This was my dinner tonight!

Ingredients

• 2 pt. cherry or grape tomatoes
• 1 shallot, quartered
• 3 cloves garlic, smashed 
• 1/2 c. extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• Kosher salt
• Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 (8-oz.) block feta
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme 
• 10 oz. pasta
• Zest of 1 lemon (optional)
• Fresh basil leaves, for serving

Directions

• Preheat oven to 400°. In a large ovenproof skillet or medium baking dish, combine tomatoes, shallot, garlic, and all but 1 Tbsp. oil; season with salt and red pepper flakes and toss to combine
• Place feta into center of tomato mixture and drizzle with reserved 1 Tsp. oil. Scatter thyme sprigs over tomatoes.
• Bake until tomatoes are bursting and feta is golden on top, 40 to 45 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta, stirring occasionally, until al dente according to package directions. Reserve 1/2 c. pasta water before draining.
• To skillet, add cooked pasta, reserved pasta water, and lemon zest (if using) and stir until combined. Top with basil.

I used Cavatappi ¹pasta in my dish and block of Feta cheese. This recipe is easy and delicious,

Takes about 40-45 minutes to bake the tomatoes, the shallot, the garlic, and the Feta

1. Hailing from Southern Italy, this fun springy pasta can be described as a twisted “corkscrew” with hole. Cavatappi is a sturdy cut and ready to take on hearty sauces and chunky ingredients. This fun, versatile shape goes great with cheesy baked pasta dishes with spicy sausage and peppers, as well as cold pasta salads with fresh vegetables. ↩︎