Baked Feta Pasta Tomatoes (Printable)

Creamy baked feta combined with sun-dried and cherry tomatoes enhances pasta with fresh herbs and olive oil.

# What You’ll Use:

→ Dairy

01 - 7 oz feta cheese block

→ Vegetables

02 - 1.1 lb cherry tomatoes, whole
03 - 3.5 oz sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and chopped
04 - 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
05 - 1 small red onion, thinly sliced (optional)

→ Pasta

06 - 12 oz short pasta (penne, fusilli, or rigatoni)

→ Herbs & Seasoning

07 - 4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
08 - 1 tsp dried oregano
09 - 1 tsp dried basil
10 - ½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
11 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
12 - ½ cup fresh basil leaves, torn

→ Garnish (optional)

13 - Grated Parmesan cheese
14 - Lemon zest

# How-To:

01 - Preheat the oven to 400°F.
02 - In a large baking dish, combine cherry tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, and red onion if using. Drizzle with 3 tablespoons of olive oil and season with oregano, basil, crushed red pepper flakes, salt, and black pepper. Toss gently to mix.
03 - Place the feta block in the center of the baking dish and drizzle with the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
04 - Bake uncovered for 30 to 35 minutes until tomatoes burst and feta becomes soft and golden.
05 - While baking, cook pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water according to package instructions. Reserve ½ cup of the pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta.
06 - Remove the baking dish from the oven and mash feta and tomatoes together with a fork or spoon until creamy.
07 - Add the drained pasta and reserved pasta water to the baking dish and toss to evenly coat the pasta with the sauce.
08 - Stir in torn fresh basil leaves and adjust seasoning as needed.
09 - Serve immediately, garnishing with grated Parmesan and lemon zest if desired.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It looks like restaurant food but comes together faster than ordering delivery.
  • The creamy tomato sauce requires no cream at all, just the magic of baked feta doing its thing.
  • One dish means one cleanup, and that alone makes it worth making on a Tuesday night.
02 -
  • Don't skip reserving the pasta water—it's what transforms this from a dry pasta situation into something creamy and cohesive.
  • If your feta isn't getting soft enough, you can break it into chunks before mashing; uneven pieces add texture to the sauce.
  • Taste as you go with seasoning; sun-dried tomatoes and good feta are both salty, so you might need less than you think.
03 -
  • Room-temperature feta mashes more easily than cold feta, so take it out of the fridge while your oven preheats.
  • If you end up with extra sun-dried tomato oil, save it and drizzle it on bread or use it in vinaigrettes—it's too good to waste.
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