Baked Feta Pasta Lighter Twist

# What You’ll Need:

→ Dairy

01 - 7 oz reduced-fat feta cheese block

→ Vegetables

02 - 14 oz cherry tomatoes, halved

03 - 1 medium zucchini, diced

04 - 1 red bell pepper, diced

05 - 1 small red onion, sliced

06 - 2 cloves garlic, minced

07 - 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

08 - 1 tsp dried oregano

09 - ½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

10 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

11 - Fresh basil leaves, for garnish

→ Pasta

12 - 10.5 oz whole-grain penne or fusilli

# Directions:

01 - Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).

02 - In a large baking dish, combine cherry tomatoes, zucchini, red bell pepper, and red onion. Drizzle with olive oil, then season with dried oregano, crushed red pepper flakes if using, salt, and freshly ground black pepper. Toss to coat evenly.

03 - Nestle the block of reduced-fat feta cheese in the center of the vegetables. Drizzle a little olive oil over the feta.

04 - Roast in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes, until vegetables are caramelized and feta is soft and golden.

05 - While roasting, cook the whole-grain pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water according to package instructions. Reserve ½ cup of pasta cooking water before draining.

06 - Remove the baking dish from the oven and immediately add minced garlic to the hot vegetables and feta. Gently mash the feta and stir until creamy and well combined.

07 - Add the cooked pasta and a splash of the reserved pasta water to the baking dish. Toss gently to coat the pasta evenly with the creamy feta and roasted vegetable sauce.

08 - Transfer to serving plates and garnish with fresh basil leaves. Serve immediately.

# Expert Tips:

01 -

The feta becomes this creamy, dreamy sauce without any cream, and honestly, it tastes indulgent without the heaviness.
You roast everything in one dish, so cleanup is refreshingly minimal for a meal that tastes restaurant-quality.
It's naturally vegetarian but filling enough that no one notices the lack of meat, which means fewer conversations during dinner.

02 -

Don't add the garlic before roasting, or it'll burn and taste bitter—add it only after the vegetables come out of the oven so it just perfumes everything without overdoing it.
Reserve that pasta water before draining; starchy water is what makes the feta and vegetables cling to the pasta instead of sliding off.
Uniform vegetable cuts matter more than you'd think—if some pieces are much larger than others, they'll finish roasting at different times and you'll get inconsistent texture.

03 -