Baked Feta Pasta Sun-Dried Tomatoes (Printable View)

A creamy pasta dish featuring baked feta, cherry tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, and fresh herbs in Mediterranean style.

# What You Need:

→ Dairy

01 - 7 oz feta cheese block

→ Vegetables

02 - 1.1 lb whole cherry tomatoes
03 - 3.5 oz sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and chopped
04 - 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
05 - 1 small red onion, thinly sliced (optional)

→ Pasta

06 - 12 oz short pasta (penne, fusilli, or rigatoni)

→ Herbs & Seasoning

07 - 4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
08 - 1 tsp dried oregano
09 - 1 tsp dried basil
10 - ½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
11 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
12 - ½ cup fresh basil leaves, torn

→ Garnish (optional)

13 - Grated Parmesan cheese
14 - Lemon zest

# How To Make It:

01 - Set the oven to 400°F.
02 - In a large baking dish, combine cherry tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, and red onion if using. Drizzle with 3 tablespoons olive oil and season with oregano, basil, crushed red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Toss gently to mix.
03 - Place the feta block in the center of the baking dish and drizzle the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil over it.
04 - Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until tomatoes burst and feta turns soft and golden.
05 - While baking, cook pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water according to package directions. Reserve half a cup of pasta water before draining.
06 - Remove the baking dish from oven and use a fork or spoon to mash feta and tomatoes together, forming a creamy sauce.
07 - Add drained pasta and reserved pasta water to the baking dish. Toss until pasta is evenly coated with the sauce.
08 - Stir in torn fresh basil leaves and adjust seasoning to taste.
09 - Plate hot and garnish with grated Parmesan and lemon zest if desired.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It feels fancy but genuinely takes less than an hour from start to finish.
  • The feta melts into something almost like cream, absorbing all the tomato sweetness and herb perfume.
  • You're basically roasting a flavor bomb and then tossing it with pasta—minimal dishes, maximum satisfaction.
02 -
  • Don't drain the sun-dried tomatoes too aggressively—that oil is liquid gold for your sauce, so just squeeze them gently and let some of it cling to them.
  • The pasta water is not optional; those starches are what thicken the sauce and help everything cling to the noodles instead of sitting separately.
  • Feta varies wildly in saltiness by brand, so taste before you add salt—you might need none at all or you might need more than expected.
03 -
  • If you have time, let the roasted tomatoes and feta sit in the warm oven for a few minutes after it's done cooking—they'll soften further and become even more cohesive.
  • Finish with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice right before serving; it cuts through the richness in a way that feels like a secret ingredient but is just good balance.
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