Feta Pasta Bake with Sausage (Viral TikTok Recipe) + Video
This Feta Pasta Bake recipe has become one of the most viral TikTok recipes yet! Enjoy the best combination of flavors in just 40 minutes!
Ingredients
- 24 ounces cherry tomatoes 2 12-ounce packages
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1/2 cup olive oil extra virgin
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 8 ounce Greek feta block
- 1 yellow onion halved then sliced
- 14 ounce package smoked sausage sliced into 1/2” slices
- 1 handful spinach about one loose cup
- 1 pound package penne pasta
- 1/2 cup fresh basil chopped
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese freshly shredded
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- In a 9x13 inch baking dish, place tomatoes and garlic. Top with olive oil and dry spices. Stir to coat. Spread the tomatoes out and place the block of feta cheese in the center of the baking dish. Place in the oven to cook for 30 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.
- Meanwhile, boil water with salt and cook penne according to the directions on the package. When finished cooking, reserve about 1 cup of pasta water and set aside. Drain and set pasta aside.
- In a non-stick skillet over medium heat, begin to cook the sliced onions. After a few minutes, add the sliced sausage. Cook for another 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to flip the sliced sausage pieces. Remove from heat, drain grease, and set aside.
- Carefully remove the baking dish from the oven. Break up the feta cheese and crush the tomatoes, then stir to combine. Add a handful of fresh spinach and stir until wilted. Add in pasta, sausage, and onion mixture. Stir to combine well. Add in reserved pasta water to thin sauce if needed.
- Top with freshly grated parmesan and freshly chopped basil. Serve while hot and enjoy!
Video
Notes
Use caution after you take the baking dish out of the oven and are crushing the tomatoes. They are extremely hot and the juices can splash out of the pan.
If you love garlic, you could slice the tops of a head of garlic and place in your pan with the tomatoes. Drizzle it with olive oil and season. When finished cooking, carefully squeeze the soft garlic cloves until they come out. Then smash and stir in with the tomatoes and feta.
Don’t like feta? Try boursin garlic and herb cheese. It’s a soft creamy cheese full of flavor that would go really well with tomatoes also.
What other vegetables could I add? Asparagus, broccoli, red bell peppers, or red chili peppers would all be great in this dish. If you’re a vegetarian, you could eliminate the sausage and substitute with some of these vegetables.
What other pasta noodles could I use in this recipe? Penne was used in this recipe and it works great, but you could really use any pasta. Orrechiette, farfalle, fusilli, and cavatappi would all be really great choices.
If you don’t want to use pasta, you could also serve this over rice, quinoa, or riced cauliflower.
If you want to try a different protein, shrimp or chicken would also be great in this dish.
Where did the tiktok trend start? The trend started with blogger and recipe developer Jenni Häyrinen. She created the recipe 2 years ago, and it basically went viral overnight. The original recipe had hot chili peppers and served with wheat pasta noodles. You can find more about the original blogger here.
Other ingredients to add: white wine, or red pepper flakes if you like a little spice.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 | Calories: 789cal | Carbohydrates: 67g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 46g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Cholesterol: 83mg | Sodium: 1175mg | Sugar: 6g | Fiber: 4g | Calcium: 287mg | Iron: 3mg