Baked Feta Pasta
Ingredients
1 quart cherry or grape tomatoes
10 ounces feta cheese
1 pound bite sized pasta like farfalle or penne
1 teaspoon oregano (dried)
6 springs thyme (whole)
⅕ cup olive oil
¼ teaspoon red chili flake (or to taste)
salt (to taste)
black pepper (to taste)
Directions
Preheat an oven to 400°F/205°C
Lay out whole cherry tomatoes in a pyrex or earthenware baking pan
Evenly spread olive oil, salt, pepper, chili flakes and 2/3 of the oregano over the tomatoes.
Mix the seasonings, olive oil and tomatoes thoroughly and then create a rectangular well in the middle of pan for the feta cheese
Gently place the feta in the well.
Sprinkle the remaining oregano on top of the feta and place 3 thyme sprigs on top of the pan
Place the roasting pan in the middle rack of the oven. Set the oven timer for 25 minutes.
Bring salted pasta water to a boil on the stove.
After 25 minutes, drop the pasta into the boiling pasta water. Cook the pasta according to the box instructions.
Bake the the tomato/feta mixture for an additional 10 minutes until the both the tomatoes and feta are light brown and caramelized. Once done, remove the mixture from the oven.
Drain the pasta in a colander, reserving a cup of the pasta water.
Pour the pasta in the roasting pan and thoroughly mix the pasta with the tomatoes and feta. Gradually pour in the pasta water until the sauce reaches the desired consistency.
