You must have seen this recipe for baked feta pasta on social media last week. It was so popular that it caused a shortage of feta in Finland.
Cherry tomatoes, a generous drizzle of olive oil, a sprinkle of flaky sea salt, pepper and a brick of feta all go onto a casserole dish to roast until the skins of the tomatoes split open, the feta turns a delicate shade of gold and all the juices marry.
Then, with a wooden spoon, the feta is broken up, revealing a soft, creamy centre that beautifully combines with the other ingredients.
Minced fresh garlic and basil cut into a chiffonade are added before tossing in the pasta and mixing. The result is a cheesy, salty sauce balanced by the freshness of the herbs and the sweetness of the jammy tomatoes.
The viral pasta recipe was initially created by Finnish food blogger Jenni Häyrinen in 2019, catching the attention of her followers. It’s popularity was the reason behind a brief shortage of feta cheese in Finland.
The recipe was then recreated on TikTok by the account @cookingwithayeh where it has since gone viral, amassing 8.1 million views
The recipe looks easy enough to follow and many people have the ingredients in their kitchens. However, there are a few things you need to consider if you want your sauce to be velvety smooth and rich in flavour.
Tips for making the viral baked feta pasta at home:
Use high-quality feta: Vacuum-sealed feta should be avoided as it tends to be more chalky and crumbly and therefore will not melt together with all the other ingredients as easily. Choose a cheese that is high in fat and soaked in a brine.
Al Dente pasta: Do not overcook your pasta, it will have a mushy texture that will lose itself in the sauce, especially during the process of mixing the two together. Make sure the pasta has a slight bite to it.
Save the pasta water: Saving the starchy pasta water once the pasta has been drained is a very important step in making pasta dishes. Once the pasta and sauce have been combined, add a few spoonfuls of the water to help combine the ingredients together for a sauce that is smooth and of a restaurant-standard.
Add the basil in after the oven: If you want to avoid charred, bitter herbs in your pasta dish, remember to add the fresh herbs at the end.
Add a little spice: A drizzle of honey, red pepper flakes, fresh chillies, thyme, oregano, a squeeze of lemon or simply the zest are all fun ways to make this dish your own and attune the flavours to what best suits your palette.
WATCH how to make the viral pasta recipe that everyone has been talking about:
@cookingwithayeh Baked Feta Pasta is def worth all the hype!! Inspired by the lovely @feelgoodfoodie 💗 ##fyp ##foodtiktok ##bakedfeta ##pasta ##foryou ##foryoupage
♬ Taste It - Ikson