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This is the feta and tomato pasta that’s the sensation of TikTok since it lends itself to many additions.
Feta And Tomato
If you thought that feta and tomato was just for salads, you’re going to have a change of heart.
The part I found intriguing about this recipe was that it used feta–baked no less. The way I heard about this was from a cooking group I belong to on Facebook. Apparently this was something that was viral on TikTok. Lots of people made this and made it with many substitutions. Since most of the people raved about this, I decided I was going to try it as well.
Feta And Variables
The original rendition of this casserole uses feta cheese. Frankly, I was surprised by that due to the amount used and it’s baked no less. Feta isn’t a cheese I would think of baking because of it’s texture. Softer cheeses are generally baked so I found this a bit weird to say the least.
However, my group of foodies said that it changes character somewhat when it’s baked and becomes less crumbly. Others suggested substitutions that worked equally as well. Two of the top recommendations were goat cheese and cream cheese. It was pointed out that that the Spanish make a tapas dish similar (just the tomatoes, herbs and goat cheese) to this. I’d like to try that too.
Don’t be put off by the amount of oil. It’s necessary for the proper texture. This isn’t really a recipe for the calorie conscious anyway.
Pasta
The pasta can be any shape you have although I understand that initially, the recipe was done with plain old spaghetti.
Whatever shape you use, make sure to reserve about a cup of the pasta water. You probably won’t use all that, but it is a great addition to the sauce; it makes it a bit creamier. However, if the texture and consistency are good for you, you won’t have to use the pasta water at all’ reserve it just in case.
The shrimp wasn’t in the original. That was just the tomatoes, feta and pasta basically. This recipe does, however, lend itself to many additions. I thought shrimp would be great but chicken would work well too.
The Recipe
Feta Tomato Pasta
Ingredients
- 32 oz cherry or grape tomatoes
- 8 oz feta cheese
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup fresh basil chopped
- 2 cloves garlic finely minced
- 8 oz pasta shape of your choice
- 1 lb shrimp cleaned and deveined
- 1 tbs butter
- 1 tsp oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F/200C.
- Place tomatoes in a large baking dish (I used 13x9-inch). Drizzle oil over tomatoes and toss to coat. Place the cheese in the center of the pan. Bake for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, cook pasta per package directions; reserve about 1 cup of the pasta water. Drain and set aside and keep warm.
- Melt butter and the teaspoon of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Pat the shrimp as dry as you can then add to the hot pan. Cook until it turns pink and begins to brown. Set aside and keep warm.
- Raise the oven temp to 450F/230C and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes or until cheese is golden brown on top and tomatoes have burst.
- Remove the pan from the oven and add the basil and garlic. Stir until sauce is well mixed. At this point, you may want to add a small amount of the reserved pasta water--maybe about 2 tablespoons if the sauce seems a bit thick.
- Add the cooked pasta and the shrimp. Toss so the pasta and shrimp is well coated. At this point you may wish to add some more reserved pasta water so the sauce coats everything better
Nutrition
