Chef John's New and Improved Baked Feta Pasta Recipe

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In this video, Chef John is back with his new and improved Baked Feta Pasta—a creamy, cheesy spin on the viral classic! This upgraded version features tangy feta, juicy tomatoes, garlic, a splash of olive oil, and perfectly cooked pasta for a deliciously breezy dinner.

Transcript

00:00Hello, this is Chef John from FoodWishes.com with new and improved baked feta pasta.

00:09That's right, there is no mystery why this easy, delicious recipe went viral.

00:13And while I thought it was great, I also thought there was a couple ways to improve it.

00:18And by the way, you'll probably never guess where this recipe was invented, and I'll share that later.

00:23But for now, I'll give you one clue. I will tell you before we finish.

00:28So with that, let's go ahead and get started by drizzling a whole bunch of olive oil into our baking pan,

00:33which could also be a glass baking dish.

00:36And then to the oil, I'm going to add a whole bunch of finely minced garlic.

00:39And then we'll take a spoon and give that a mix.

00:42And this step here is one of the new improvements, since most people toss it in once the feta is cooked.

00:48But I think the results are much better if that's infused into the oil while this bakes.

00:52And once that's set, we'll add two pints of cherry tomatoes, just like in the original recipe.

00:59And I went with half Cherokee purples and half red grape tomatoes.

01:03But any color, any style will work, as long as they're nice and sweet.

01:07And that's it. We'll give that a quick toss with our spatula, until they're nicely coated in that garlicky oil.

01:14At which point we'll season this very simply with some kosher salt, as well as some freshly ground black pepper.

01:20And we do not need a lot of salt here, since feta is a fairly salty cheese.

01:25But I generally find we need at least one big extra pinch.

01:29And speaking of feta, once we've given that a quick stir, we'll make a space in the center.

01:34And we'll transfer in a couple pieces of the milkiest, creamiest feta we can find.

01:39Okay, I love the dense, firm, salty version for some things.

01:42But for this, something creamier and mild is best.

01:44And instead of using 8 ounces, I'm actually going to use 10.

01:49And I find that a couple extra ounces makes a big difference in the final sauce.

01:53So I think that's another improvement, as is this next secret ingredient,

01:57which would be to drizzle our cheese with some balsamic vinegar,

02:01which is going to add another very interesting sweet and sour element,

02:04which I think really elevates the flavor of the tomatoes.

02:07And then I'm going to finish up with a nice pinch of dry oregano,

02:11as well as some red chili flakes for a little heat.

02:14And of course, those things are optional, and you get to add whatever you want.

02:18I mean, you are, after all, the great agarbo of your feta's cargo.

02:23But unlike her, I do not think this cheese wants to be left alone.

02:27But anyway, whether you add that or not,

02:29we'll finish up with a nice big drizzle of olive oil over the top.

02:33And that's it.

02:34Our feta and friends are now ready to transfer into the center of a 450-degree oven

02:39for about 30 to 35 minutes,

02:42or until our tomatoes are roasted very soft and our cheese is browned.

02:46And it looks like this.

02:48Oh yeah, that is gorgeous.

02:51And it's ready to stir into a sauce and then toss with our pasta,

02:54which we need to cook when this is about 7 or 8 minutes away from being done.

02:58And my favorite shape for this is something called cavatappi,

03:02which is basically a cavatelli that's hollow.

03:05But literally any shape pasta will work.

03:08And we will cook that in salted water according to the directions.

03:12But very important, when it's almost done,

03:15let's ladle out about a half a cup of the pasta water,

03:18since we will use that to adjust the texture of our sauce later.

03:21And again, we want to make sure we time the cooking of the pasta

03:24for right before our big feta comes out of the oven.

03:28That way our pasta will be freshly drained and nice and hot when we stir it in.

03:33And while our pasta is draining for a minute,

03:35we will grab a fork and we will smash and stir this into a sauce.

03:39And normally I really dislike tomato skins in my tomato sauce,

03:43but I'm happy to report for whatever reason,

03:45they're almost imperceivable in this.

03:47And even though visually you can still see a few here and there,

03:50texturally speaking, they pretty much disappear.

03:54And then what we'll do once our sauce looks like this

03:56is toss in a whole bunch of freshly sliced basil,

03:59as well as two or three tablespoons of our reserved pasta water,

04:03followed by our still very, very hot macaroni.

04:07And then we'll take a spatula or a spoon,

04:09or in my case a spoonula,

04:11and we'll mix everything together

04:13until those pieces of pasta are evenly coated

04:15and looking beautiful.

04:17And depending on the texture,

04:19you may want to add another splash or two of the pasta water,

04:22which I definitely did here.

04:24And by adjusting with that,

04:26we're going to keep everything nice and saucy.

04:28Okay, so be sure to stir some of that in as you see fit.

04:32And keep in mind,

04:33after we're done stirring this,

04:35as we go to serve it up,

04:36it's going to continue to absorb the moisture.

04:38So it's actually totally fine,

04:40if at this point it seems a little bit saucy.

04:42But anyway, mine was feeling and looking perfect.

04:46And once it is,

04:46we'll grab a fork and give this a taste,

04:49and add a little more salt if we need.

04:51But mine was tasting exactly how I wanted.

04:54And by that I mean it was incredibly delicious,

04:57with a perfect balance between the sweet and the tangy,

05:00as well as that beautifully briny saltiness

05:02that the feta adds.

05:04So I could not have been happier with how that came out.

05:07And I went ahead and cleaned off the pan

05:09and sprinkled over a little more basil,

05:11since I had to take some contractually obligated pictures,

05:14after which I served up a nice big portion in a bowl.

05:17And that, my friends,

05:18is every bit as tasty and easy as the original version.

05:21Except what I consider those slight improvements

05:23that I pointed out,

05:25where I cooking the garlic in the oil under the tomatoes,

05:28and using more cheese,

05:30and topping it with that drizzle of balsamic vinegar,

05:32and then cooking it for a shorter time,

05:35in a hotter oven than most recipes call for.

05:38Oh, and before we finish,

05:40I should finish by telling you,

05:41the person that invented this was finished.

05:44Or so I've been told, by the finish.

05:46And that's it, now I can finish,

05:48by saying I really do hope you give this a try soon.

05:52So please follow the links below for the ingredient amounts,

05:55a printable written recipe,

05:57and much more info as usual.

05:58And as always, enjoy.

06:03Oh, boy.

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