A whole block of feta roasted with cherry tomatoes, chickpeas, garlic, and olive oil — until everything is jammy and gold. Toss with pasta or scoop with bread.
Ingredients
- 1 lbcherry tomatoes, mixed colors if possible
- 1 canchickpeas, 15 oz, drained and patted dry
- 8garlic cloves, smashed
- 1shallot, thinly sliced
- ⅓ cupolive oil, good quality
- 1 tspkosher salt
- ½ tspred pepper flakes
- 1 tspdried oregano
- 8 ozGreek feta, one block, sheep's milk
- 1 tbspfresh thyme, leaves
- freshly cracked black pepper
- 1
Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
- 2
In a medium baking dish or oven-safe skillet, combine the cherry tomatoes, chickpeas, garlic cloves, and sliced shallot. Drizzle with the olive oil. Sprinkle with salt, red pepper flakes, and dried oregano. Toss to coat.
- 3
Push everything to the edges of the pan, creating a well in the center. Place the block of feta in the well and spoon a little of the oil mixture over it. Top with the fresh thyme.
- 4
Bake for 25–30 minutes, until the tomatoes have burst and released their juices, the chickpeas are golden and crispy at the edges, and the feta has softened and cracked.
- 5
Crack black pepper over the top. Serve immediately, scooping with crusty bread, or toss with hot drained pasta and a splash of pasta water.
Nutrition
Per serving · estimated
- Protein16 g15%
- Carbs38 g35%
- Fat24 g50%
More detail
- Fiber8 g
- Sugar10 g
- Saturated fat8 g
- Cholesterol30 mg
- Sodium880 mg
Nutrition values are estimates based on standard ingredient databases. Actual values may vary depending on brands, substitutions, and serving sizes.
This dish is what happens when "baked feta pasta" — the TikTok phenomenon of 2020 — meets the older Greek tradition of roasting feta with tomatoes and herbs. The chickpeas were Kinji's addition, and they are what take it from a quick pasta sauce to a real meal that stands on its own.
It is one of the easiest dinners on the planet. Everything goes in one pan. The oven does the work. Thirty minutes later you have something genuinely delicious.
Why this works
Feta does not melt the way other cheeses do — it softens and cracks open, releasing salty pockets of richness into whatever is around it. When you roast it with cherry tomatoes, the tomatoes burst and release their juice, which mixes with the cracked feta and the olive oil to form a sauce.
Chickpeas in this context act like little roasted nuts — they crisp up at the edges, soak up oil, and give the dish protein and structure. You can sub white beans, butter beans, or even cannellini, but chickpeas hold their shape best.
Choosing the feta
Use real Greek feta — sheep's milk or sheep-and-goat. Avoid the dry crumbly American "feta-style" cheese, which tends to be cow's milk and does not behave the same way under heat. Sheep's milk feta has the right fat content to crack and soften without turning into a puddle.
Buy a block, not pre-crumbled. The block holds its shape in the pan and releases its flavor more slowly, which gives you a better final texture.
Two ways to eat it
As-is, with bread. Pull warm crusty bread apart and use it to scoop the cracked feta, jammy tomatoes, and chickpeas. Add a green salad. Open a bottle of crisp white wine.
Tossed with pasta. Cook pasta separately, drain (saving a bit of the water), and toss the pasta directly into the hot pan from the oven. Use the pasta water to loosen the sauce. The whole thing becomes a creamy, jammy, salty pasta in about 90 seconds.
Make-ahead
The prep is so minimal there is no real make-ahead value, but the leftovers reheat beautifully and the pan can be covered and refrigerated for up to three days. Reheat in the oven at 350°F for 10 minutes, or on the stovetop with a splash of water.