Spicy Tomato Feta Pasta

So, I finally cooked the viral TikTok baked feta pasta recipe. And you know what? It was actually good! Good enough to get me thinking about what made the recipe go viral in the first place: It is simple, yet very tasty. If you haven’t already seen it in the wild, picture juicy cherry tomatoes roasted in the oven until bursting, surrounding a big block of feta cheese that turns soft and melty as it heats up. Once mixed together, everything melds into a rich and creamy sauce that erupts with sweet and bright tomato flavor. Toss with cooked pasta and you've got an easy weeknight dinner.

This version incorporates the one element I wish the original had: HEAT. Calabrian chile paste brings a spicy kick that offsets all the richness of the cheese. But that isn’t the only aspect that you can tweak to your liking. Customize this pasta dish by stirring spinach or torn kale leaves into the tomatoes and feta right after they come out of the oven so the heat can wilt them right into the sauce; or by garnishing with fresh basil leaves or oregano. However you make it yours, this dish is a great way to use up any end-of-summer tomatoes you might have lying around. —Rachel Gurjar