SOCIAL MEDIA SENSATION
TikTok’s viral baked feta pasta is worth the hype
My initial sentiment toward viral food moments tends to fall between immense skepticism (the tortilla “hack”) and downright disdain (mermaid toast). The latest trend to hit the social media airwaves, baked feta pasta, is an outlier in that I was a believer from the jump. It’s a low-effort recipe for pasta with tomatoes and cheese — what’s not to love?
Though Tiiu Piret posted a version of the dish on her blog in February 2018, fellow Finnish blogger Jenni Häyrinen is credited with making uunifetapasta (Finnish for “oven-baked feta pasta”) go viral in her country after posting her simplified version a year later. “The stores actually ran out of feta cheese here,” Hayrinen told “Today.”
The baked feta pasta phenomenon came stateside once MacKenzie Smith, the blogger behind Grilled Cheese Social, posted a video to her TikTok of yet another rendition at the end of January. Smith’s single video has now gained nearly 3 million views as of the writing of this article, with the #bakedfetapasta hashtag collectively amassing 52 million views and counting on TikTok.
The premise is simple: Toss a block of feta, tomatoes and a bunch of olive oil together in a pan and throw it in the oven until softened, before mixing it all together with pasta and fresh basil.
Some critics of the recipe can’t get over the perceived grittiness and brokenness of the sauce. However, that’s solved by using the right cheese — Greek feta cheese, which is made from at least 70% sheep’s milk, has a creamier texture than feta-style cheese made from cow’s milk — and mixing in some of the pasta water at the end to help bind it all together.
TL;DR — the baked feta pasta is good.
BAKED FETA PASTA
Active time: 10 minutes | Total time: 45 minutes | 4 servings
Storage Notes: Leftovers can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.
For a creamier texture, be sure to use Greek feta (which is made from at least 70% sheep’s milk) in lieu of feta-style cheese made from cow’s milk.
2 pints (17½ ounces) cherry or grape tomatoes 4 cloves garlic, halved lengthwise ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided Kosher salt 1 block (7 ounces) Greek feta cheese ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes Freshly ground black pepper 12 ounces medium-length dried pasta, such as campanelle, rigatoni or rotini Fresh basil leaves, for serving Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees.
In a 9-by-13-inch baking dish, combine the tomatoes, garlic and ¼ cup of the olive oil. Sprinkle with some salt and toss to coat. Place the feta cheese in the center of the tomatoes and garlic, top with the remaining olive oil, and sprinkle the entire dish with red pepper flakes and a little black pepper. Bake for about 40 minutes, until the garlic has softened and the tomatoes have burst their skins.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to package directions until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water and then drain the pasta.
Mash the feta and tomatoes with a fork and mix until evenly combined. Mix the sauce with pasta, adding the reserved pasta water as needed if it looks a little dry. Taste, and season with additional salt and pepper, if desired. To serve, divide among bowls and top with plenty of basil leaves.
Nutrition | calories per serving: 718; total fat: 40 g; saturated fat: 12 g; cholesterol: 44 mg; sodium: 596 mg; total carbohydrates: 66 g; dietary fiber: 5 g; sugar: 8 g; protein: 19 g