Baked Feta "Pasta"
Apparently there is a “baked feta pasta” dish that is all-the-rage over on Tiktok. I’m really not cool enough to know what is going on over on Tiktok. All the coordinated dancing videos totally intimidate this millennial girl…I’ll stick to Instagram :-)
BUT, when I hear about a food trend, you better believe I want to be in-the-know! Especially when it involves baked cheese and tomatoes.
The idea is pretty simple - bake a block of feta cheese surrounded by cherry tomatoes. Then stir it up really well to create a “sauce” and add cooked pasta. That’s it!
So, how about we put a little “Pink Greens” spin on this dish?
Instead of pasta, I decided to steam up some cauliflower. The great thing about using cauliflower is that not only does it mean the dish is gluten-free, but it also doesn’t get soggy, which means that this recipe makes for perfect leftovers!
The next day, I heated the sauce up with a handful of spinach for lunch and it was just the right amount of filling without being “heavy.”
Baked Feta “Pasta”
* gluten-free * Keto-friendly *
Servings: ~6
Total time: 45 minutes
Active time: 30 minutes
INGREDIENTS:
8-12 oz. block feta cheese
2 pints cherry or mixed tomatoes
8 cloves garlic, peel on
1 tsp. dried oregano (if using fresh, double amount and add at the end with dill)
Sea salt + fresh pepper
Avocado oil
Red pepper flakes
1 head cauliflower
1 Tbsp. fresh dill
1/4 cup kalamata olives
Optional protein: chicken or salmon
lemon for garnish
DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350F. In an 8x8 baking dish, mix together tomatoes, garlic, oregano, sea salt, pepper, and avocado oil - enough to lightly coat tomatoes.
2. Make a crevice in the middle of the dish so that the feta can lay flat. Nestle feta cheese block in the middle of the tomatoes. Drizzle a little avocado oil directly onto the feta and then sprinkle with red pepper flakes.
3. Bake uncovered for 35 minutes. At the end crank it up to 450F for remaining 5 minutes (or low broil if you are able to watch carefully), until feta gets a nice golden brown.
* Meanwhile, while feta dish cooks, prepare cauliflower and your protein if you are using. Chicken or salmon in a pan with simple seasonings of salt and pepper, and a spritz of lemon at the end, is really all you need ;-)
4. Cauliflower: prepare a steamer basket or pot on the stove. Cut cauliflower into bite-sized florets and steam until al dente (about 7 minutes).
5. Turn heat up on the oven and cook remaining 5 minutes, until feta is browned. Once you have pulled the baked feta out of the oven, add olives and fresh dill. Stir everything together really well to create that creamy sauce.
6. To serve, arrange steamed cauliflower in a bowl, spoon sauce over cauliflower and top with your protein and a bit more sauce. Serve with a wedge of lemon.
This dish makes great leftovers! You can combine the sauce with the cauliflower in 16 oz. jars for the perfect serving sizes to keep as lunches throughout the week. I love it heated in a small saucepan on the stove with two handfuls of spinach added. Put a cover on over medium heat and the spinach with wilt. Serve with a little fresh-cracked pepper and Maldon salt over top. Yum!
If there’s ever an ingredient or dish you would like me to put my “Pink Greens spin” on - send me a note to let me know! I love coming up with new concoctions and you all provide my inspiration :-)
Thanks so much for reading.
xo,
Rachel