Baked Feta Pasta

• 1 block (7 oz / 200g)feta · in brine, not pre-crumbled
• 2 pints (about 600g)cherry tomatoes
• 4 clovesgarlic · peeled, left whole
• 1/3 cupextra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 tspchili flakes · optional
• 12 oz (340g)short pasta · rigatoni, fusilli, or penne
• 1 handfulfresh basil · torn
• 1lemon · zest only, optional
• to tastesalt and black pepper

Methode

1. 1

   Fill the dish with tomatoes and nestle the feta in the middle

   Tip the cherry tomatoes into a baking dish that holds them in a snug single layer, then clear a space in the centre and set the whole block of feta into it. You want the tomatoes crowded, not spread thin across a huge tray, so they steam and burst rather than dry out. The feta sits proud in the middle so its top can brown while its base softens in the tomato juices. Leave it whole, do not crumble it, since the block is what melts into a creamy sauce later.

2. 2

   Be generous with the olive oil

   Pour a good third of a cup of olive oil over everything, turning the tomatoes to coat them and spooning some over the feta. This is not the place to be shy: the oil is what carries the heat, roasts the tomatoes to jammy sweetness, and later emulsifies with the cheese and tomato juices into a glossy sauce instead of a watery one. Skimp on it and the dish bakes dry and the sauce never comes together. Season the tomatoes with salt and pepper now, but go easy on salt because the feta is already salty.

3. 3

   Add whole garlic and chili, not minced

   Scatter whole peeled garlic cloves among the tomatoes and add chili flakes if you like heat. Left whole, the garlic roasts slowly into something sweet, soft, and mellow that you smash into the sauce at the end, whereas minced garlic would scorch and turn bitter at this temperature and time. The chili flakes bloom in the hot oil and give a gentle background warmth. You can also tuck in a sprig of thyme or oregano. These aromatics do their work quietly under the heat while you do nothing.

4. 4

   Roast hot until the tomatoes burst and the feta colours

   Bake at 200C for around thirty to thirty-five minutes, until the tomatoes have collapsed and split and the top of the feta is soft with golden brown patches. This is the whole cook, and it needs proper heat and time: you are not warming the cheese, you are roasting the tomatoes until their liquid concentrates into something jammy and the feta caramelises on top. If your top is not colouring near the end, give it a few minutes under the grill. It should look burst, bubbling, and lightly charred, not pale and wet.

5. 5

   Boil the pasta while it roasts and save the water

   About fifteen minutes before the dish comes out, boil your short pasta in well-salted water until just al dente. Rigatoni, fusilli, or penne all work because their ridges and hollows grab the sauce. The one thing you must not do is tip the water down the sink: scoop out a mug of the starchy cooking water before you drain, because that starch is what will loosen the roasted cheese and tomato into a sauce that clings. Drain the pasta a touch early, since it finishes in the sauce.

6. 6

   Smash everything into a sauce

   Pull the dish out and, while it is hot, crush the softened garlic cloves and mash the feta into the burst tomatoes and oil with a fork until it turns into a rough, creamy pink-orange sauce. Do this the moment it comes out, because the feta smashes easily while hot and stiffens as it cools. You are looking for a loose, glossy sauce with some tomato skins and pieces still visible, not a smooth puree. This is the step where a tray of roasted vegetables becomes the dish everyone shared online.

7. 7

   Add pasta and loosen with the starchy water

   Tip the drained pasta straight into the dish and fold it through the sauce, adding splashes of the reserved pasta water until it turns silky and coats every piece. The starchy water is the trick that stops the sauce from sitting greasy or splitting: it emulsifies the oil and cheese into a smooth coating that clings to the pasta rather than pooling at the bottom. Add it a little at a time, since you can always add more but cannot take it back. Toss until glossy.

8. 8

   Finish with basil, lemon, and a taste for salt

   Tear in a good handful of fresh basil, add a little lemon zest if you have it, and taste before you serve. The basil goes in at the very end so it stays fragrant rather than stewing, and a hit of lemon zest cuts the richness of the cheese and oil and makes the whole dish taste brighter. Only now decide whether it needs salt, since the feta and pasta water have both seasoned it already. Serve straight from the dish while it is hot and glossy.