Around GMA

Article Inside Page

You've probably seen a lot of different takes on the viral Baked Feta Pasta food trend on TikTok. But do you know where it all started and what's the original recipe? Read on to find out!

The original Baked Feta Pasta / Source: @liemessa (IG)

Whether you're a TikTokerist, an insatiable foodie, or an avid cook, chances are you've already tried or at least seen or heard about the Baked Feta Pasta.

But did you know that before becoming a trend on TikTok, it first went viral in Finland?

The now world-famous recipe is actually the brainchild of Finnish food blogger Jenni Hayrinen, who first shared the recipe on her blog Liemessa.

Food artist, visual storyteller and creator of the Baked Feta Pasta recipe, Jenni Hayrinen / Source: @liemessa (FB)

It was posted a year and a half ago in Finnish and became an instant hit in Finland. Jenni wrote in her blog that feta cheese sales went up 300% after her recipe went viral and to date the original recipe has over 2.7 million views.

The Baked Feta Pasta then became a worldwide phenomenon on TikTok when American chef-blogger @grilledcheesesocial and @feelgoodfoodie shared the English-translated recipe on the platform.

So, if you want to try making the original Baked Feta Pasta recipe, see the ingredients and procedure below.

Ingredients:

1 lb / 450 g italian durum wheat pasta
1 block (7 oz / 200 g) greek feta cheese
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 red chili pepper
500 g cherry tomatoes
4 garlic cloves (optional)
black pepper
salt
bunch of fresh basil leaves

Procedure:

1. Pour some olive oil on the bottom of a baking dish.
2. Place the whole feta block on top.
3. Add the chopped red chili pepper on top of feta cheese.
4. Pour more olive oil on top.
5. Place the cherry tomatoes on the sides and roll around in oil.
6. Grind some pepper and season with pinch of salt.
7. Bake at 400 F / 200 C for 15 minutes in the middle rack.
8. Turn the heat to 440 F / 225 C, move the dish to the upper rack and use the grilling mode for another 10 minutes.
9. Cook the pasta al dente according to cooking instructions.
10. Break the feta a bit and mix with tomatoes.
11. Mix the sauce with pasta and add basil leaves.
12. To add garlic, cut four garlic cloves in half lengthwise, toss them in at the same time as the tomatoes and roll in olive oil.

Jenni Hayrinen also gave a couple of cooking tips in her blog. She warns about the alarm on the oven going off while baking, because hers does so every time.

Plus, she said you should remove the stems of the cherry tomatoes, because they're merely for decorative purposes so the photo will be Instagram-worthy.

For more recipes from the creator of the Baked Feta Pasta, check out her blog and social media accounts.

Be sure to head to GMA Lifestyle's page for more content like this.

Check out also other food trends that people went crazy for in 2020 in the gallery below.