Baked Feta Pasta

Reminiscent of your favorite spinach artichoke dip

Prep: 5 mins

Cook: 35 mins

Total: 40 mins

Servings: 4 servings

Yield: 1 casserole

Baked feta pasta is delicious, and easy, it’s no wonder it exploded all over TikTok and Instagram. With only a few ingredients and one casserole dish (plus a pot for boiling pasta), you’ve got a complete and tasty dinner in no time. 

We switched up the cherry tomatoes for spinach, artichokes, and roasted red peppers. They all cook together along with feta cheese and some cream to form a deliciously creamy sauce. It’s all tossed with hot, cooked pasta to create a beautiful meal with hardly any prep. You can even crush the garlic cloves instead of mincing and you won’t even need a cutting board.

The original baked feta pasta was made with cherry tomatoes, feta, basil, and garlic. It was shared in 2019 by one of our own contributors MacKenzie Smith who originally heard about the recipe from Finnish blogger, Liemessa. MacKenzie’s version went viral on TikTok because it’s beautiful, tasty, and so so easy to make. We loved creating this version and you can easily add things to make it your own!

Ingredients

• 12 ounces pasta (such as gemelli, farfalle, or macaroni)

• 8 ounces feta cheese

• 1 (12-ounce) jar marinated artichokes, chopped

• 1/4 cup roasted red peppers, chopped

• 4 cloves garlic, minced

• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

• 1/4 cup olive oil

• 1 1/2 cups frozen spinach, thawed, drained

• 1/2 cup heavy cream

• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Steps to Make It

1. Gather your ingredients.

   

2. Preheat the oven to 400 F. Place the block of feta cheese in the center of a 9-x 13-inch casserole dish.

   

3. Place the artichoke hearts, including the liquid they're packed in, around the feta.

   

4. Spoon the roasted red peppers, minced garlic, red pepper flakes, oregano, salt, and pepper all over the feta and artichokes. Drizzle all over with the olive oil.

   

5. Place in the oven and bake uncovered for 30 minutes or until the feta is softened.

   

6. While the feta is baking, boil a large pot of salted water. Cook the pasta to al dente and reserve 1 cup of the pasta water (this will be used to help create the sauce, if needed).

   

7. Stir in the spinach and cream to the casserole dish, then return it to the oven for another 10 minutes.

   

8. Stir the feta, spinach, and cream together to form a sauce. Add 1/4 cup of the pasta water at a time, if it is too dry.

   

9. Add in the pasta, then toss until combined and the pasta is completely coated in the sauce.

   

10. Serve immediately, sprinkled with the chopped parsley and parmesan cheese.

    

Recipe Variations

There’s a few variations you can do to make this dish a complete meal. 

• Add in sliced Italian sausage to the feta cheese before baking. 
• If you’re vegetarian but looking to add some protein you can add a can of drained and rinsed chickpeas to the feta for the last 8 to 10 minutes of cooking. 
• Add in some grilled chicken after the feta and artichokes have cooked, then toss along with the pasta. 
• Add in chopped fresh basil along with chopped parsley. 
• Replace the feta cheese with goat cheese. 
• Change up the pasta shape. Any shape will work well in this dish, including long strands like spaghetti. 
• Add some toasted bread crumbs to the dish once it’s done cooking for a little crunch.

Fun Fact

This recipe was originally created by a Finnish blogger name Liemessa and recreated in English by MacKenzie Smith of Grilled Cheese Social. Her version went viral on the TIkTok App. There's tons of versions out there. They all center around pasta, tomatoes, and feta in a casserole dish for a super easy and delicious meal.

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories	859
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 49g	62%
Saturated Fat 19g	96%
Cholesterol 89mg	30%
Sodium 1722mg	75%
Total Carbohydrate 82g	30%
Dietary Fiber 10g	36%
Total Sugars 7g
Protein 27g
Vitamin C 23mg	115%
Calcium 506mg	39%
Iron 5mg	30%
Potassium 729mg	16%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.