Baked Feta Pasta with Ravioli

Feta is a pickled curd cheese. It has a salty and tangy flavor that’s enhanced by the brine solution. Its fine texture makes it perfect for crumbling over watermelon and mint for a summery salad or stirring into a warm frittata. But when it’s baked, it turns soft and creamy, similar to the texture of goat cheese.

And, if you haven’t heard, baked feta with pasta was the internet’s must-try recipe a few years back. (Remember dalgona coffee too?) Since our Cheese of the Month for July is Appel Farms Basil Tomato Feta, we thought we'd bring this internet sensation back as it's definitely worth a repeat.

In this recipe, rich and tangy feta is baked with olive oil and cherry tomatoes until they burst into a bright sauce, before tossing with ravioli, fresh basil, and garlic.

This magical combination is bursting with the fresh flavors of summer. We’re filing this recipe under, “Easy, quick, and so darn good.”

Baked Feta Pasta with Ravioli

Ingredients:

• 20 oz cherry tomatoes
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 7 oz. Appel Farms Basil Tomato Feta (you can substitute plain feta if you can't get the basil tomato flavor)
• 2 pinches red pepper flakes
• 1 (10 oz.) package of your favorite ravioli (cheese or spinach make excellent choices)
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 handful of fresh basil leaves
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 400F. In a medium baking dish, add cherry tomatoes, olive oil, and salt. Toss together until combined.
2. Put the block of feta in the middle of the dish and add a splash of olive oil, along with two pinches of red pepper flakes. Bake for thirty minutes.
3. In the meantime, boil water and prepare the ravioli according to directions. Before straining, reserve ¼ cup of the pasta water.
4. After baking for thirty minutes, turn the oven up to 450F and bake for another five to ten minutes, or until the feta and tomatoes have browned.
5. Remove from the oven, add the garlic and basil, and stir. Add the ravioli, pasta water*, and season with salt and pepper.
   *If the sauce is too dry, you can add in the pasta water.