A Picky Eater’s Attempt at the TikTok Feta Pasta
The viral feta pasta swept across TikTok back at the beginning of this year, with large and small creators sharing their takes on an incredibly simple, yet delicious meal. The dish originally spread in Finland, where it grew so popular grocery stores across the country supposedly ran out of feta. Having always struggled to eat new foods, being especially hesitant to try any cheese besides cheddar, mozzarella, or parmesan, I thought it seemed nice, but it wasn’t for me.
I still watched the videos, though, as they came across my “For You” page. I loved the idea of it: a one-pot, one-step, pasta-based meal. But, I’d never had tomatoes outside of tomato sauce, and I was still scared of feta. After hearing more and more praise for the dish (and for the sake of this article), I decided to give it a try.
I gathered the basic ingredients: cherry or grape tomatoes (I really don’t know the difference!); a block of feta cheese; olive oil; salt and pepper; garlic; Italian seasoning; and pasta of my choice. I splurged and treated myself to a more expensive bag of pasta, hoping it would make up for this dish I most certainly would not like. Overall, it was rather cheap. Most of the ingredients were household items. The block of feta, about $8, was the most expensive component.
I didn’t follow a specific recipe, and I don’t think you need to. You’ll need a whole block of feta, a standard box of pasta, and as many or as little tomatoes as you’d like, within reason. I’d say don’t use any more than what fills the bottom of your pan, so they cook evenly and all the way. For reference, I used about half a carton, and that was a little too much. As for the rest of the ingredients, those are all subject to personal preference, as well. A quick drizzle of olive oil, a pinch of each seasoning, and a few cloves of garlic is plenty, but more is always good.
To start, I preheated my oven to 400 degrees. I poured the tomatoes into my pan, just enough to cover the bottom. Next time, I would use a little less to make room for the feta. I poured olive oil on top with just the tomatoes in the pan, sprinkled on the salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, and mixed it all together. I used a wooden spoon, but many TikTok creators used their hands. This is fine if you’re willing to get your hands dirty. Then, I moved some tomatoes to the side and placed the block of cheese in the center, which I also topped with oil and seasoning. Lastly, I added three full cloves of garlic, peeled.
Then, it went in the oven for 35 minutes. When there were about 15 minutes left on the timer, I started the water for my pasta. This way, the pasta finished cooking around the same time my sauce was done. When the feta and tomatoes were ready to come out of the oven, I pulled them out and set the pan on a cooling rack for a minute or two. I removed the garlic cloves, although they are fine to leave in after being baked in oil, and I mixed everything left in the pan together. Like I said before, I should have used fewer tomatoes, because they didn’t quite “pop,” so I had to crush a bunch of them with my spoon. I’d say either useless or cook for a bit longer.
Once the sauce was combined, I poured in about half of the pasta, mixed it until it was covered, and added the other half. This made it easier to coat each noodle. I then let it cool for a few more minutes and served the dish.
Surprisingly, it was a huge success! I loved it, and my mom, who is way less adventurous than I am, liked it too. It’s easy to understand why this dish became so popular so quickly. There aren’t many ingredients or steps, and the dish is basically contained in one pot, so clean-up is just as easy as cooking.
For anyone on the fence, I definitely recommend you give this recipe a try!
Here are my suggested measurements:
Feta cheese, one block (about 8 oz)
Cherry tomatoes (2 cups)
Pasta of your choice (16 oz)
Salt
Pepper
Italian Seasoning
Olive Oil (½ cup)
Garlic, peeled (3 cloves)
Some tips and ideas:
If you’re worried about it being too rich, either add more pasta or add some pasta water to thin out your sauce (no more than ¼ cup water).
Add other ingredients! I personally think this would taste great with some grilled chicken or steamed broccoli.
Experiment with seasonings like crushed red pepper, onion powder, or anything else you enjoy.
If you can’t find a block of feta (or don’t want to spend the money) you can use crumbly feta. It won't melt as easily, but the flavor and creamy consistency will be about the same. A little bit of pasta water will help loosen it up, too.
Mince your garlic instead of using whole cloves to spread the flavor throughout the dish.