I did my usual run to Trader Joe’s over the weekend. I like to get there when they open because it’s not as crowded and I don’t have to wait in a socially distanced line when it’s -9 degrees outside. I have a very specific procedure when I grocery shop: I only cruise through the perimeter and I avoid the inner aisles with all the pre-baked, pre-processed stuff. Not because I don’t like those things–oh, quite the opposite, really. I’m avoiding the temptation. But produce, meats, dairy, and nuts, sometimes an occasional jar of salsa–those are my main stops. And when I arrived at the dairy part, I could not find any blocks of feta cheese!
I had seen the viral TikTok pasta on Instagram. (I did make a TikTok account for all of 10 minutes but then I chickened out because I am paranoid I’m being hacked by international spies who want my recipes and so I deleted the account…I think. If not, I most definitely did not create an account named Flake Mignon. Not me. … Nope…) So I had to try this pasta!
I asked a nice lady unloading a cart of cheese about 7′ tall (the cart, not her) if she had any feta and she said, “We are completely sold out. None of us saw it coming. By Friday we were totally out of stock.”
Sounded pretty serious. Obviously, I could not back down on this TikTok pasta. But without a feta brick, I had to settle for crumbles. Fortunately, I can go with the flow. In the end, it really didn’t matter. It was the most divine, saucy, tangy-creamy-salty-savory piece of noodle I have ever consumed. I want to dunk my head into a bucket of it. That’s how delicious it was.
Jimmy has his “arsenal,” which is the list of recipes he wants me to make over and over again. I am starting my own armory for my own preferences and this one is at the top!
The recipe is actually super simple to put together. You just need a cast iron skillet. The gist of it is that you dump a pound of cherry tomatoes in the skillet, a roughly chopped onion, some garlic, salt, and A LOT of extra virgin olive oil. Then you put the feta in the center and bake the whole thing for about an hour. The tomatoes will burst and get super jammy and the onions will char and caramelize. The feta will get a little more salty (since you’re evaporating the water from it by roasting it) and a chewy-crumbly texture. It’s like a cheese curd! And then you toss the whole thing with pasta, cream, parmesan cheese, cayenne, and adjust for salt. Ya have to, have to, have to adjust for salt. You keep adding it and sampling until you can taste the spice from the cayenne pepper. That’s how you know it’s sufficiently salted.
Jammy Tomato and Feta Pasta
Equipment
- Cast iron skillet
Ingredients
- 1 lb Cherry tomatoes whole
- 1 Yellow onion chopped roughly
- 5 cloves Garlic minced
- 6 oz Feta block brine drained (crumbles are fine, too)
- 1/3 cup Extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp Kosher salt plus more for taste
- 1/2 lb Dry pasta cooked and drained
- 1 cup Pasta water reserved
- ⅛ tsp Cayenne pepper
- 3 tbsp Heavy whipping cream
- 1/4 cup Grated Romano cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F / 220°C. In a large cast iron skillet combine cherry tomatoes, chopped onions, minced garlic, extra virgin olive oil, and salt. Toss to combine. In the center of the skillet on top of the vegetables, place your block of feta, or if using crumbles, dump them in the center, keeping them packed together. Roast for 35 minutes. Lower heat to 400°F / 200°C and continue roasting for 30 minutes. Tomatoes will burst and onions will char and caramelize.
- Shortly after beginning the second roasting at the lower temperature, boil water seasoned with salt. Cook pasta for 10-12 minutes, then reserve 1 cup of the pasta water before draining. Return pasta to the pot.
- When vegetables and feta are finished roasting, scrape them out of the cast iron skillet into the pot with the pasta. Add the pasta water, cayenne pepper, heavy cream, and Romano cheese, stirring to combine. Adjust with salt before serving. You will know when you've added the right amount of salt when you taste the heat from the cayenne and the sweet, acidity of the tomatoes.
oh makes my mouth water and my lips pucker! am putting my grocery list together and will be sure to pick up some extra cherry tomatoes and a block of feta cheese this weekend!
I’m looking forward to this recipe because i’m looking for meat free dishes during the week. I know you fast only on Fridays, but I want to try and do extra and wait until Sunday to eat meat! Pray for me!!!
Can’t wait to see how you prepare it!!!
OK!!!! I love this dish!!! I added sliced bella mushrooms and a bag of Argentinian shrimp from TJs! (this is my goto shrimp & I highly recommend!); and I agree with Virginia, definitely will in the rotation moving forward!!! The flavor is exactly what i imagined with the feta, tomatoes, onions and garlic..”controlled” tanginess which i imagine is due to the heavy whipping cream; the Argentinian shrimp is a cross between shrimp and lobster; I didn’t use box pasta; I used the Rana linguini pasta, cause its closest to homemade pasta and Ray and I both really enjoy it. Thanks for this recipe!!!
Fantastic! Everything blended so well and the flavors pop! Definitely going into our regular rotation!
Thanks, Virginia! I am honored such a great chef like you enjoyed it!!