# Components:
→ Dairy
01 - 7 oz feta cheese block
→ Vegetables
02 - 1 lb 2 oz cherry tomatoes, whole
03 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
04 - 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
05 - 3.5 oz baby spinach
06 - 1 small red bell pepper, diced
07 - Zest of 1 lemon
→ Pasta
08 - 10.5 oz short pasta (penne, fusilli, or rigatoni)
→ Herbs & Seasonings
09 - 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
10 - 1 tsp dried oregano
11 - 1 tsp dried thyme
12 - ½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
13 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
14 - 2 tbsp fresh basil leaves, torn (for garnish)
# Method Steps:
01 - Preheat the oven to 400°F.
02 - Place the feta cheese block at the center of a large ovenproof baking dish. Surround with cherry tomatoes, sliced red onion, diced red bell pepper, and minced garlic.
03 - Drizzle olive oil evenly over the vegetables and feta. Sprinkle dried oregano, dried thyme, crushed red pepper flakes if using, salt, and black pepper. Gently toss the vegetables, keeping the feta in the center.
04 - Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes until tomatoes burst and feta is golden and soft.
05 - While baking, cook pasta in salted boiling water until al dente according to package instructions. Reserve about ⅓ cup of pasta cooking water, then drain pasta.
06 - Remove baking dish from oven. Stir in baby spinach and lemon zest.
07 - Add cooked pasta and reserved pasta water to the dish. Stir thoroughly until feta melts and coats pasta in a creamy sauce.
08 - Taste the mixture and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper if necessary.
09 - Sprinkle torn fresh basil leaves over the top and serve warm.
