Vegan Baked Feta Pasta

If you’re on TikTok, you’ll be familiar with this new food trend! After the tortilla wrap hack, doughnut and pancake cereal and dalgona coffee this vegan baked feta pasta is the new thing to try!

For the vegan version, I’ve used plant-based feta and added red bell pepper as well as walnuts for a lovely nutty note. Hands down, my favourite recipe of 2021 so far! It’s not only incredibly simple to make but SO creamy and packed with flavour. Who’s gonna give it a try?!

Veganising the trend:

Thanks to amazing plant-based cheese alternatives, it’s surprisingly easy to veganise this trend. While the original recipe uses milk-based feta, we’re opting for a plant-based feta cheese alternative, made with coconut oil. As the coconut-based ‘cheese’ naturally contains a little bit more fat, we’re using less olive oil compared to the original version. 

Vegan feta alternatives:

If you can’t find a vegan feta alternative, you can replace it with silken tofu. It won’t achieve the exact same texture, but the tofu will hold the flavour of the other ingredients similarity well. Head to @fitgreenmind’s Instagram who has the best recipe for this alternative. 

Vegan baked feta paste variations:

Oh my, the possibilities with this recipe are endless! To simplify things even further, leave out the bell pepper and walnuts and add an additional handful of tomatoes.

If you’re loving your greens, add broccolini, asparagus or Brussels sprouts and roast for 20-25 minutes instead. Check out this article for the five best vegetables to roast.

Or why not try to reduce your time in the kitchen even further and cook the pasta in your baking dish? For this variation, add 250g spaghetti and 400ml as a first ‘layer’ to your baking dish. Then add vegan feta, olive oil, garlic, herbs and cherry tomatoes and bake for 25 minutes at 200°C.

Why you’ll love this recipe:

Minimal effort
This vegan baked feta pasta requires minimal effort and only a handful of ingredients, keeping your shopping list short – a speedy, inexpensive meal that will satisfy the whole family!

Combination of flavours
The flavours in this vegan baked feta pasta are exciting and incredibly comforting! The recipe only calls for basic ingredients but yields AMAZING flavour. The veggies develop lovely caramelised notes with a greater depth of flavour as they roasts in the oven. 

Allergy-friendly
This dish can easily be made nut or gluten-free an. Simply leave out the walnuts and make sure to use gluten-free pasta.

We hope you LOVE this vegan baked feta pasta! It’s:

Vibrant
Creamy
Nutty
& Delicious!

Now, are you ready for the secrets to this incredibly creamy pasta bake?

The setup for this flavoursome dish couldn’t be any simpler. Simply toss a few handfuls of cherry or plum tomatoes and sliced bell pepper into a baking dish. 

Now add the star of the show: a whole entire block of plant-based feta cheese. 

Drizzle in olive oil and add garlic, salt, pepper and Italian herbs.

Bake for 10 minutes at 200°C in the pre-heated oven then remove from the oven to add chopped walnuts. The nuts really take this dish to the next level, but if you’re allergic or nut a fan of walnuts, simply skip this step.

Bake for 8 more minutes then remove from the oven and stir in cooked pasta and serve with fresh basil. Yep, it’s that easy!

Ingredients:

• 1 vegan feta
• 230g pasta, cooked
• 500g cherry or plum tomatoes
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1.5 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp walnuts, roughly chopped
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp pepper
• Fresh basil to serve

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 200°C.
   
2. Add vegan feta to a baking dish. Add tomatoes, bell pepper, garlic, salt, pepper, Italian herbs and olive oil.
   
3. Bake for 10 minutes then remove from the oven to add chopped walnuts.
   
4. Bake for another 8 minutes. Stir in pasta and serve with fresh basil.