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This pasta goes from prep to plate with just a handful of ingredients. It’s full of roasted cherry tomatoes, feta cheese, and seasonings tossed with tender penne pasta for the perfect flavor in every bite!
Holly’s Recipe Highlights
- Flavor: This fresh pasta bake is creamy, tangy, and full of flavor.
- Skill Level: This recipe is so easy! Build it and bake it in one pan for a quick cleanup.
- Budget Tip: Use up leftover veggies from the fridge, freezer, or garden to bulk up this vegetarian dish.
Basic Ingredients for Baked Feta Pasta
- Feta: Salty and tangy feta goes perfectly with sweet cherry tomatoes. Just place the whole block in the center of the baking dish, no crumbling required.
- Tomatoes: Cherry or grape tomatoes are preferred for their sweetness and juicy bursts of flavor.
- Seasonings: Buy it or DIY it. Make your own Italian seasoning with pantry basics and have extra for a homemade dressing or a rub for chicken.
- Pasta: Rotini, penne, bucatini, or shells are perfect for this recipe. They grab the sauce well for the perfect balance of flavors in every bite!
Easy & Delicious Variations
- Add chopped spinach, black olives, sliced zucchini, or mushrooms for more color, texture, and flavor.
- In a pinch, you can dice up Roma tomatoes or garden tomatoes of any variety in place of grape or cherry tomatoes.
- Add some protein with a bag of mini meatballs, ground Italian sausage, or any leftover meat from the fridge.
Serving & Saving
Store leftover baked feta pasta in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. This recipe doesn’t thaw well, so freezing isn’t recommended.
Enjoy leftovers cold as a pasta salad, or reheat it in the microwave or on the stovetop with a little water or broth to loosen the sauce.
Best Baked Pasta Recipes
Did your family love this Baked Feta Pasta? Leave a rating and comment below!
Baked Feta Pasta
Equipment
Ingredients
- 8 ounces feta cheese 1 block
- 1 pound cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes, about 3 cups
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 8 ounces penne or other medium pasta, plus 1 cup of reserved pasta water
- salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
- ¼ cup fresh basil chopped
- fresh parsley chopped, or basil, for serving
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- In a 9 x 13 casserole dish, toss tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, Italian seasoning, and chili flakes. Nestle the block of feta in the tomatoes.
- Bake 35 minutes or until feta is soft and the tomatoes are soft and splitting. Broil 2-3 minutes.
- Meanwhile, while the tomatoes are baking, cook pasta al dente in salted water. Drain, but be sure to reserve at least 1 cup of water.
- Stir the tomatoes and feta in the baking dish.
- Mix in pasta, adding enough pasta water to make a creamy sauce.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste, then stir in fresh basil, garnish with optional parsley or basil, and serve.
Notes
- Pair baked feta pasta with a green salad and garlic toast to enjoy the creamy sauce.
- Store leftovers in a covered container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Enjoy cold as a pasta salad or reheat on the stove or in the microwave with a splash of water.
- Freezing isn’t recommended.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Casserole, Dinner, Main Course, Pasta
Cuisine American, Mediterranean© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
Original baked feta pasta recipe here.
I only have the crumbled feta from Costco. Will it turn out if I use that?
I have never tried but it should work. I would recommend you check earlier for doneness as it won’t take as long to melt, and it might result in a different texture. The crumbles will melt but might be a bit more grainy or less smooth. I hope that helps!
Simply delicious! Thank you, Holly!
You are so welcome, Jacqueline!
This recipe is spot on as are most of yours are . Second time I made it I added some pan fried chicken and was very good as well. Keep these kitchen rock star recipes coming!
Thank you so much for the kind words Steve, I am so glad you are enjoying the recipes!
Made this last week .. Absolutely ” Delicious ” Wanting to make this again with sliced italian sausage .. should I pre cook the sausage first and add when mixing or will it cook when added along with the cheese and tomatoes ??
I would precook the sausage and then add after the cheese and tomatoes have been baked and stir it in at the end. I am glad you loved this recipe Randy!
I love this! I’ve made it a few times now, and the last time I did, I breaded some chicken breasts and put them in the pan to bake with the tomatoes and feta. Almost like a chicken parm but better!
Yum, great idea Sophia! That would be delicious.
Would this refrigerate well? My husband’s schedule is such that he’s never home for dinner, so we each just meal prep our own stuff for the week.
Hi Joanna, it should refrigerate very well! Hope you enjoyed it.
Every bit as easy as it was delicious. I pulled the water out of the pasta intending to use it but the tomatoes were so juicy and I didn’t need it. I did add a onion because I think everything should have onion.
When I pulled it out of the oven I was afraid it didn’t work but when I started stirring it came together easily.
Couldn’t get enough of this!! It will be a staple in our family for sure. Thank you!
We can’t get enough of this recipe either, Abby! So delicious!
Sweet, Creamy, and Delicious! Simple ingredients and it was really quick and easy to make!
So glad you enjoyed it Sophia!
Amazing!!
Thanks Gwen!
Loved this as it was so tasty and so easy. I held back on amount of basil( a mistake) and added baby spinach and kalamata olives. The only think I might change is not to add salt to the dish. Can’t wait to make this again and again. Looked beautiful too. Restaurant worthy.
This recipe was so delicious! Even my 9 month old couldn’t get enough! SWP Employee
My family doesn’t like penne pasta, what other pasta can I use
Thanks
Go ahead and use the pasta of your choice Tammy. We love a medium shape like penne, rotini, or farfalle.
This dish was so easy to make and absolutely delicious! My husband asked to add it to our regular rotation because it was that good!! Highly recommend SWP Employee
I saw this recipe awhile back don’t remember where – I have made this many times and is delicious.
I have added fresh mushrooms to the tomatoes when almost done and then spinach when done the heat of the tomatoes wilts the spinach. I also have done it asparagus in with the tomatoes and when almost done added Kalamata olives and oregano.. Making it with zucchini and yellow summer squash is also a hit. I have used penne, spiral, bow ties. works with any favorite pasta. Quick and easy meal night in my books. Thanks
You’re welcome Sharon! So glad you enjoy this pasta dish so much!