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Over the past five years, baked feta pasta has been trending across social media channels.
The original version was first shared in Finland back in 2018. An American blogger, MacKenzie Smith of Grilled Cheese Social, made the recipe famous in the U.S. when she posted it to TikTok in 2019.
Grilled Cheese Social’s version calls for cherry tomatoes, olive oil, salt, and red pepper flakes to be baked with the feta. At the end, she mixes raw minced garlic, fresh basil, black pepper, and cooked bowtie pasta into the feta and tomatoes.
I am not a huge fan of feta, but baking it seems to mellow the flavor. While the original baked feta pasta is good, I wanted to add my own spin on it.
Years ago I had a recipe in Taste of Home magazine that was called “Tortellini with Asparagus and Lemon.” Since it also contained feta, I thought I would try updating that recipe in the manner of the recent trend. I also changed up a few other things and cut the amount of oil from Grilled Cheese Social’s recipe in half.
I think this is a great dish to serve out on the deck as a side with grilled chicken. It can also be served cold if you want to take it to a picnic or barbecue. Add a little extra oil if you think it needs moistening once chilled.
What I like about this dish is how the sweetness of the peas play off of the saltiness of the feta, the acidity of lemon offsets the richness of the tortellini, the asparagus gets browned on the edges which taste extra savory, and lastly, the pesto adds that vibrant garden flavor that screams of sunshine.
I would like to add that if you buy your pesto, make sure to read the ingredient list prior to making your purchase. Some brands contain surprising ingredients like sugar, glucose syrup, potato starch, and sulfites.
