How To Make The Baked Feta Pasta That’s All Over TikTok

If you like pasta, feta cheese, easy dinner ideas, or all of the above, you're going to want to try this baked feta pasta recipe that's going viral on TikTok. If you don't like pasta, feta, or easy dinner ideas... is everything OK?

Food TikTok is the definitive TikTok. It is to thank and/or blame for the popularity of everything from whipped coffee to multi-layered quesadillas. Now, FoodTikTok has anointed its latest viral star: baked feta pasta. Lactose intolerance? I don't know her.

Whether you've rekindled your love of cooking over quarantine or need a low-maintenance dinner idea, this dish is as simple as it is delicious. If you want to give the recipe a try, here’s what you’ll need:

• Pasta; most TikTok recipes use a short variety like penne, cavatappi, or orecchiette
• Cherry tomatoes
• A big ol’ block of feta cheese; the crumbly kind will get too dry in the oven
• Garlic
• Basil
• Olive oil
• Salt
• Pepper

From there, it’s pretty simple. To a baking dish, add your tomatoes, feta, and garlic. Generously drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. While that’s baking, cook your pasta. After baking at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for about 35 minutes, take out your dish, mix in your pasta, and top with basil. That's all. No cutting or chopping. No babysitting your food while it's baking. If you can boil noodles and stir, you can make this recipe.

If you want to get fancy with it, you can easily customize the dish. Add red pepper flakes for some spice. Drizzle with honey for added sweetness. After mixing in the pasta, top it with bread crumbs and parmesan cheese, and throw it back in the oven until it's browned. If you want to bulk it up a bit, the recipe would pair well with chicken, roasted veggies, or crispy chickpeas.

There's some disagreement on the origin of the recipe. However, according to TODAY, one of the early iterations of the dish was created by Finnish food blogger Jenni Häyrinen in 2019. Her Uunifetapasta, which roughly translates to "oven-baked pasta," hasn't been changed much after making the rounds on Tiktok. Though, her original recipe includes chili flakes and makes the garlic optional.

Some TikTokers claim that the baked feta pasta recipe is the reason Finland "ran out of feta cheese." However, there doesn't appear to be any evidence of that shortage beyond TikTok. In fact, the global dairy industry saw a decrease in demand last year due to the pandemic. So, you shouldn't be too hard-pressed to find some feta.

If feta isn't your thing or your grocery store manages to run out of feta, the recipe has also been made with goat cheese and burrata. A blessed baked cheese to one and all!