A new trend has taken over TikTok. At the end of January, user “FeelGoodFoodie” on TikTok posted a video about the Baked Feta Pasta, saying the recipe was so popular that grocery stores in Finland ran out of feta cheese. From there, the recipe has gone viral. I initially thought the idea sounded questionable. The recipe seemed too simple to be as popular as it has become. However, most of the reviews have been positive, so I decided to try it for myself. The recipe I used was from delish.com, but many others can be found online on other websites. 

Ingredients:

• 1 pt. cherry or grape tomatoes
• 1 shallot, quartered
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
• 1/2 c. extra virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt
• Crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 (8-oz.) block feta
• 3 sprigs thyme 
• 10 oz. pasta
• Zest of 1 lemon (optional)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°. In a large ovenproof skillet or medium baking dish, combine tomatoes, shallot, garlic and most of the olive oil. Season with salt and red pepper flakes and toss to combine. 
2. Place feta into center of tomato mixture and drizzle top with remaining olive oil. Scatter thyme over tomatoes. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until tomatoes are bursting and feta is golden on top. 
3. Meanwhile, in a large pot of salted boiling water, cook pasta according to package instructions. Reserve ½ cup pasta water before draining.
4. To skillet with tomatoes and feta, add cooked pasta, reserved pasta water and lemon zest (if using) to skillet and stir until completely combined. 

After making the pasta, I completely understand why it is so popular. The recipe was simple and easy- you do not have to be a master chef to make it. However, I found that its simplicity was also its biggest fault. Based on the reaction it received on social media, I expected the pasta to be flavorful, when instead I only tasted one thing: the tomatoes. The tomatoes were an overpowering flavor, so much that it was hard to taste the cheese, which is supposed to be the star of the dish. Despite these criticisms, I would definitely make the pasta again, with modifications. Adding fewer tomatoes would help bring out the flavor of the cheese more. While this recipe is not perfect, modifying it to your liking is definitely worth the time because of how easy it is to make. Several websites, like Food Network, the Washington Post and Buzzfeed have all posted their own takes on the recipe, if you need further inspiration.