TikTok trends have been a phenomenon of people completing challenges in order to become viral on this social media platform. Recently, a new TikTok trend has come to light in the form of food! I’m sure you’ve heard about it by now, but in case you haven’t, the #bakedfetapasta on TikTok has over 50 million views.
So, how did this trend get started? It all began when Mackenzie Smith, the blogger for Grilled Cheese Social, posted the recipe to her TikTok page. Soon, everyone was creating their own version of this recipe. This trend went viral around the world, causing a feta shortage all over the world. So, we thought we would give it a try, and let you all know if we think it’s worth the hype or not. We followed Feel Goodie Foodie’s recipe and used half the portions that were provided.
Recipe:
Total Cook Time: 40 mins
Ingredients:
- 8 ounces dried cavatappi pasta or pasta of choice
- 2 pints cherry tomatoes
- 8- ounce block feta cheese
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- ¼ cup packed chopped fresh basil plus more for serving
Items you will need:
- Medium baking dish or large ovenproof skillet
- Large pot
- Strainer
Directions:
Prepare:
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Place the feta blocks in the middle of the baking dish surrounded by the cherry tomatoes. Pour the olive oil on top, and season with salt and pepper. Flip the feta block a couple of times to coat it with the seasoning and toss the cherry tomatoes as well.
- Place in the preheated oven and bake for 35 minutes, or until the cherry tomatoes burst, and the feta cheese melts.
While in the oven:
- Add water and salt to your large pot, and bring salted water to a boil.
- Add pasta, and lower heat.
- After 15 minutes, or until pasta is soft, drain pasta. Before draining, be sure to reserve ½ cup of pasta water.
Finally:
- Add cooked pasta, garlic and reserved pasta water to the skillet or baking dish.
- Stir until completely combined
- Add basil before serving.
Cherry tomatoes, feta cheese block, salt, pepper, and olive oil on a baking sheet inside the oven. By: Stella González Pérez 
Cooked pasta. By: Stella González Pérez 
Baked feta and cherry tomatoes after 35 minutes in the oven. By: Stella González Pérez 
Cooked pasta added to the baked feta pasta. By: Stella González Pérez 
Cooked pasta mixed with baked feta pasta. By: Stella González Pérez 
Plated baked feta pasta. By: Stella González Pérez
The results you’ve been dying to hear: Was it worth the hype?
We could simply tell you it was good, which it was, but we evaluated this recipe on the basis of a few different categories:
Taste: 8.5/10
It was delicious! We had originally thought that this dish might be on the heavier side, but the consistency was light and enjoyable to eat! Did your parents ever give you ravioli as a kid? We think this dish might be the new Chef Boyardee for adults!
Presentation: 4/10
Let’s just say the feta doesn’t look very appetizing. The feta didn’t really melt in the oven and, instead of the creamy consistency that you usually see on TikTok, it turned out more crumbly. As a result, it resembles more throw-up than pretty pasta, so not ideal if you want to impress someone.
Easy to make? 9/10
It was incredibly easy to make, although it is a little time-consuming. If you want to make this meal in between classes, simply preheat the oven and prepare the meal before your class so that you can eat it right after! This recipe requires minimal effort, anyone can make it!
Overall:
Yes, it is worth the hype! The recipe tastes good and is easy to make. Although we did not find the presentation to be very appetizing, our taste buds told us otherwise. The only issue we had with this recipe was finding the ingredients- since it is by popular demand, feta is now hard to find!
