Do you have a favourite ingredient that you just want to add to every single dish? Mine is eggplant. I mean Margherita Pizza is great, but if you add eggplant? Phenomenal. And lasagne is epic but seriously, have you tried adding eggplant?! Remember that viral TikTok pasta trend from a couple of years ago? Where you take cherry tomatoes and a whole block of feta, bake it and stir it into pasta? It’s great. But I think you can guess where this is going…
Baked Feta Pasta with Eggplant and Cherry Tomatoes à la TikTok.
It was impossible to escape it on the internet at the time. But it’s a really great concept and makes such an easy and delicious weeknight dinner. I made it once or twice at the time to see what the fuss was about, but this version with eggplant is clearly the winner.
The baked feta keeps it’s shape in the oven but it’s immensely satisfying to stir it through the roasted vegetables. It creates a delicious slightly salty creamy ‘sauce’ that clings to your pasta. It’s absolutely delicious with the roasted eggplant and bursting sweet tomatoes.
If you’re in the southern hemisphere, summer is the perfect time to enjoy eggplant, tomatoes and fresh basil while they’re in season! I have all 3 growing in the garden, however none were quite ready to harvest for this recipe.
PS: I am on TikTok! Go and follow me over there to see recipe videos and behind the scenes.
You really can’t go wrong and this recipe is so easy and forgiving. Eggplant and tomatoes = winner. Eggplant and feta = also damn delicious. Apart from cooking the pasta, everything is done in one dish and about an hour of total hands off time where you can do something else while dinner cooks.
I pop the chopped eggplant into the oven with some olive oil and salt ahead of everything else because it takes a little longer to cook. Then I add cherry tomatoes, the whole block of feta (I used Danish feta because I wanted max creaminess), chilli flakes, black pepper, fresh oregano and a little more olive oil. You know it’s ready when the tomatoes are close to bursting.
I also love adding a splash of balsamic or red wine vinegar to any of my tomato based pasta sauces. I don’t see many others doing this (seriously, some people don’t even season their bolognese!) but it adds such a beautiful depth of flavour. If you make this, please don’t skip the fresh basil. To me that is the KEY to any tomato pasta dish and adds so much freshness.
All that’s left to do now is stir it all together with your cooked pasta. You can use any size or shape you like but I’ve gone for spirals – or Fusilli if you want to get fancy. I hope you’ll give this Baked Feta Pasta recipe a try and come join me on TikTok!
Related Post: Easy Salami Pasta with Cherry Tomatoes & Burrata
Baked Feta Pasta with Eggplant and Cherry Tomatoes
Baked Feta Pasta with Eggplant and Cherry Tomatoes – my take on the viral TikTok pasta. It's simple, delicious and popular for a reason!
Ingredients
- 1 eggplant, around 350g
- Olive oil
- Salt + Pepper
- 400 g cherry tomatoes
- 200 g Danish feta
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon chilli flakes, or more to taste
- 1 stalk oregano, leaves only
- 1/4 cup fresh basil, finely sliced
- 1-2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 250 g pasta I used spirals/fusilli
Instructions
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Preheat your oven to 190°C (375°F).
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Chop the eggplants into 1.5cm rounds and then into 1.5cm cubes. Place eggplant into a large ovenproof dish. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and a big pinch of salt and place into the oven for 15-20 minutes.
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Remove from the oven and add cherry tomatoes and garlic and stir around. Create a gap in the centre of the dish and place the block of feta in the space. Scatter with another 2 tablespoons of olive oil, chilli powder, freshly cracked pepper and the leaves from 1 stalk of fresh oregano (or 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano). Return to the oven for 40 minutes or until cherry tomatoes are soft and bursting.
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In the meantime, cook your choice of pasta in slightly salted water according to packet instructions.
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Scatter the dish with fresh basil and stir the baked feta into the eggplant and tomatoes. Add the vinegar and stir until combined. Add the pasta and stir to coat. Scatter with more fresh basil and black pepper and serve.