Oven and Instant Pot instruction included. For the past couple of weeks, my Tiktok feed has been flooded with videos of baked feta pasta also known as #uunifetapasta that became so popular in Finland after a Finnish blogger @Liemessa shared the recipe. You can see her original post here. As the recipe went viral on Tiktok, grocery stores in Finland were sold out on feta cheese! This is not the first time a recipe goes so viral on Tiktok and all over social media. Last year, whipped coffee was a big trend that everyone had to try! Followed by the super cute hot chocolate bombs that can be easily made at home. And these delicious baked oats (cake for breakfast anyone?). After seeing so many versions being shared all over social media, I decided to give this pasta dish a go and share my experience on the blog. It’s one of the easiest pasta dishes that you will ever make, and it’s SO flavorful!
The Ingredients
I kept my baked feta pasta very simple, and didn’t change much of it as I loved everything that Jenni Häyrinen did in the original recipe! However, I felt like the recipe needed more cherry tomatoes, basil, and garlic. The acidity of the tomatoes was a bit too much for my personal taste so I added a teaspoon of sugar (you can use honey), and I felt like a short shape of pasta works better here. Here’s what you’ll need to make this feta pasta: Complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Pasta – I went for orecchiette as I think that for a saucy pasta recipe smaller pasta shapes work best, and the shape of orecchiette holds the sauce very well. Any other shape of pasta can work here though, and in the original recipe, I believe that spaghetti was used. Cherry or grape tomatoes – go for a sweeter variety, if the tomatoes are too acidic you can add sugar (more on this below). Cherry tomatoes can be substituted with regular diced tomatoes. Feta cheese – find one that is creamy. Extra virgin olive oil. Fresh basil leaves. Garlic cloves – minced, only added after baking the feta. Salt, pepper, and chili flakes (optional). Sugar – every time I cook a tomato-based dish, I taste it and see if it’s too acidic. To balance the flavor I like to add just a teaspoon of granulated sugar (sometimes honey) which does the trick. Don’t worry you won’t be able to taste the sugar!
How to Make Baked Feta Pasta
Top Tips for Making Baked Feta Pasta
Reserve some pasta water – this is very important as the pasta water is starchy and perfect for loosening up pasta sauces. I keep it until I serve the pasta as the sauce thickens when it cools down. Roast until the cherry tomatoes burst – A big part of the sauce comes from the cherry tomato juices, so you really want the tomatoes to soften and release their juices into the sauce. If the tomatoes are acidic, add sugar – every time I cook a tomato-based sauce, I check if the sauce is too acidic and fix that by adding a teaspoon of granulated sugar or honey to balance the flavors. Change it up – if you like onions, thinly slice them and add to the roasting pan with the tomatoes. Not a fan of basil? Substitute with baby spinach leaves, and let them wilt in the pan with the sauce before serving.
Instant Pot Feta Pasta
I tried making this feta pasta in the Instant Pot, and it worked so well! Flavors will be slightly different than the oven version, and it turned out super creamy and saucy. The recipe remained pretty much the same, but a few changes were made to make it work in the Instant Pot:
I used less olive oil (just 2 tablespoons), more pasta a total of 12oz (340g), and added 3 cups of water (in total) to submerge the pasta so it cooks evenly. The ingredients were added by this order: olive oil, a single layer of cherry tomatoes, pasta, water, seasonings (sugar, salt, pepper, chili flakes, garlic – you can also add oregano), the remaining cherry tomatoes, and feta. I pressure cooked for 4 minutes (with quick release) which was enough to cook the pasta, the cherry tomatoes burst, and the feta was soft and creamy. After the lid was removed, if you feel that there is too much liquid you can discard a little and then mix everything until the sauce is creamy. It will thicken more as it cools and the pasta will absorb a part of the liquid. Change things up! Add pieces of chicken and they will cook perfectly just as I did in my Instant Pot chicken mac and cheese. You can also add sausage, chorizo, onion, mushrooms, or just mix in baby spinach leaves at the end. I also tried it with grilled chicken tenders and it turned out amazing! Rotisserie or shredded chicken can also be added after pressure cooking. If you don’t want to use feta, you can use other cheeses such as cream cheese (add after pressure cooking), ricotta, or goat cheese. Check for seasonings though and adjust to your preference.
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Common Questions
What to Serve With
Serve the baked feta pasta with toasted sourdough bread, extra virgin olive oil, and a simple salad. You can also make a baked feta dip (check my recipe!) without any pasta, more veg, and just serve that over toasted bread or with pita chips or crackers.
More Delicious Pasta Recipes
Gnocchi al pomodoro The best EVER Alfredo pasta sauce Garlic butter pasta with no cream! Penne Arrabbiata Olive Garden’s chicken scampi Garlic shrimp pasta Creamy pesto gnocchi Creamy lemon pasta
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