Creamy Feta Pasta with Tomatoes (Printable)

Rich, tangy pasta with roasted cherry tomatoes and melted feta creates an effortless Mediterranean dinner in under an hour.

# What You’ll Need:

→ Pasta

01 - 12 oz short pasta (penne, fusilli, or rigatoni)

→ Vegetables

02 - 1 lb cherry tomatoes
03 - 3 cloves garlic, minced
04 - 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
05 - 1 small red onion, thinly sliced (optional)
06 - Handful fresh basil leaves, torn

→ Dairy

07 - 7 oz block feta cheese

→ Spices & Seasonings

08 - ½ tsp dried oregano
09 - ½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
10 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

# How to Prepare:

01 - Preheat the oven to 400°F.
02 - In a large baking dish, combine cherry tomatoes, garlic, red onion (if using), olive oil, oregano, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Toss thoroughly to coat evenly.
03 - Create a space in the center of the dish and place the block of feta cheese. Drizzle additional olive oil over the feta.
04 - Roast for 30–35 minutes until tomatoes burst and release their juices, and the feta becomes golden and soft.
05 - While the feta mixture roasts, cook pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water until al dente according to package directions. Reserve ½ cup pasta water before draining.
06 - Remove the baking dish from the oven. Using a fork or spoon, mash and mix the softened feta and roasted tomatoes together until a creamy sauce forms.
07 - Add the drained pasta and most of the basil to the baking dish. Toss everything together, adding reserved pasta water as needed to achieve desired sauce consistency. Serve immediately, garnished with additional basil and freshly ground black pepper.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The sauce essentially makes itself while you catch up on emails or pour a glass of wine
  • That moment when you mash the warm feta into burst tomatoes feels like pure magic
  • Leftovers reheat beautifully for lunch the next day if they even last that long
02 -
  • Reserving pasta water is not optional here because that starchy liquid is what brings the sauce together
  • Let the dish cool for just a few minutes before mashing the feta or you might burn your fingers
  • The sauce will thicken as it sits so add more pasta water when reheating leftovers
03 -
  • If your tomatoes are not bursting after 35 minutes give them another 5 to 10 minutes because they really need to collapse into the sauce
  • Room temperature feta melts more evenly than cold straight from the fridge

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