Name: Baked Feta and Tomato Pasta
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Ingredients: 8 oz Greek feta cheese; 2 lbs cherry tomatoes; ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil; 1 garlic head (Sliced or crushed cloves); 2-3 fresh herbs (basil, oregano or thyme); 1 tablespoon dried oregano; 1 tablespoon chili pepper flakes; 8 oz cooked pasta (of your choice. I used penne.); freshly ground pepper; sea salt; fresh basil leaves; parmesan cheese (optional)

This baked feta pasta is the recipe I make when I want dinner to feel like a small miracle. A block of real Greek feta goes into a pan with sweet cherry tomatoes, a whole head of garlic, and plenty of olive oil and fresh herbs. Forty minutes later, the tomatoes have burst, the garlic is soft as butter, and the feta has melted into the silkiest, tangiest sauce with no cream and no fuss.

Yes, this is my Greek take on the famous TikTok baked feta pasta. But here’s the thing: in Greece, we were baking feta with tomatoes long before it went viral. When the trend exploded, my first thought was, “Wait — that’s just dinner at my mom’s house.” So this version leans into its roots: proper barrel-aged feta, lots of fresh basil, thyme, and oregano, and good extra virgin olive oil doing the heavy lifting.

One pan, ten minutes of prep, and a sauce that tastes like it took hours. That’s why this recipe never left our weekly rotation, trend or no trend.

The secret to a great Greek salad is always the dressing. My classic ladoxido — olive oil, red wine vinegar, dried oregano, and sea salt — comes together in a jar in minutes and keeps all week in the fridge.

A baking pan with baked feta pasta and fresh basil.

Overview

Why you will love this baked feta pasta

The oven does everything. No standing over a pot stirring a sauce. Toss it all in one pan, bake, stir, done.
Five main ingredients. Feta, cherry tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, pasta. Everything else is herbs and seasoning you already have.
A creamy sauce with zero cream. As the feta bakes it softens and melts into the burst tomatoes, making a sauce that is rich, tangy, and salty all at once.
It’s the Greek version. Whole roasted garlic cloves, a mountain of fresh herbs, and real feta in brine — the way we’ve made tomato-and-feta dishes at home forever.
Endlessly adaptable. Add shrimp, chicken, or olives; use whatever short pasta you have. It always works. (See the variations section below.)

Here is what you need

Penne pasta, cherry tomatoes, garlic, herbs, feta cheese oregano, olive oil and sea salt and pepper.

Feta cheese. Use a block of Greek feta packed in brine — never pre-crumbled, and please, never fat-free. The brine keeps the cheese creamy so it melts into a proper sauce. (More on choosing feta in the FAQ below.)

Cherry tomatoes. The sweeter the better. Cherry, mini heirloom, Sugar Bomb, Campari, or cocktail tomatoes all work beautifully. Halve the larger ones. In deep winter, see my canned tomato tip in the variations.

Garlic. A whole head, cloves separated and halved. Roasted garlic turns soft and sweet, like a paste that melts into the sauce.

Pasta. I love a short pasta like penne or rigatoni that catches the sauce, but spaghetti works too.

Fresh herbs. Basil is non-negotiable; thyme, oregano, and sage sprigs tucked between the tomatoes perfume everything as it bakes.

Extra virgin olive oil. A generous third of a cup. This is Greek cooking — the olive oil is the flavor. Use one you’d happily dip bread into.

Dried oregano, chili flakes, sea salt & freshly ground pepper.

Step by step

STEP 1. Place the block of feta in the center of the baking dish. Arrange the tomatoes and garlic cloves around the feta, tucking the fresh herbs between the tomatoes and garlic. Drizzle with olive oil. Add some dry oregano and season with freshly ground pepper.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes at 400°F/200°C.
While the tomatoes roast, cook the pasta al dente. Before you drain, scoop out a cup of that starchy pasta water. It’s the secret to a silky sauce.

STEP 2. Once everything is baked, remove the herb sprigs and mix the tomatoes, garlic, and feta gently with lots of fresh basil.

STEP 3. Add a couple of fresh herb leaves if you like. Quick tip: I leave some of the cherry tomatoes intact or barely blended for texture.

STEP 4. Add the pasta to the sauce and mix gently. Add a little pasta water if you feel it’s needed for more creamy results.

Pro tips

Go easy on added salt. Feta is already salty and gets more concentrated as it bakes. Season the tomatoes lightly and adjust at the end.
Bake until the tomatoes burst and the feta browns at the edges. That light golden top on the feta means deeper flavor. If your tomatoes haven’t split by the end, a quick 2–3 minutes under the broiler finishes the job.
Save that pasta water. A splash of starchy pasta water is what turns melted feta and tomato juices into a glossy sauce that clings to every piece of pasta. Reserve a full cup — you’ll likely use a few tablespoons.
Stir while everything is hot. Mash the feta into the tomatoes right out of the oven, before adding the pasta. The residual heat is what makes the sauce creamy.
Sweeten sharp tomatoes. If you’re stuck with out-of-season grape tomatoes, sprinkle a teaspoon of sugar over them before baking. It softens the acidity beautifully. (Thank you to reader Dee for prompting this tip!)
Cook the pasta 1 minute shy of al dente. It finishes cooking as you toss it with the hot sauce.

Serve the pasta in bowls with a sprinkle of chili flakes and some roughly chopped fresh basil on top. Adding grated parmesan cheese is optional.

A baking pan with pasta with tomatoes and feta and fresh basil.

Variations

Baked feta pasta with shrimp. Nestle a pound of peeled and cleaned raw shrimp into the pan for the last 8–10 minutes of baking. They cook in the tomato-garlic juices, and it is gorgeous.

With chicken. Toss in shredded rotisserie chicken or leftover lemon-roasted chicken when you mix in the pasta. It soaks up the sauce like a dream.

With canned tomatoes. No good fresh tomatoes? Use a 28 oz can of whole cherry tomatoes (or good-quality whole peeled tomatoes), drained of about half their juice. The sauce will be a little saucier and a little less sweet. A pinch of sugar fixes that.

Make it a Greek feast. Stir in a handful of pitted Kalamata olives and some capers after baking, and finish with extra oregano.

Add greens. A few handfuls of baby spinach stirred into the hot sauce wilt instantly.

Spicy version. Double the chili flakes and add a sliced fresh chili to the pan before baking.

Storage and leftovers

Refrigerator. Leftovers keep in an airtight container for up to 4 days. The flavors actually deepen overnight — lunch the next day is a gift.
Reheating. The stovetop is best: transfer the pasta to a pot, add a splash of water (about ¼ cup), and warm over medium heat, stirring, until creamy again. The microwave works in a pinch — 60–90 seconds with a spoonful of water, stirred halfway.
Freezing. I don’t recommend freezing the finished pasta — the texture of both the pasta and the feta sauce suffers. If you want to get ahead, freeze just the baked tomato-feta sauce for up to 2 months, then thaw, reheat, and toss with freshly cooked pasta.
Make ahead. You can assemble the whole baking pan (feta, tomatoes, garlic, herbs, oil) up to a day in advance and keep it covered in the fridge. Bake straight from cold, adding about 5 extra minutes.

FAQ

It’s true, there is a block of feta cheese in every Greek fridge. At the store, there are many different kinds to pick from. There is hard and soft feta, with salty and non-salty versions. In this list, we also have the different varieties per region. For example, the feta from North Greece is not the same as the one found in Crete. Finding the best feta cheese in the United States is not as easy as in Greece. Unless you have a Greek or Mediterranean market nearby, you probably rely on your supermarket for feta cheese.
Based on that fact, please, I beg you, don’t get the fat-free French feta that is widely available. Real good-quality feta is never fat-free.
Get a block of feta in brine. There are two Greek brands available in the US, and I like both. Mt Vikos feta and Dodoni feta are available at most grocery stores. Trader Joe’s also has good-quality feta in brine.
The prepackaged feta crumbles are not ideal for this recipe, but you can use them if necessary. Gather the crumbles together in the middle of your pan to resemble a block of cheese. Follow the rest of the recipe as-is, and all will be well. Whatever you choose, make sure it’s a block in brine. That’s the single biggest factor in getting a creamy sauce.

Not ideal, but workable. Gather the crumbles into a tight mound in the center of the pan so they melt together like a block. Add some pasta water as well. The sauce will be slightly grainier but still delicious.

Almost always the cheese. Fat-free or pre-crumbled feta contains anti-caking agents and less fat, so it stays chalky instead of melting. Use full-fat block feta in brine and stir it with the tomatoes while everything is piping hot.

Yes — see the variations section above. Drain about half the juice from a can of whole cherry or peeled tomatoes and add a pinch of sugar.

It’s my Greek spin on it. The viral version (uunifetapasta, originally from Finland) uses feta, tomatoes, and oil. Mine adds a whole head of roasted garlic, fresh herb sprigs, dried Greek oregano, and finishes with lots of basil — closer to how we bake pasta with tomatoes at home in Greece.

Short shapes with ridges or tubes — penne, rigatoni, fusilli — hold the chunky sauce best. Spaghetti works; just toss it thoroughly so the sauce coats every strand.

Side dishes for baked feta pasta

This dish is an easy weeknight meal but can be transformed into a feast with some additional delicious side dishes. Try a large green salad like our maroulosalata-Greek lettuce salad. Marinated olives and/or some dipping olive oil and a loaf of warm crusty bread are great add-ons. Serve some protein with the pasta as a side dish instead, like pork skewers, turkey meatballs, or lemon-roasted chicken.

Baked Feta and Tomato Pasta

Why you will love this baked feta pasta

Here is what you need

Step by step

Pro tips

Variations

Storage and leftovers

FAQ

Side dishes for baked feta pasta

You may also like

Spicy Pasta with Tomatoes & Kefalotiri

Greek Mac and Cheese with Feta and Graviera

Chicken Bolognese, Greek Style

Easy Greek Tomato rice-Ntomatorizo

Cooked it? Rate it!