vegan feta!! We hope you love it!
Lauren says
This looks great! Could you add a protein like chicken? I have a rotisserie chicken I’d love to shred and add to this but don’t want to mess with the outcome!
Brandi Schilhab says
We haven’t actually tried adding the protein in the bake itself, but adding shredded rotisserie chicken to the finished pasta would be delicious!
Crystal O'Morrow says
Has anyone tried this in an Airfryer/Convection oven? I’m trying to figure out how to convert the cooking time.
Brandi Schilhab says
We haven’t, Crystal! Would love to know how it works if you try it though!
Denise says
I’ve made this “trendy” dish before, but was curious if baking it with the dry pasta would be just as good, so I tried it tonight! I used vegan feta (which works wonderfully) and grain-free Jovial pasta along with BB SGP spices…it was delicious!! The pasta didn’t hold its shape much, but it did not compromise the taste! Also tossed in a couple of handfuls of arugula after it was baked to add some green to it!
Brandi Schilhab says
Amazing! So glad to hear it, Denise!
Chelsey says
Will this freeze well? This seems like an easy recipe to make and keep in the freezer before my 3rd baby arrives 🙂
Mollie Russell says
Would love to know! I’m a teacher and trying to make some meals ahead of time for the first few weeks of school!!
Melissa Guevara says
Hi Mollie! Yes, this and all of our no boil pasta bakes freeze well. Hope that helps in preparation for back to school time! Thank you for all you do as a teacher. -Team F&F
Melissa Guevara says
Hi Chelsea! I’m so sorry we didn’t get back to you sooner. This absolutely freezes well. Hope you are resting and recovering well! -Team F&F
Alee says
Just made this tonight, it was great and super easy. Only thing was I had to add an extra cup of chicken stock to have my pasta be completely submerged. It was not too liquidy. Sprinkling some chili flakes on right before serving was super yummy too! I will definitely make this again. It seems like it would be pretty easy to customize as well, if you wanted to add meat or other veggies or something. Would be fun to play around with this recipe but its delish as-is!!
Brandi Schilhab says
So good to know, Alee! Thanks for sharing this with us + we’re so glad you enjoyed it!
Nikki Bott says
I made this recipe using herb goat cheese and brown rice pasta from tjoes and came out GREAT!
Brandi Schilhab says
Awesome! So glad to hear that, Nikki! Thank you for letting us know!
Allison McGee says
Yay! I was wondering about the brown rice pasta from TJ in this dish. Glad to know it holds up!
Kristina says
I used TJ brown rice pasta and it completely disintegrated. Still tastes yummy but certainly no pasta shape left.
Libby says
I used Jovial bow tie pasta and had to use 4 cups of broth to ensure my noodles were covered, but the end result was delicious, and couldn’t have been easier! On the table in less than an hour! Thanks for another great, easy recipe. Looking forward to the new book!
Brandi Schilhab says
Wahoo!! That’s so great to hear, Libby!
Holly says
This is so easy and SO delish!
Brandi Schilhab says
So glad that you enjoyed this one, Holly!!! Thank you for sharing this with us!
Josie Chamness says
My mom and I made this bake for Mother’s Day and it was SO good. We used Jovial gluten free pasta and it held up beautifully for those of you wondering! We’re thinking of adding roasted chicken, pancetta, or maybe browned Italian sausage at the end next time – this would be fabulous with some meat mixed in but is also great as is. Thank you for this SUPER easy recipe! 🙂
Brandi Schilhab says
We are so glad you enjoyed this one, Josie! Thank you so much for sharing this with us!!
Liz says
Made this tonight and it was INCREDIBLE. Rest assured, readers: the 3 cups of broth – even though the pasta (bowtie for me) wasn’t completely submerged – was sufficient; the pasta cooked perfectly.
I added some tomato-basil chicken sausage at the end with the garlic and basil and it was the perfect addition. I can’t wait to make this again!
Brandi Schilhab says
So glad you loved this one, Liz!!! What a great idea to add that sausage – I bet it was delicious!
Jill says
Could you add some spinach into this to get in some greens and keep it as a one-pot meal?
Brandi Schilhab says
I would think so, Jill! We haven’t tried it, but I don’t see why not!
Janene says
Sooo delicious – added tuna! This will definitely be a regular on our weekly menu. Thank you!
Brandi Schilhab says
Ooh, great addition, Janene! We’re so glad you enjoyed it!!
Coach Laura says
I made this recipe and it came out good. I’ve made the original baked feta where you mix in the cooked pasta after the feta is baked. But recently I’ve been making all my pasta one-pot pasta. My mom is Italian and I’m not sure if my Italian grandmothers would approve but I’m tired of boiling pasta and have been experimenting. So this Fed&Fit recipe sounded really good to me. I made it as written but used less liquid and still had to remove some at the end of cooking when the noodles were done. I added garlic at the beginning, red pepper flakes and Italian seasoning. Also I added spinach at the end to up the nutrients. Sometimes I add chick peas of cannellini.
But one of the reasons I love the original roast feta recipe is that I love any roasted veggies especially cherry tomatoes roasted in olive oil and garlic. So I think next time I may roast some tomatoes separately so that they get golden and less mushy. I’ll still cook some with the noodles.
Other than that, I love the ease of not having to boil pasta noodles. Thanks for the recipe.
Brandi Schilhab says
Such great feedback, Laura! Thank you for sharing this with us!
Coach Laura says
Replying to my reply.
My kids are grown, so I made a half recipe of this for the second batch. Used an 8×8 pan and 1/2 the recommended broth. I put Italian seasoning and red pepper flakes in before the broth. The broth nicely covered the noodles in the smaller pan.
I have celiac, so appreciate Cassie’s GF tips. I’ve been using Jovial Brown Rice GF pasta for a few years and love it but my son loves the Barilla best so sometimes I use that.
I roasted the cherry tomatoes in a separate pan with garlic cloves and oil, combined everything at the end with fresh baby spinach mixed in and 1/2 can of chick peas.
Even though I’m GF, I still love my pasta. Thanks again for the one pot recipe.
Brandi Schilhab says
Thank you so much for following up on this, Laura! We appreciate your tips and tricks!!
Patty says
Loved how quick and easy this dish was to put together! The only this is, I used the gluten free pasta brand banza and the pasta didn’t hold up well. Sort of fell apart and became more mushy. Still tasted good. Not sure if it was the pasta brand. Maybe because it’s gluten free?
Brandi Schilhab says
We used gluten-free pasta too, Patty, but my guess is that because it is chickpea pasta (not just regular gluten-free pasta), it had a harder time staying together. I’ve used that pasta a lot actually (not for this exact recipe), and find that the noodles do tend to fall apart easier than other pastas!
Coach Laura says
I like the Banza pasta in things like spicy marina with meat balls and veggie chili mac n cheese (no meat, only beans and pasta). It holds up well in those dishes, and I was even able to freeze the chili mac. Otherwise, I find that the Banza pasta doesn’t reheat well and doesn’t do well in one pot dishes.
Becky says
Made this and loved it! Wondering if sundries tomatoes would add an additional nice flavor??
Brandi Schilhab says
Ooh, we haven’t tried it, but I bet that would be delicious, Becky!
Lisa says
Wow! Didnt look much when came out of oven but the taste, yum!!!
Used sundried toms as no fresh. Very good.
Brandi Schilhab says
So glad you enjoyed it, Lisa!
Elisabeth says
Soooo good yet so easy! I would probably use low sodium chicken broth next time. Definitely will add this recipe to my regular rotation!
Brandi Schilhab says
Wahoo! So glad you enjoyed it, Elisabeth!
Michelle says
Do you think I could sub cream cheese? My husband doesn’t like feta.
Brandi Schilhab says
Totally! I think that would be delicious!
Jackie Owe says
Wondering if you can add raw chicken and bake to make a one pot meal. I don’t have a rotisserie, but would love to add the protein!
Jessica says
I made with Barilla gluten free pasta and it came out sooooo good! I’ll definitely make it again.
Melissa Guevara says
We love Barilla GF pasta! So glad that you enjoyed, Jessica! Thank you so much for taking the time to share with us. -Team FF
Mandy says
A year later and it’s still a favorite! I love the recipe as-is, but I usually use a big head of broccoli chopped into florets in place of the tomatoes. (My kids don’t like cooked tomatoes). It’s such an easy, comforting meal that the kids can easily make too!
Rita says
Can I use whole wheat pasta?
Melissa Guevara says
We wouldn’t see why not, Rita! -Team FF
Karen says
What can I substitute the garlic with (allergy to garlic and onion)
Melissa Guevara says
Hi Karen! My son has a sensitivity to garlic, and we just omit the garlic when we make this dish. The feta and fresh herbs give great flavor on their own, so I don’t find myself missing it. -Team FF
Raene says
Making now. We have a milk cow, so I was able to use our homemade feta, use whole plum tomatoes as I had them canned, happened to have chicken broth on the cookstove. I added some picked oyster mushrooms a neighbor grew, some leftover roasted chicken and some homemade, homegrown onion powder! Yummy. And eyeballed all ingredients. Fingers crossed 🙂
Brandi Schilhab says
Wow, Raene! That’s amazing!! Thanks so much for sharing this with us!
Katy says
I made this dish tonight for no meat Fridays. It was very easy to put together. I used. A bit more feta than the recipe called for because i bought it at Costco and the bricks are bigger than 8oz. There was so much liquid left over after the 40 minutes almost like none of it evaporated or absorbed, but i did use regular pasta and not gf. I had to put it in for an additional 20 minutes.
Brandi Schilhab says
Thank you for the feedback, Katy!