Espie’s Baked Feta Cheese Pasta

By Espie Canlas

Tik Tok is very popular, especially with teens.  Since the onset of the Pandemic everyone has been making or inventing anything to cure their quarantine boredom, either in fashion, dance, funny antics or even food.

As a working mom, sometimes I run out of menu ideas for my teens, and I realized lately they prefer something new and different from my previous menus.  One day, my second son Jose shared with me this Tik Tok sensation-going-viral recipe: “Baked Feta Cheese Pasta”.

The origin of the recipe has been difficult to track down, as countless variations have popped up.

I tried my own version and the method is much simpler.  The teens loved it, and I hope you will like it too. 

Enjoy !!!

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Ingredients:

400 gms pasta (any pasta of your choice)

200 gms feta Cheese

1 packet cherry tomatoes

¼ cup olive oil (depends on your preference)

4 tbsp minced garlic

Fresh basil leaves (for toppings whole – half portion chopped)

Salt & Pepper to taste

Minced cashew nuts for toppings)

Chili flakes (optional)

Parmesan cheese (optional)

Procedure:  

1. Cook the pasta, as per cooking instruction, set aside (Molto al dente is the culinary term for slightly undercooked pasta).
2. Pre-heat oven at 350°. In a baking dish put cherry tomatoes, olive oil and feta cheese, salt and pepper
3. Bake for 5-8 mins or until the cherry tomatoes are softened and feta cheese is a bit nicely browned.
4. Remove from oven and mash the feta and tomatoes with fork and mix until evenly combined.
5. Add the pasta to the sauce (add reserved pasta water as needed, if the pasta looks a little dry).
6. Sprinkle minced garlic, and season with additional salt and pepper, if desired.
7. Return the pasta with the sauce to the oven for another 3 mins
8. Before serving, sprinkle with cashew nuts, chili flakes, parmesan cheese and chopped basil leaves on top for garnishing
9. Add a whole sprig of basil leaf for a touch of elegance (nice presentation!)

HomSkil would like to thank Espie for her contribution. Espie’s teens are very fortunate to have a mother who cooks their favourite dishes and whips up fantastic desserts! (They will have to do extra workouts to stay slim. )

Posted by Chayo, HomSkil Editor 1, 30 May 2021