The dish was first created by a Finnish food blogger back in 2019 and was a Scandinavian sensation before it went global. But is this darling of the web worthy of your dining room table? As it turns out, sometimes, it is okay to believe the hype. I love feta cheese pasta tiktok, and I love the simplicity of this recipe.
I have made this recipe for two weeks running in my family home. So an easy-to-make meal that pleases adults and kids alike? And a dish that looks great there on the table or on the Insta feed? Now, let’s just hope the great feta cheese shortage is over in your neck of the woods.
You’ll need a block of feta cheese, some dry pasta, dried oregano, salt, black pepper, cherry tomatoes, basil, extra virgin olive oil, garlic, and a shallot. You can choose from a variety of pasta types, but a shorter noodle is key — don’t go for linguini or angel hair, in other words. Coat the cherry tomatoes with olive oil, salt, dried oregano, black pepper, chopped shallots, and garlic, and then massage them gently with your hands to fully coat the tomatoes and soften them a bit. The tomatoes add lots of flavor and texture to the dish, of course, but they also simply look great. I love how aesthetic looks with the contrast in colors. Make sure the cheese is sitting on the bottom of the pan, not resting on tomatoes, by the way.
Now pour a tablespoon of olive oil over the feta cheese, then shake out a half tablespoon of oregano over the cheese too. Place the dish in the oven and let it cook at 320 degrees for 40 minutes. When the baking time is nearing its end, cook the pasta as per the instructions on the packaging, ideally timing it so they finish at about the same time. Top the cheese and smashed tomatoes with the thinly sliced basil leaves, then pour the pasta onto the oven dish and mix all of the ingredients together. And that’s the whole of it.
You can now transfer the meal into a serving dish or go ahead and plate individual servings and enjoy! If you want to add a bit of kick, some red pepper flakes make a fine addition. Beyond that, you’ll just be gilding the lily on this one. Preheat the oven to 320 degrees Fahrenheit. Wash and dry the cherry tomatoes.