Baked Feta pasta has been blowing up the internet so I thought I'd throw my hat in the ring with this baked GOAT cheese pasta. The original recipe for this pasta originated in Finland and took Europe by storm a few years ago before @GrilledCheeseSocial translated and brought it to the States. You can read a little more about it here! One of my favorite aspects of the food world is how collaborative it is which is why it is important to always give credit where credit is due.
I love feta on salads but I think it melts weird and leaves you with an odd texture because of the water content. In my pasta sauce aficionado opinion, goat cheese is much creamier and melts better thus making it the superior cheese.
For pasta shape: I used trumpets because they're pretty and because they hold sauce really well. I've seen people using everything from orecchiette to farfalle to fusilli - shapes like these that are short and have grooves are perfect.
I found everything you need for this recipe at Trader Joe's but you can find most of this anywhere. Sofritto seasoning is something I haven't found but also haven't really looked for at other grocery stores - using red pepper flakes will suffice! And balsamic glaze can be found anywhere, just look in the oil/vinegar section at your grocery store.
Yields: 2 servings
Time: 45 ish minutes
You'll need:
4-5 oz pasta
cherry or grape tomatoes (about 2 cups)
olive or avocado oil
salt + pepper
1-2 garlic cloves
soffrito seasoning or red pepper flakes
goat cheese (about 1/2 cup) - the Trader Joe's herby goat cheese
balsamic glaze
fresh basil (chopped or cut into ribbons)
Instructions:
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. You're going to want to use either a baking dish or an oven safe pot (dutch oven, cocotte, anything cast iron) - I like to use a cast iron pot because it comes with a matching lid. If your dish doesn't have a lid you'll want to use foil to cover it while baking.
OKAY! THE PASTA! Add enough tomatoes to your pot to cover the bottom - for mine it was about two cups. Then drizzle them with olive oil and add a pinch of salt + pepper and mix it all up. Next clear out a space in the middle for your cheese and plop it in. Drizzle the cheese with a little bit of olive oil and sprinkle with either sofritto seasoning or red pepper flakes. I like to grate in the garlic but you could either just dice it or add a teaspoon of garlic powder instead.
Drizzle the cheese + tomatoes with a little bit of balsamic glaze and then cover the pot either with its lid or with aluminum foil.
Bake at 400 for 25 minutes then turn the oven off and let it sit for another 10 minutes. While the tomatoes + cheese are baking, make your pasta! When the pasta is done cooking, save about 1/2 cup of pasta water before draining it.
When the oven is done, carefully remove the pot. Add in fresh basil and give the sauce a good stir. Next add in the pasta and a splash of pasta water to help it mix and keep the sauce silky. Mix it all together, top with more fresh basil and red pepper flakes, enjoy!
For all of you visual learners - I know its nice to have a video to go along with recipes! I have one posted on my instagram account (@honeyibaked) and on tiktok (@honeyibaked) that you can reference + its just fun to watch.
Here are some other pasta recipes you may enjoy!