Baked Feta Pasta has become a major viral trend across the globe and is being called the “TikTok pasta.” Watch the video tutorial and you’ll be amazed how the feta cheese turns into a creamy pasta sauce.

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We love easy pasta casseroles from Baked Ziti to Chicken Tetrazzini and of course Classic Lasagna. If you are a fan of pasta recipes, this Baked Feta Pasta is a must-try!
Baked Feta Pasta Video Tutorial:
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What is Feta Pasta?
Baked Feta pasta is a brilliant way to create pasta sauce. You bake a block of feta in a casserole dish together with tomatoes, garlic, extra virgin olive oil, and a little salt and pepper. Once the tomatoes burst and cheese starts melting, you pull it out of the oven and mash the cheese into a creamy pasta sauce that melds with olive oil and juicy tomatoes.
This is our spin on this Baked Creamy Feta pasta with tomatoes and asparagus because my daughter loves the asparagus and my son swoons over those roasted tomatoes.

Origin of Feta Pasta
The Baked Feta pasta craze was started in 2019 by Tiiu Piret and Liemessa, two bloggers from Finland. Liemessa’s recipe was then adapted in the US by Grilled Cheese Social which went viral on TikTok and became a major trend.
Ingredients for Baked Feta Pasta
- Tomatoes – cherry or grape tomatoes work great.
- Asparagus – we added it for more veggies but you can omit if desired.
- Olive oil – an extra virgin olive oil has the best flavor.
- Salt and pepper – a little goes a long way since the cheese is naturally salty.
- Feta cheese – block-style feta is best and will give you the creamiest consistency. Greek or French Feta cheese is slightly creamier but USA Feta made from cow’s milk also works great.
- Pasta – short pasta is easier to mix in (see our favorite varieties below).
- Parsley – use a generous 1/4 cup or substitute with fresh chopped basil.
- Garlic – Add half while baking and the rest as soon as it comes out of the oven.

The Best Pasta to Use
We use short pasta for feta pasta because it is much easier to stir and combine with the cheesy sauce. Use only 8 to 10 oz or it will overwhelm the sauce. These are some of our favorite options:
- Row 1: Penne, Rigatoni, Fusilli
- Row 2: Gemelli, Trottole, Cavatapi

Pasta Cooking Tip: The key to a great pasta casserole is to cook the pasta until it is al dente in salted water according to package instructions. Use at least a Tablespoon of salt in your boiling water.
How to Make Baked Feta Pasta
This recipe couldn’t get any easier. Your veggies and sauce bake together in the oven while your pasta boils on the stove, then you marry them together and you have an incredible baked Feta Pasta.
- Prepare veggies – in a 9×13 casserole dish, combine tomatoes, asparagus, 1/3 cup olive oil, half of your minced garlic, salt, and pepper. Toss to combine and create a space in the center.
- Add Feta cheese – place an 8 oz block of feta cheese in the center and drizzle with 1 Tbsp olive oil and some black pepper. Bake at 400˚F for 30 minutes, until tomatoes start to burst.
- Cook pasta – about halfway through the baking time, start cooking your pasta in a pot of salted water until al dente according to package instructions. Reserve 1/2 cup hot pasta water.
- Add garlic and herbs – remove the finished casserole from the oven, add finely chopped parsley and remaining minced garlic and use the back of a spoon to mash the cheese into the oil and juices released from tomatoes.
- Add pasta – drain the pasta and add it to the hot cheesy sauce and toss to combine.

Pro Tip: To make the pasta creamier or saucier, add hot pasta water to reach desired consistency. If the water cools down, warm it up in the microwave until steaming hot.
Common Questions:
You can replace asparagus with chicken tenders. My sister made this with a pound of chicken tenders, roasting them in the same pan with the cheese and tomatoes.
I don’t recommend substituting tomatoes since their juice helps for the sauce. We haven’t found anything that works as well as tomatoes.
The oil is important to forming the right saucy consistency. I would not recommend reducing the amount of olive oil.
Yes! One of the things I love about feta pasta is that it reheats well. Unlike a heavy cream-based sauce which can separate, this one reheats creamy. Add a splash of pasta cooking water or filtered water to keep it moist when reheating in the microwave.

This is one of the easiest ways to prepare a rich-tasting pasta. If you try baked feta pasta with your own spin on it, I’d love to hear about it in the comments.
Serve With
We love to serve Baked Feta Pasta as a main course paired with lean proteins and these simple sides:
Creamy Baked Feta Pasta

Ingredients
- 4 cups cherry or grape tomatoes
- 8 oz asparagus, ends trimmed and cut into bite-size pieces
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil , plus 1 Tbsp to drizzle over cheese
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 8 oz block Feta Cheese
- 10 oz penne pasta
- 4 garlic cloves, finely minced, divided
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, or basil, finely minced
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400˚F. Add tomatoes and asparagus to a 9×13 casserole. Add 1/3 cup olive oil, 2 minced garlic cloves, 1/2 tsp black pepper, and 1/4 tsp salt. Toss to combine. Make a space in the center and place your 8 oz block of feta in the pan. Drizzle the top with 1 Tbsp olive oil and another sprinkle of black pepper. Bake at 400 for 30 minutes until tomatoes start to burst.
- About halfway through your baking time, bring a pot of salted water to a boil and add pasta. Cook according to package instructions, stirring a few times to keep the pasta from sticking. Drain pasta (reserving some cooking water if you decide to add it later).
- After 30 minutes, the tomatoes should burst and start to release their juice. Remove from the oven and immediately stir in remaining minced garlic and parsley and toss to combine. Use the back of a large spoon to press the cheese into the olive oil and stir until cheese is well dispersed in the dish.
- Stir in drained cooked pasta. Add reserved pasta water if desired. Serve warm. Be mindful of those tomatoes (the juicy centers can be very hot if you eat them right away). Add reserved hot pasta water as desired for saucier pasta.
This is SOOOOO good! We made it without the tomatoes because we don’t like them, but we added some yummy baked chicken we had. My family was raving!
My youngest is extremely picky and she doesn’t like anything with vegetables. She said she didn’t know if she liked it and my son looked at her disgusted and said, that’s like not liking Ryan Reynolds’s!” 🤣 High praise! This dish is apparently the Ryan Reynolds of recipes. My other son’s exact words after eating were, “praise be”!
Thank you for consistently sharing awesome recipes and for making them approachable!
I made this for my husband tonight. I have made it before, but this time I added feta and spinach chicken sausage plus Sun dried tomatoes. It came out perfect. No asparagus since I was using a protein this time. He said it was the best.
Thank you, Natasha. You rock.
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Nilda!
Can I use canned whole peeled tomatoes? My kids don’t like the tomato skins. Would zucchini be ok to use as a substitute for asparagus? I loved your recipe the way it is. Thank you in advance.
Hi Alma, I haven’t tested that but I think it could work. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe
Very good & easy to make. Don’t use lentil pasta, though; not tender enough. This might also work with small halved potatoes.