All you need is five simple ingredients for this easy, cheesy recipe for Baked Feta Pasta.
Who would’ve thought a simple block of feta cheese could transform into a pasta recipe that just might break the Internet?
If you’ve been dabbling in The TikTok (what us 87-year-olds call it) lately, you’ve likely come across variations of this now-viral recipe by Finnish blogger Jenni Häyrinen. I couldn’t resist giving it my own spin with the addition of white wine and fresh basil.
The setup on this one is simple, and the resulting flavors could not be more vibrant. Simply toss a few handfuls of cherry tomatoes into a baking dish then drizzle in olive oil and add some freshly cracked black pepper.
Give it all a good mix, spread out the tomatoes and then let the star of the show make its debut: a whole entire block of feta cheese. But we’re not done yet!
A drizzle of white wine really takes this dish to the next level, but if you’re not feeling the boozy addition, simply skip the wine.
After a quick bake in the oven, the cheese is softened and the cherry tomatoes are roasted, and their juices join forces with the wine to make one heck of a flavorful sauce.
Mix it all together, stir in your pasta of choice and get your garnish on with plenty of fresh basil. This is truly a one-dish dinner winner with endless customizations. Keep it meat-free or toss in grilled chicken or garlicky shrimp. Not a basil enthusiast? Opt for fresh thyme or oregano.
UPDATE: Due to popular demand (and for those who are not fans of feta), check out Baked Brie Pasta with cherry tomatoes and fresh thyme.
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Ingredients
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes
- 3 Tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 1 (8-oz.) block feta cheese
- 12 oz. uncooked pasta of choice
- Fresh basil, for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- In a 13x9-inch baking dish, stir together the cherry tomatoes, 2 tablespoons olive oil and ½ teaspoon black pepper.
- Push the tomatoes to the sides of the dish then place the block of feta cheese in the center. Drizzle the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil on top of the feta.
- Drizzle the white wine all around the feta then bake until the cheese has softened and the tomatoes are roasted, about 30 minutes.
- While the feta is baking, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente, 10 t0 12 minutes. Drain the pasta and set it aside.
- Remove the baking dish from the oven and using a large spoon, mash the feta and stir it together with the tomatoes. Drain the pasta then add it to the baking dish, stirring well to combine.
- Garnish the pasta with the basil and serve.
- ★ Did you make this recipe? Don't forget to give it a star rating below!
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Recipe by Kelly Senyei of Just a Taste. Please do not reprint this recipe without my permission. If you'd like to feature this recipe on your site, please rewrite the method of preparation and link to this post as the original source.
This is EXCELLENT!!!
My tweaks: Made a full pound of pasta – used small shells as all the juices collected in the little cups; added some dry spices to the hot mixture = a bit of Oregano and dried Basil, some salt & additional fresh ground pepper.
Served w a big salad & garlic bread — EXCELLENT, EASY & ELEGANT !!!
Thank you, Kelly
You are so welcome, Joan! I’m thrilled you enjoyed the recipe!
So delicious!! Make it so many times And every time we add new stuff like veggies olives and artichokes and it makes it better every time!!
Woohoo! I’m thrilled you’ve been enjoying the recipe, Henry!
I love it, I make it often! I usually add in whatever I have. Tonight is tomatoes, artichoke hearts, kalamata olives, and a few mushrooms. Delicious!
YUM! I’m so glad you’ve been enjoying the recipe, Kathy!
Converted to VEGAN with vegan Feta and left out wine. Very yummy. Only “non vegan” item was olive oil…which I choose to use.
I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe, Kathy!
This is wonderful. Very easy with fabulous results. Thank you for such a simple, great recipe!
You are so welcome, Mary! I’m thrilled you enjoyed it!
It looks really runny when you take it out of the oven, I not only mashed the tomatoes, I used my hand held blender. Then it is a nice consistency. This is really easy and really good.
I’m so thrilled you enjoyed the recipe, Loreen!
I heard so much about this recipe but sadly we didn’t love it. The feta overpowered everything. Needed a different ratio. More tomatoes – less feta. U win some, you lose some!
I’m sorry you didn’t enjoy the recipe, Betsy.
Decided to use goat cheese, I found 4 oz blocks at Target that were with garlic & herbs so I got 2 of those. I prefer the slight extra tang in goat cheese anyway. Had 2 12-oz packages of cherry tomatoes and used all of those, so that was more than the recipe. We used probably 5 tablespoons of oil in total because of the extra tomatoes. Added in sliced fresh garlic per the original TikTok recipe (because garlic!), and added the white wine. Added in some crushed red pepper, cracked black pepper, sprinkle of kosher salt and some Italian mixed seasoning. The goat cheese melted beautifully and we liked it, will make again! We used zitis. I also have cans of tuna in oil we got at Costco and think I’ll try with that. Thanks!
Love your additions, Deb! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Love this recipe! Added minced garlic to it before baking! Yum!
I’m thrilled you enjoyed the recipe!
Fabulous and as easy as promised. I skipped the black pepper and at the end added some chopped kalamata olives for an extra zing. Given how great it is, I would change it from 6 servings to 4. Thank you!!
Woohoo! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe, Mary!
Geez. That was pretty good. But the caveat is that I love feta.
I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe, Lisa!
My 11 year old granddaughter made this for lunch. She used feta crumbles and grape tomatoes. It was awesome!
Amazing! I’m so thrilled to read this, Elizabeth!
I added black olives and shrimp and it was amazing.
Love those additions, Melaney! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Can you use grape tomatoes in place of cherry ?
Sure!
I just made this, adding oregano, basil and garlic along with the tomatoes— it was so yummy! I’d suggest hanging onto a cup of pasta liquid to help emulsify, and adding more tomatoes. Adding the spinach and pesto, maybe peas or artichoke hearts, sounds great, too. Will make this quick, easy meal again!
Love those additions, Christine!
I tried this with Spinach and chicken, and it was a hit
YESSSSS! I’m so thrilled you enjoyed the recipe, Amy!
Was the chicken precooked and added at end or in small pieces baked with tomato’s?
You can stir in cooked chicken at the end!
Soooo delicious! I made it with the splash of wine, fresh pasta and chicken. It was a hit and I’ll be making this again! Thanks for an easy, weeknight side/meal!
Awesome! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe, Lynn!
I liked the original recipe but tried this the second time. I used 3 cups large ripe coarsely chopped tomatoes, drained. Added 4 peeled garlic cloves to tomato sauce recipe. I roasted sauce for 40 minutes at 415 degrees until feta was golden then mashed ingredients together adding 2 heaping tbsp. of jarred pesto sauce. I used bow tie pasta and added 2 big handfuls of baby spinach leaves the last minute of boiling time. It was nutritious and delicious. Thanks for the recipe.
Sounds delicious, Lorraine!
After reading some reviews I decided to add a few extras. I added some Italian seasoning, 2 garlic cloves minced and some crushed chillies. It turned out so flavourful and very easy to make. Thanks for this recipe!
Woohoo! I’m so happy to read that you enjoyed the recipe, Kara!
I’m not a hater, I was really rooting to like this pata but it was sooooo acidic and sour because there was nothing in the ingredients to counter the tardiness of the tomatoes and the feta. It was sour for me
Sorry you didn’t enjoy it!
Really wanted to like this recipe, even added some things suggested on other sites. (Kalamata olives, slivered shallots with the cheese & tomatoes, baby spinach and a few sautéed shrimp added to pan w/ pasta) But only 2 stars from me at this point. As others have said, not nearly enough sauce for that amt. of pasta.
I do think the quality of the tomatoes and the feta could make the difference. Trying, as I did to make it with winter tomatoes, and with a bland Bulgarian sheep’s milk feta, may not have given this recipe a fair shot.
So I will try again, with an additional Cup of tomatoes, half a dozen peeled garlic cloves, better feta and 1/2 the pasta. And maybe wait until for better tomatoes later in the year.
Sweeter tomatoes will definitely improve the taste!
So easy and so delicious! Family favorite now!! Pre-ordered your new cookbook! Can’t wait to get it and see what other gems are in store for our family!!!
Yay! Thanks so much for your support, Donna!
I made this with wine, didn’t have cherry tomatoes so cut into large chunks vine ripened tomatoes and served it with zoodles. Delicious, thanks!
Awesome! I’m so thrilled you enjoyed the recipe, Donna!
I did it without the wine and there wasn’t really a sauce. I used penne pasta instead of the shells. But let me tell you the flavor was sooooo good! So easy, fool-proof recipe with lots of flavor and costs practically nothing to make. Can’t wait to have company over. Will be making this again!
Woohoo! I’m thrilled you enjoyed the recipe!
My son is lactose intolerant so he can not have feta. He can have lactose free cheddar, colby jack or pepper jack – Do you think I could substitute these options?
Hi Jodi! Any of those *should* work, but you’d need to adjust the bake time since they’ll likely melt much more quickly :)
This recipe which I tried over the weekend opened my eyes and taste buds to the amazing flavor of roasted tomatoes and feta cheese (for the first time), this is so easy to make and amazingly tasty, I used the wine version :-) thanks for this, you have a new follower :-)
I’m so thrilled to read this, Paul! Welcome to Just a Taste :)
I’m nursing what could I substitute the wine for
Hi Ashley! You could use any type of broth or just omit it completely :)
How do you think this would be with goat cheese?
I think it would be delicious, Gina! You may just need to adjust the bake time :)
Hi, thank you so much for the recipe. If I don’t have cherry tomatoes, may I use regular tomatoes instead?
Absolutely! Just keep in mind that you may need to adjust the bake time and I’d recommend halving or quartering your tomatoes depending on their size.
think i can use crumbled feta?
Hi Kathie – I personally haven’t tried using crumbled feta, but I know other commenters have had success in doing so. :) Let me know if you give it a shot!
can i use crumbled feta?
Hi Kathie – I haven’t tried that but I know others have had success using crumbled feta! You may just need to adjust the bake time :)
Love love love this recipe. Have just made and eaten it, this will be a regular in our household. Thankyou
You are so welcome, Janis! I’m thrilled you enjoyed the recipe!
Was a little skeptical after all the hype , but was NOT disappointed!! Followed the recipe, and also added a shake or two of Italian seasoning to the top of tomatoes and feta cheese before baking. Used home made spinach spaghetti noodles and ….WOW, and AMAZINGLY delicious pasta. This is dinner party good, and soooo easy to make. Served with a light salad and, baked salmon.
Yes, yes, yes! I’m so thrilled you enjoyed the recipe, Bari!
Absolutely delicious
Now one of our favourites
I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe, Jackie!
Must use Greek Feta made with goats milk. If it’s the real deal it’s salty creamy not sour . As stated I used my own Italian marinara sauce for this dish and after mixing with your favorite macaroni I topped with fresh sliced basil and fresh oregano. Gorgeous!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe, Karen!
Love my feta….hubby hates tomatoes but loves my Italian tomato sauce so used that instead; plus 1/2 cup red wine, then adding a bit more olive oil and cooked smashed garlic, drizzling the bit of oil on my Greek Feta, put in oven to soften the feta and when done tossed in my cooked ziti. Topped with slivers of both fresh basil and fresh oregano. My Yia Yia would have loved this recipe as Greek Feta was our house specialty unless we did Italian-
Used feta crumbles since thats all store had. Pressed into mound. Used grape tomatoes as theyre xtra sweet. Didnt have enough so added 1 can diced tomatoes with Italian spices. Rotini..Delicious.
Family loved it. All gone!! Thats a first.
Woohoo! I’m so thrilled your family enjoyed the recipe, Rita!
Delicious! Could hardly stop eating it. Also so simple to make. Definitely will make again.
YESSSSS! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe, Sarah!
Could I add a whole cauliflower to this dish and skip the pasta?! Or would that require more cooking time & would that be okay? Thank you! Looks great
Hi Carly! I haven’t tried that so I can’t say with certainty what the results would be but you’d likely need to adjust the bake time. Let me know if you give it a shot!
Fantastic! This recipe is awesome, so easy and very tasty . We used Greek seasoned olive oil and it was delicious. Thanks for sharing . My daughter in law made this with shrimp, and they loved it .
I’m so thrilled you enjoyed the recipe, Brenda!
This was a good base recipe (and I’ve been dying to try the viral trend!), but I would definitely make tweaks next time. I felt this came out somewhat sour and needed something to offset it. That could have been thanks to the wine I chose (Sauvignon Blanc) or maybe the cherry tomatoes weren’t sweet enough, but the flavor left something to be desired. Even with the feta, I felt it also needed added salt at the end. That being said, it came together so easy and creamy. My 2 year old loved it!
So glad you enjoyed it, Hannah! The sourness will vary depending on how ripe your tomatoes are, plus the brand of feta and wine that you use.
Has anyone tried this with Gouda?
Gouda would work, but you’d need to adjust the bake time since it’ll melt much more quickly :)
Delicious with the feta and incredibly easy to make.
Just what I want for a super fancy and quick meal.
I will also try some Australian lamb to have on the side.
Thanks for a great creation.
I’m so thrilled you enjoyed the recipe, Tiffany!
How many people will this recipe serve?
Hi Melady – It depends on how hungry your group is, but this is easily enough for 4-6 people.
So easy! Lots of flavour.
Added 3 shallots which was great flavour.
Looking forward to the leftovers.
Awesome! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe, Lori!
I followed the recipe to a T, and it came out very tangy for some reason. I’m not sure what went wrong.
Hi Lacey! The sourness is attributed to the brand of feta and wine that you use. You could try a slightly sweeter wine to offset it, or make sure you’re using very ripe tomatoes. Hope this helps!
I thought that it was a little too sour for my tastes. Both me and my girlfriend ate it, but we were a little disappointed.
You can try using a sweeter wine next time!
Could I use an immersion blender on the sauce sftrr it bakes? My family doesn’t like chunks of tomatoes
Hi Trudi! You’d likely need to add more liquid to use an immersion blender, but that would then work great. Enjoy!
So eager to try this! Does this
reheat well for left overs ?
Yes!
Why are you not crediting the original recipe creators in your post? This isn’t your recipe and even if you adapted it you should give credit.
Just did!
I have rice wine around the house, what do you think???
Hi Shawn! I haven’t tried that so I’m not sure what the flavor would be but rice wine is a very different taste than sauvignon blanc.
I loved this recipe !!!!!
my children enjoyed it and I added a bit of parmesan and basil too and it was heaven !
I’m so thrilled your family enjoyed the recipe, Eman!
Wonder if I could do this with mozzarella? Fiance hates feta
Hi Natalie! The mozzarella will melt much more quickly than the feta, so make sure to adjust the baking time.
I’m curious how the one with mozzarella turned out!
I saw the tik tok of the girls, making this dish, and they added some garlic post roasting, and they were hysterical, and definitely high as kites.
At least they were being productive…the tik tok, even for this mom, was inspiring…because it was wonderfully irreverent and inspiring for these covid times.
Skipped the white wine, and was still super delicious! If I make again I’ll probably add some protein
So glad you enjoyed it, Drea!
love this recipe! I did add garlic with the feta cheese and topped the finished plate with parm cheese! dough- lish-us
So glad you enjoyed the recipe, Donna!
I made my baked feta and tomatoes in a divided baking dish, my half will be topped with zuchinni noodles and my husband’s half with Rigatoni Pasta, so we both get the best of our tastes. I did not use white wine as I don’t have it on hand so sprinkled a little fresh lemon juice on it.
I couldn’t find blocked feta so I bought the crumbled. Hoping for the best!
Looking forward to hearing your results, Ashley!
I have a bug tub of grated feta so I’m going to mound it together and hope it works! I’m also going to add some capers and basil abd serve with cucumber and pita slices as a super bowl chip/dip replacement!
Love those additions, Neil! Enjoy!
If you do use mozzarella cheese how long would you cook for? Half the time
Hi Liza! Start off at around 10 minutes because it’ll melt very quickly.
A+! Another level of flavor and texture. Thanks for sharing!
I’m so thrilled you enjoyed the recipe, Joey!
This was very good but probably better when tomatoes are better. My tomatoes were so tart, I could hardly eat them. The pasta was a creamy delight but had to leave the tomatoes uneaten.
Thanks for your note, Sharon!
I couldn’t find block feta so I’m going to use mozzarella – wish me luck!
Hi there! The mozzarella will melt much more quickly than the feta, so make sure to adjust the baking time.
Will this serve 4 adults?
Hi Betsey – Yes! (Of course that depends on how hungry those adults are.) :)
This was beyond spectacular!!! So easy, so tasty. Will make again and again. And I saw you just posted the Brie version. That’s next on my list!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe, Ann! Can’t wait for you to try the Baked Brie Pasta, too!
This had SO MUCH flavor! I was shocked! It’s ridiculously easy and delicious. Someday when we can have company again we’ll make this for them because it’s foolproof. Thank you!
I’m so thrilled you enjoyed the recipe!
Amazing!!! 1,000/10
Woohoo! I’m so thrilled you enjoyed the recipe, Victoria!
Just made your feta pasta, a new menu staple for our home. Very easy and a very fresh taste.
I’m thrilled you enjoyed the recipe, Melissa!
This was so easy and so flavorful! My husband gave it 10 stars
I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe, Krista!