Baked Feta Pasta Recipe

It’s no surprise that the viral Baked Feta Pasta dish, first created by food blogger Jenni Häyrinen, is still going strong. Her recipe relied on simplicity, yet delivered a creamy sauce that clings beautifully to pasta. The secret? A block of sheep-milk feta cheese and a couple of pints of cherry tomatoes. The dish quickly gained popularity thanks to its ease and vibrant, satisfying flavors.

Just a handful of ingredients deliver big, savory flavor for this weeknight-friendly dish. Roasting cherry tomatoes brings out and concentrates their sweetness, and as they burst, their juices combine with garlic, shallots, and oregano for a rounded, balanced sauce. This recipe gets an upgrade from harissa sauce — a North African chile paste made with roasted red peppers, garlic, and spices — as well as a spicy kick and bold flavor from crushed red pepper.

The beauty of the dish is that the sauce practically makes itself in the oven, transforming feta and tomatoes into a creamy condiment to be stirred into pasta. Any noodle works, but short shapes designed to grab onto sauce are the best bet. Fusilli, penne rigate, and Fusillotti all make excellent choices.

Variations for this dish

Stir in warmed white beans or chickpeas in place of pasta, or add greens like spinach or kale. Baby spinach can be mixed in just before you pull the dish from the oven, while heartier greens like kale should be sautéed first to soften their fibrous leaves. You can also add diced zucchini along with the tomatoes for a more complex, chunkier vegetable sauce. For a fun twist, skip the pasta and serve the baked feta and tomato mixture as a warm dip with slices of buttery garlic bread for dipping.

What are some other ways to use harissa?

Harissa is sold as a concentrated paste, a looser ready-to-use sauce (as is called for in this recipe), or a dry spice blend. Whether purchasing a sauce, paste, or dry spice blend, harissa is far from a one-trick ingredient. Paste packs the most heat, while sauce is ideal for marinades and quick dishes, and the spice mix works well as a rub or seasoning. The sauce and paste keep well in the refrigerator, and the spice can be stored in the pantry. Use harissa to boost flavor in soups and stews, or as a marinade for fish, chicken, lamb, and more. For a quick, flavorful option, toss with carrot or cauliflower florets along with olive oil, salt, and pepper, then roast until tender.

Notes from the Food & Wine Test Kitchen

• Use harissa sauce, not paste — the paste is too intensely flavored and spicy and will overpower the other ingredients in this dish.
• Greek and French feta made from sheep milk will give you the creamiest results. Avoid using cow-milk feta as it tends to be drier and won’t blend into a sauce as well.

Suggested pairing

A lemony Greek white such as Lyrarakis Voila Assyrtiko.

This recipe was developed by Jasmine Smith; the text was written by Cheryl Slocum.