Ingredients

8 ounces dried Cavatappi pasta (I use elbow macaroni.)
2 pints cherry tomatoes (I often substitute grape tomatoes. If so, I cut them in half vertically.)
8-ounce block feta cheese (I often use crumbled traditional feta cheese.)
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup packed chopped fresh basil, plus more for serving (I often use dried basil.)

**I often add sliced Kalamata olives and cooked diced chicken to this dish.

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400°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 well combined.
2. Place the feta block in the middle of the baking dish surrounded by the cherry tomatoes, and flip a couple times to coat it with the olive oil and seasoning. (I add garlic here too since we prefer baked over raw garlic.)
3. Bake in the preheated oven for 35 minutes, until the cherry tomatoes burst and the feta cheese melts. (If using sliced tomatoes and crumbled feta cheese, this time will be much less.)
4. Immediately add the garlic and basil leaves to the cooked tomatoes and feta and toss everything to combine.
5. Transfer the cooked pasta to the baking dish and toss to combine. Garnish with more fresh basil and serve warm.

Serve with artisan roll, steamed asparagus and pan fried scallops-or as a meal itself with a tossed green salad. ENJOY!

SOURCE: How To Make the Baked Feta Pasta Everyone’s Talking About | Well+Good (wellandgood.com)

Anything in parenthesis, I added.

February 2021