One-Pan Feta Pasta With Cherry Tomatoes

Recipe from Jenni Hayrinen

Adapted by Melissa Clark

One-Pan Feta Pasta With Cherry Tomatoes
Beatriz Da Costa for The New York Times. Food Styling: Rebecca Jurkevich.
Total Time
1 hour
Rating
4(2,693)
Notes
Read community notes

In 2018, the Finnish blogger Jenni Hayrinen posted a recipe for baked feta pasta. The dish became a full-on TikTok sensation, popular to the point that supermarkets were selling out of feta. This version streamlines her recipe. Instead of cooking the pasta separately, it’s added to the casserole dish with the baked feta and tomatoes, turning it into a cozy one-pan meal. (Also note that you’ll need an electric kettle to boil the water. So maybe it’s more like a one-and-a-half-pan meal.) Don’t think of this as a pasta dish in an Italian, al-dente sense. It’s more like a creamy casserole along the lines of mac and cheese. In any case, it’s comforting and supremely easy. —Melissa Clark

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings
  • 2pints cherry tomatoes
  • 5garlic cloves, peeled and left whole
  • 5thyme sprigs
  • 2rosemary sprigs
  • 1½teaspoons kosher salt
  • ½cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
  • 8ounces feta
  • ½teaspoon black pepper, plus more for serving
  • Pinch of red-pepper flakes
  • 12ounces short pasta, such as farfalle, campanelle, rotini or cavatappi
  • 3cups boiling water
  • 1cup torn basil leaves
  • Flaky sea salt, for serving
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

750 calories; 41 grams fat; 13 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 23 grams monounsaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 76 grams carbohydrates; 6 grams dietary fiber; 9 grams sugars; 21 grams protein; 1251 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat oven to 400 degrees. In a shallow 2-quart casserole or gratin dish, or an 11-by-7-inch baking dish, combine tomatoes, garlic, thyme, rosemary and ¾ teaspoon salt. Toss with ¼ cup of the olive oil to coat. Place the feta in the middle of the dish, and top with the remaining ¼ cup olive oil. Sprinkle the black pepper and red-pepper flakes over everything. Bake for about 40 minutes, until the garlic has softened and the tomatoes have burst their skins.

  2. Step 2

    Add the pasta to the pan in an even layer and sprinkle with remaining ¾ teaspoon salt. Pour the boiling water on top. Using a wooden spoon or spatula, carefully submerge pasta. Cover tightly with foil and bake until pasta is al dente, 17 to 19 minutes. Remove from oven and let the pasta stand, covered, for 5 to 10 minutes to absorb the excess liquid.

  3. Step 3

    Stir in basil until everything is well incorporated, and the tomatoes and cheese create a creamy sauce. When serving, top with more black pepper, oil and flaky sea salt.

Ratings

4 out of 5
2,693 user ratings
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Cooking Notes

Steve

I've tried the TikTok version a couple times. I much preferred it with Boursin, which melts much better than feta and already has some herby flavor, if anyone wants to give that a go.

Till

Respect to MC but too many vowels in my name to add 3 c boiling water to that beautiful sugo so made pasta separately, minus thyme, more rosemary, 1/2 chopped red onion and balanced tomatoes (2 lbs grape tomatoes), sheep feta (10.5 oz) for 1 lb tortiglioni (Cinque Terre from Sardegna, molto buono), 45 min. Easy, delicious, now in rotation.

Barbara McCarthy

I would delete the rosemary and thyme-- let the basil sing solo! I use 3-4 pints of tomatoes. Try to use goats milk or sheep feta, I believe it makes a creamier sauce. Adding a tablespoon or two of heavy cream, at the end makes the sauce decadent.

Glenn

I don't have an electric kettle, but found that my stove-top kettle works fine for boiling the water. ;-)

Annie

I agree with Till to make the pasta separately and stir together after the first 40 minutes in the oven. One more dish and way easier.

Lori

Made this once and really enjoyed it but, second time around, added one 6 oz jar of drained Kalamata olives. Did this just before adding the pasta and did not add the additional salt when adding pasta. Kalamala olives provided enough salt to the dish in my mind and the outcome was stellar. Nice additional flavor for this dish.

Janet

Delete rosemary & thyme. Add 1-2 T heavy cream at end. Try Boursin instead of feta. Make pasta seperately - stays hard if you can't submerge it. Stir cooked pasta in at 40 min. Omit salt if using feta.

Hungry Bear

Cook the pasta then add. Geez.

Deb M

I tried this recipe cooking the pasta separately then added about 1/4 cup reserved pasta cooking water and it gave me the creaminess I was looking for without the extra cream. Since the feta and pasta water are salty, I did not use any addition salt. it was delicious!

Annie

Delicious!! Two of us ate the whole batch, we couldn’t stop ourselves!! I made the pasta on the stovetop while the rest was roasting and mixed it in the sauce before serving. I couldn’t see the point of fiddling around with foil when it’s both faster and easier to get the pasta cooked the way we like it on the stove.

Carmen

Added 200g Spinach and 200g Asparagus to add a bit of green

Darlene

Coincidentally, I made last night, but using original recipe. Love it. Prefer using a cooking pot for the pasta vs. the idea of tightly covering a pan with foil plus the added cooking time. If it isn't broke, don't fix it?

Dee H

I agree with Barbara on the cream. I made this last night and while it was very good, it could have used a little more creaminess. Also, feta has so much sodium so if you are watching salt, I would omit the added salt until the dish is finished and then add to taste. The red pepper flakes are a must! :)

km

Followed the advice of others and cooked the pasta separately. After the tomatoes and feta had baked for 40 minutes stirred in the pasta and served. Yum!

Diane

How much longer did you bake it after adding the cooked pasta at 40 mintues?

ktf

Liked this easy recipe but next time would do with no/very little rosemary - felt it overpowered the dish a bit.

Sean

And use 12oz cheese instead of 8oz

CO

This was delicious! Used dried thyme but fresh rosemary from the garden. For the pasta, I used trofie. Followed all other steps. So flavorful, creamy and filling! The basil at the end is truly the finishing touch!

cookin’ in Tempe, Australia

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. As per original recipe, cook the pasta separately. And use spaghetti. I’ve used soft goat cheese when out of feta but they are the only 2 cheeses that will work with this recipe. A drizzle of honey on the cheese can is nice. Throw the herbs & seasoning you like at it. But stick with the tomatoes and the style of cheese. And cook your pasta as any Nonna fearing Italian would.

Chale

YUM, EASY, ONE POT. No chop, easy clean. Fed my parents, husband and adult son after long day. Added spinach as out of basil and generous amount of Kalamata olives, and was forced to used dried herbs. Still good! I’d cut down olive oil a scosch next time. Excited to try an herbier iteration this summer with all fresh ingredients but this was a fantastic pantry version! Laughed at electric kettle. Yes, traditional stovetop works just fine!

Paul

End product not even close to description. Waaaaay too much liquid. I spooned out over 10 tablespoons and still it was like Soup. Just awful.

Julie Larsen

To increase the creaminess, we add about 4 TBS of goat cheese. We make the original recipe with the pasta separate and no rosemary or thyme.

Jubilee

My dear Italian husband always laughed about his first cooking attempt that ended with a hard, crunchy disaster, not realizing he needed to precook the pasta. After that, he always precooked the pasta, and added sautéed sausage. Sometimes he'd also add spinach or shredded carrots or black olives. Sprinkling of Parmesan on top.

Andrew

Place the feta in the middle of the dish? Does this mean in the block? Why not cut up or crumble?

Kate

IMHO two sprigs of rosemary is way too much. I've not yet cooked this, that's just the opinion of a well-seasoned cook. Rosemary easilyoverpowerrs a dish.

Lk

When I make the tik toc version I just bake at 400 for only 20 minutes and broil for 5 minutes.

christine

When adding the feta to the baking dish should it be coarsely crumbled or do you leave it in a block?

Claudia

Hope it turns out for everyone. Looks like a recipe for over cooked mush.

Arlene

Why can’t you boil the water in a regular teakettle or a saucepan?

Jean

You can. They are just being kettle elitists.

Rosanne

This was really tasty! Followed the recipe as written and it turned out fine…EXCEPT I agree about cooking the pasta separately. Turned out mushy. Next time, I’ll undercook it a bit, then let it soak in that lovely feta, tomato, olive oil, herby sauce on the stove for a few minutes with a little pasta water. Will give the Boursin variation a go, too. Thank you, Melissa!

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