Baked Feta, Tomato, and Pasta | Ep. 49 | Cooking in the Community Kitchen

A delicious mediterranean dish that is so wonderful for those weeknight meals or a great dish when hosting! Enjoy this savoury, filling dish!

Community Kitchen is a non-profit organization that focuses on education and nutrition. Cooking in the Community Kitchen showcases simple recipes with a featured ingredient from the Good Food Box.

Ingredients

  • 8-10 ounces of your choice of dry pasta 

  • 2 pints of cherry tomatoes 

  • 8 ounces of feta cheese in the block, drained 

  • 1/4-1/2 cup olive oil 

  • 1/4 tsp. salt

  • 1/4 tsp. fresh ground pepper 

  • 1 tsp. Italian seasoning 

  • 2-4 garlic cloves - minced

  • 1/4 cup chopped onion

  • 2 handfuls of fresh spinach

  • 1/4 cup basil leaves-rough chopped 

  • Optional: Shrimp, cooked cubed chicken 

  • Black or green olives

  • Drizzle of Balsamic vinegar 

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a 8 x 10 casserole dish, or baking dish, add cherry tomatoes. Add chopped onion and minced garlic cloves. Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Top with salt and pepper, plus the Italian seasoning. Toss the tomatoes, onions and, garlic until well coated.

Place the block of feta in the center of the baking dish and drizzle the remaining olive oil over the feta. Bake for 35-45 minutes until the tomatoes are bursting with flavor and the feta starts to brown. While the tomatoes and feta are cooking, cook the pasta in a pot of salted water until the pasta is cooked as per directions on the package. If using shrimp, cook shrimp adding the spinach for the last 2 minutes. Drain pasta reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid. Drain the shrimp and spinach. 

Remove the tomatoes and feta casserole from the oven. Stir the feta and tomatoes to create the creamy texture. Fold in pasta, shrimp and spinach. If the mixture feels too creamy, add the reserved liquid. Add fresh basil leaves. Top with green or black olives. ENJOY these beautiful Mediterranean flavors. If there are any left overs, refrigerate. The next day this is even more flavorful!! 

Brittney Nordin