Baked Feta Pasta with Shrimp
The ultimate comfort meal for when you want something creamy and decadent without the effort.
When your energy is low but your craving for a rich, comforting dinner is high, this roasted feta pasta is the perfect solution. By roasting a block of cheese until it becomes molten and gooey, you create an instant sauce that coats every strand of pasta and coats each piece of shrimp in savory goodness. It's a minimalist cooking process that delivers maximum flavor, making it ideal for those nights when you just want to put something in the oven and relax. You can practically smell the toasted garlic and herbs hitting the hot air as soon as you walk into the kitchen. This dish feels like a fancy restaurant pasta but takes half the effort to get on your table.
Ingredients
- 1 unit block of feta cheese — approx. 8 oz
- 1 lb large shrimp — peeled and deveined
- 3 cup dry pasta — such as penne or fusilli
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes
- 4 unit garlic — minced
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes — optional for heat
Method
- 1 Preheat your oven to 400°F and grease a medium-sized baking dish.
- 2 Place the block of feta in the center of the dish. Arrange cherry tomatoes around it and toss with garlic, olive oil, oregano, and red pepper flakes.
- 3 Scatter the shrimp into the tray among the tomatoes and drizzle with a little more oil.
- 4 Bake for 15-20 minutes until the feta is soft and the shrimp are pink and opaque.
- 5 While baking, boil your pasta in salted water according to package instructions. Drain well.
- 6 Remove the baking dish from the oven. Stir everything together vigorously with a fork or spoon until the cheese melts into a creamy sauce.
- 7 Toss the cooked pasta into the baking dish and mix thoroughly until coated before serving.
Variations
- Vegetarian Twist — Replace the shrimp with a can of drained chickpeas for a hearty plant-based protein.
- Speedy Version — Use pre-cooked pasta and a smaller amount of cherry tomatoes to reduce roasting time by 5 minutes.
Notes
If your feta is very firm, it may take an extra 5 minutes in the oven. Make sure to stir well enough that the cheese fully emulsifies with the oil and tomato juices.
Equipment that helps
- Baking Dish — Holds the cheese and vegetables together while they roast into a unified sauce.
- Large Pot — Necessary for boiling the pasta to ensure it cooks evenly.
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