I'm a creamy pasta fan, and when I made the viral feta pasta, I wanted to bring a little extra body to the sauce. But I didn't want to add a bunch of extra ingredients to the original version. I did add tomato paste to bring a little more of those "Marry Me Pasta" vibes, but otherwise I just lean on the pasta starch to do the rest of the work.
How to Thicken a Sauce Without Cream
The trick of adding pasta water and letting the pasta itself thicken the sauce is the backbone of classic pastas like cacio e pepe, which is cheese, pepper and the starchy water to make a creamy sauce. I figured if it worked there, it would do the same for this dish. Sure enough, it did!
In this dish, instead of draining fully cooked pasta and stirring it in, I pull the pasta while it's still slightly underdone and finish it in the sauce. As it bakes those last few minutes, it releases its starch into the sauce giving it an extra creamy body. Similar to how you create a roux for mac n cheese!
How to Make Creamy Baked Feta Pasta
A dump-and-bake favorite that's on the table in under an hour.
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 400°F. In a baking dish, toss the tomatoes, olive oil, tomato paste, grated garlic, salt, and black pepper until coated. Clear a space in the center and nestle in the block of feta.
Step 2: Bake for 30 minutes, uncovered, until the tomatoes soften and start to burst.
Step 3: Meanwhile, boil the pasta in well-salted water until about 2 minutes shy of al dente. I've done this with both protein pasta (which you see in the photos here) as well as regular pasta. Reserve at least 1 cup of pasta water, then drain the pasta. Don't rinse it. We want to hang on to all that starch.
Step 4: Remove the dish from the oven and mash the feta, tomatoes, and garlic together into a rough sauce.
Step 4: Stir in the drained pasta and 1 cup of reserved pasta water. It might look watery, but trust the process. Cover with foil and bake 8 minutes more, until the pasta is tender and the sauce is creamy.
Step 6: Fold in the basil, adjust salt to taste, and finish with a pinch of flaky salt. Serve warm.
Joanie's Balanced Bites
Great news! If you use a low-carb, high-protein pasta like I do (Brami and Goodles are personal faves), this dish is great for steady blood sugar. It's got plenty of protein from the feta and pasta, fiber from the tomatoes, and healthy fats from the olive oil.
And if you want to boost the protein even more, it goes great with fish or chicken. When I serve this to my family, we love it alongside our classic Caesar salad or Caesar Slaw.
Creamy Baked Feta Pasta
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 38 minutes
- Total Time: 48 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
A creamier, saucier take on the viral tomato and feta pasta bake, with no cream required. The pasta finishes cooking right in the sauce, releasing its starch for a silky, clinging result.
Ingredients
- 1 (8 oz) block feta
- 2 pints cherry or grape tomatoes
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 garlic clove, grated
- ½ teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 12 oz penne (a high-protein pasta like Brami or Goodles for steady blood sugar)
- 1 cup reserved pasta water
- ½ cup fresh basil, torn
- Flaky salt, to finish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. In a baking dish, toss the tomatoes, olive oil, tomato paste, grated garlic, salt, and black pepper until coated. Clear a space in the center, nestle in the feta.
- Bake for 30 minutes, uncovered, until the tomatoes soften and start to burst.
- Meanwhile, boil the pasta in well-salted water until about 2 minutes shy of al dente. Reserve at least 1 cup of pasta water, then drain.
- Remove the dish from the oven. Mash the feta, tomatoes, and garlic together into a rough sauce.
- Stir in the drained pasta and 1 cup of reserved pasta water. It might look watery, but trust the process. Cover with foil and bake 8 minutes more, until the pasta is tender and the sauce is creamy.
- Fold in the basil, adjust salt to taste, and finish with flaky salt. Serve warm.
Notes
Nutrition facts based on using Brami protein pasta
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 397
- Sugar: 4.3 g
- Sodium: 451.4 mg
- Fat: 20 g
- Carbohydrates: 42.2 g
- Fiber: 6.5 g
- Protein: 16.8 g
- Cholesterol: 22.3 mg
Did you make this recipe? Let me know!