Apparently this is a “thing” and I’m simply late to the party in discovering it. Oh boy do I understand why folks are raving about this dish! It is super easy to prepare and the flavor is outstanding. It’s so good that I forgot to take a photo of the final plating until after I had already taken a few bites. I served it with a simple grilled chicken.

Recipe
Baked Feta and Pasta
Ingredients:
8 oz. dried cavatappi pasta, or whatever pasta you prefer, cooked to package instructions
2 pints cherry tomatoes
8-oz. block feta cheese
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 t sea salt
1/4 t black pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup packed fresh basil, chopped, plus more for serving
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place the cherry tomatoes in an oven safe baking dish. Pour the olive oil on top and season with salt and pepper. Toss until combined.
Place the block of feta in the middle of the baking dish surrounded by the cherry tomatoes and turn over a few times to coat well with the olive oil and seasonings.

Bake in the preheated oven for 35 minutes or until the cherry tomatoes burst and the feta cheese melts. (You may need to poke at the cheese if the cherry tomatoes have burst and it still looks in block form – it will probably be soft and ready to serve.)

Remove from oven and add the garlic and basil leaves and toss everything to combine.

Add the cooked pasta to the baking dish and toss to combine. Sprinkle with more chopped basil and serve warm

Serves 6