If you’ve been hiding under a rock lately or have had it with quarantine kitchen trends and don’t want to know any more about banana bread or sourdough, perhaps you haven’t heard about the cooking video from Finland that went viral on Tik Tok. It involves 2 pints of cherry tomatoes, 1/2 cup of olive oil, about 8 ounces of Greek feta cheese, a few whole garlic cloves, and a handful of chopped fresh basil. Period. Oh, and whatever pasta you like. Friends, this recipe is so easy, you’ll laugh all through the three minute prep. I’d heard about it and ignored it at first; then I saw it written up in The Washington Post, then in The New York Times, and on any number of Facebook posts. It finally got the better of me and I tried it last week. My husband said it was one of the best pasta dishes he’s ever had and honestly, I agree. It’s fabulous and I urge you to try it… hardest part will be finding the feta since apparently there’s been such a run on it that most places are sold out. I was able to score the last block of it at Trader Joe’s but when I went to buy more, they too were out. Keep trying. Worth it.
Here’s the deal:
Preheat your oven to 400F degrees. Get out your sheet pan. Put the cherry tomatoes on the pan and toss them with most of the olive oil, reserving about a teaspoon. Then put your block of Greek feta in the middle of the pan and drizzle that remaining teaspoon of oil on the top of the cheese block.
Bake for 30 minutes — you’ll see the tomatoes start to burst open. Add 3 or 4 whole peeled garlic cloves, tucking them into the tomatoes. Increase your oven heat to 450F degrees and continue baking for another 15 minutes.
Meanwhile you can prepare your pasta. Here’s a tip though: don’t use a whole pound of pasta… use less, like maybe 12 ounces, so the result will be nice and cheesy and very flavorful. I used gemelli because that’s what I had; cavatappi or penne is fine too. Really, anything will work here. When the pasta is done to al dente or however you like it, reserve a cup of the pasta water and drain the rest.
Smash the feta and tomatoes and garlic with a fork, then add to your pasta and mix it all up. Add that reserved cup of pasta water to bind the whole thing together. You can add the chopped basil right there at the end and combine.
There are variations to this, like using goat cheese or even Boursin or spinach artichoke dip instead of the feta – I may try one or two of those. But trust me, try it with the Greek feta first (don’t use cow feta cheese, it won’t be as creamy. Use the Greek sheep’s kind.)
I’d love to know your reaction to this internet sensation. Give it a try on your next pasta night. Can 500 million viewers be wrong?!!
As soon as our cherry tomatoes come in -that will be in July- I’m definitely trying this! Thanx Goils!
We’re just planting ours now — can never have too many come summer! The nice thing about this recipe is that the tomatoes don’t have to be “the best” — roasting them will bring out the sweetness even from supermarket cherry tomatoes! Let us know what you think when you try it. It’s so simple,it’s amazing!
DEFINITELY WILL TRY THIS BUT I WILL SUBSTITUTE THE FETA WITH ANOTHER CHEES SINCE I AM NOT A FETA LOVER.
Yes definitely try with a different cheese… but I will say, the feta here really just gives it a salty creamy taste, not really feta-y. But do let us know how your variation works! Many other cheeses could work here.
We absolutely loved this recipe! A friend had given it to me, but I added shrimp to the top (about 6/person). I simply broiled them on a sheet pan with olive oil drizzled and more chopped garlic, kosher salt and pepper. You can also add a little more basil. We like the shrimp crispy, about 5 minutes, checking frequently. It was delicious!! It’s now one of my “go to recipes!! I also found Coppola pasta with unusual shapes and it looked so pretty!!
Always love your ideas — shrimp, why not?! This recipe is such a good starting point for other creative ways to use it.
A very similar recipe from Michael Solonomov, https://www.jewishfoodsociety.org/bringingisraelhome#episodeten
Correction: The correct spelling is Solomonov,
This recipe is everywhere these days! It’s an internet craze, like making sourdough bread was a few months ago.. only this one takes minutes not hours!
When I watched the tik took version, she didn’t roast the whole peeled garlic cloves with the tomatoes. Instead she chopped up the garlic along with the fresh basil and added them with the hot pasta water and stirred everything together.
I’d think this might have a somewhat different flavor? Any thoughts?
Thanks.
Yes I read different versions of this recipe and decided to go with the whole garlic because I’ve always loved softened garlic in dishes … I think it gives it a more garlicky flavor. But let us know if you try it the other way. Also you could try adding more basil at the end for another variation.