Baked Feta Pasta

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Baked feta and cream cheese pasta
This is my take on the viral baked feta pasta and is my new favourite pasta recipe. I love it because it involves no chopping, minimal prep work, and is super easy and yummy. I tried the original recipe using just feta cheese but found the dish was a bit too tart for my taste. So in my version I am toning down the feta with some cream cheese and adding honey after baking to add a bit of sweetness to help balance the dish. I also like to add some basil pesto, but this is optional, feel free to add some fresh herbs instead. You can also cook some protein like grilled chicken or shrimp to go along with this dish.
Ingredients
4 cups small tomatoes like cherry or grape tomatoes
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp pepper (to taste)
½ tsp salt (to taste)
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp fresh thyme
1 tsp red pepper flakes
5 large cloves of garlic (unpeeled)
½ to 1 tbsp honey (to taste)
5 oz. feta cheese (use the feta block, not the feta crumbles)
4 oz. cream cheese
2-3 tbsp basil pesto
10 oz. dried pasta (preferably a short pasta like spirals, bow ties, penne)
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Place the tomatoes in a 9” by 13” baking dish. Drizzle with 2 tbsp of the olive oil, and add the salt, pepper, thyme, Italian seasoning, pepper flakes and garlic. Toss to combined.
3. Place the feta and cream cheese in the middle of the baking dish surrounded by the cherry tomatoes, and add 1 tbsp of olive oil and extra black pepper on top. TIP: You want the tomatoes to crowd the pan, with little space between them, this will help them to stay juicy as they bake. The juice from the tomatoes and the melted cheese is what makes the sauce.
4. Bake in oven for 35-45 minutes until the tomatoes burst and are saucy, and the cheeses melt.
5. While the tomatoes and feta are baking, cook the pasta in a pot of salted water according to package instructions (or to your desired consistency). Drain and set aside.
6. Remove dish from oven, and set aside the cloves of garlic allowing them to cool slightly. Add the pesto and honey to the dish and start mixing and squishing some of the tomatoes until a sauce forms. Squeeze the garlic out of the skins and return to the dish and mix well- the cloves will be soft and sweet. TIP: Taste the sauce at this point and adjust- you may need to add more salt or honey to your taste.
7. Add the pasta and continue mixing until well combined.
8. Optional- I like to top mine with additional tiny dollops of pesto and a sprinkle of crumbled feta to serve.