Baked Goat Cheese Pasta | Lite Cravings | Healthier Recipes (2024)

My take on the viral Tik Tok recipe, herbed goat cheese and fresh spinach make this Baked Goat Cheese Pasta a healthy and easy weeknight meal!

A few months back, it seemed that all I saw over foodie social media was that baked feta pasta from Tik Tok.

Basically, people doused tomatoes in olive oil, spread them out in a baking dish, and placed a block of feta in the middle. Baked in the oven, the tomato juices and cheese mixed together for a decadent-looking pasta sauce.

I love the idea of the recipe. Simple, clean, and tasty. But I love the creaminess and saltiness of goat cheese, and found that you can use less of it than feta and still get a nicely balanced sauce.

No need for all of that olive oil, either. Most recipes I saw called for around 1/2 cup of olive oil. One tablespoon was just enough to provide some flavor and help with caramelizing the tomatoes.

HOw to make baked goat cheese pasta

The tomatoes are the star of the show, so make sure you use good ones. We’re just heading into prime tomato season, so now is the time to make this!

In a large baking dish, toss together the tomatoes, olive oil, a little bit of salt, pepper, dried basil and oregano (Italian seasoning could work, too). Add some red pepper flakes in you want a little kick.

Spread the tomatoes out and make room in the middle for a 5-ounce log of herbed goat cheese. Sometimes, this is labeled as “chevre.” I like the extra flavor that the herbs add to the recipe. You could definitely use plain goat cheese if you want, though.

Most recipes say to bake at 400F or about 40 minutes. I wanted to shorten that bake time, so I went with a higher heat and opted for the smallest tomatoes I could find–grape tomatoes.

If you use a larger variety, like cherry tomatoes, you may need to increase your bake time. You want them slightly browned and beginning to burst.

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While the tomatoes and cheese are baking, cook up your pasta and reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking water. We’ll use that to help the sauce come together. You probably won’t use the whole 1/2 cup, but better to have too much than not enough.

I did a couple of other things differently. Some recipes have you adding garlic cloves to roast with the tomatoes. I liked the pungent flavor of adding fresh garlic right when the dish come out of the oven.

I also added some baby spinach for color and nutrition. This saves me from making a side salad, and I think it adds a lot of flavor and body to the sauce.

All you have to do at this point is toss in your cooked pasta and a little bit of that reserved water. Mash the tomatoes down with a spoon as you’re mixing, and a magical sauce will start to develop!

I was skeptical about how this all would come out, but I have to say that it is absolutely fantastic. The goat cheese adds just enough creaminess and flavor. Goat cheese and tomatoes are a match made in heaven, and everything is better with pasta!

More recipes like Baked Goat Cheese Pasta

If you’re looking for more 30-minute meals, check out these other great recipes:

• Easy Korean Ground Beef
• Penne alla Vodka
• Healthy Shrimp Scampi Pasta
• Creamy Cajun Pasta

I’d love to hear from you if you make this recipe! It makes my day when you share your pics on Instagram and tag me (@litecravings). Don’t forget to use #litecravingsrecipes to make sure I see it. If I don’t get a chance to scroll through my tags quickly enough, I won’t see your post. I always make a point to look through the hashtags, though, so I’ll see it there!