Baked Feta Pasta Veggies (Printable)

A lighter twist with whole-grain pasta and roasted vegetables for a flavorful Mediterranean meal.

# 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 - Set oven temperature to 400°F.
02 - In a large baking dish, combine cherry tomatoes, zucchini, red bell pepper, and red onion. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with oregano, crushed red pepper flakes if using, salt, and black pepper. Toss to coat evenly.
03 - Place the feta cheese block in the center of the vegetables and drizzle a little olive oil over it.
04 - Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes until vegetables are caramelized and feta is golden and soft.
05 - While roasting, cook whole-grain pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water according to package directions. Reserve ½ cup of pasta cooking water, then drain pasta.
06 - Remove the baking dish from the oven. Add minced garlic to the hot vegetables and feta, then gently mash the feta and mix together until creamy and well combined.
07 - Add the cooked pasta and a splash of the reserved pasta water to the baking dish. Toss until the pasta is evenly coated with the creamy feta and vegetable sauce.
08 - Plate immediately and garnish with fresh basil leaves.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • It feels indulgent while being genuinely good for you, which is the kind of lie I want to believe in.
  • Everything happens in one baking dish, so cleanup is actually manageable on a weeknight.
  • The roasted vegetables turn sweet and caramelized, making the whole thing taste like comfort without the heaviness.
02 -
  • Don't skip reserving pasta water; that starch is what makes the sauce cling to the pasta instead of pooling at the bottom of the dish.
  • If your feta doesn't soften enough, the whole dish falls flat—use full-size blocks, not crumbled feta, and don't be tempted to skip the oil.
  • Taste as you toss; the vegetables will have released their own salt, so you might not need more than you think.
03 -
  • Use a block of feta from the dairy case, not pre-crumbled; the difference in how it melts is genuinely transformative.
  • Mince your garlic just before adding it to the hot vegetables so it blooms and perfumes the entire dish without tasting bitter or burnt.
  • If your sauce seems too thick, pasta water is your friend—add it a tablespoon at a time until everything flows the way you want it to.
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