I saw a video of a baked feta pasta recipe that was all over Instagram and Facebook (it originated on TikTok), the last few months, and it looked good! But I do not eat dairy or pasta too often, so I thought … let’s try a lighter version of this recipe, baked tomato and feta noodles.
First replace the feta with a block of Violife feta plant-based cheese. Then, instead of pasta, use Thrive Wonder Noodles. I also added spinach and scallions. It was delicious! We also had some crusty bread to dip in the sauces—umm umm good!
To Healthy Eating!
Melissa
P.S. Remember to follow me in the Power of 5 Test Kitchen and join in the happenings!
• Like our Facebook Page
• Follow us on Instagram: @powerof5testkitchen and @drdavidbernstein
• Tag two of your friends to share this post!
Baked Tomato and Feta Noodles
A spinoff of the TikTok tomato feta pasta recipe ... vegan and lower in calories thanks to Thrive Wonder Noodles! Really tasty!
Ingredients
- 2 pints Cherry or grape tomatoes About 17 1/2 ounces or 500 grams.
- 4 cloves Garlic Halved lengthwise or 1 Tbsp minced—I like extra garlic! 1 clove is about 1/2 a tsp.
- 1/2 cup Extra-virgin olive oil Divided.
- Kosher salt
- 1 block Feta cheese If vegan, use Violife Brand. If you eat dairy, try Greek feta cheese.
- 1/2 tsp Red pepper flakes, crushed Or more to taste.
- 1 tsp Freshly-ground black pepper Or more to taste.
- 2 7 oz Pkgs Thrive Wonder Noodles—shirataki Or 12 oz. of dried pasta such as campanelle, rigatoni or rotini if you want to use pasta.
- Fresh basil leaves For serving.
- 1 cup Spinach, fresh Lightly chopped.
- 4 stalks Scallions Chopped, include the greens.
Instructions
- Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 400º F.
- In a 9 x 13" baking dish, combine the tomatoes, garlic and 1/4 cup of the olive oil. Sprinkle with some salt and toss to coat. Place the feta* cheese in the center of the tomatoes and garlic. Top with the remaining olive oil, and sprinkle the entire dish with red pepper flakes and a little black pepper. Bake for about 40 minutes, until the garlic has softened and the tomatoes have burst their skins.
- *If you are using Violife plant-based feta, reduce the total cook time to 30 minutes and do not add the plant-based feta cheese until the last 8 minutes of baking. Any earlier, and it will disintegrate ... so monitor carefully. My first batch did just that; however, it blended in so deliciously I didn't care!
- Add chopped spinach and scallions into the mixture so it all bakes together.
- Meanwhile, if using Wonder Noodles, rinse the noodles well and cook as directed on package.
- If you are using pasta, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to package directions until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water and then drain the pasta.
- Mix the feta, tomatoes and veggies with a fork until evenly combined. Mix the sauce with wonder noodles or pasta, adding the reserved pasta water as needed if it looks a little dry.
- Taste and season with additional salt and pepper, if desired. To serve, divide among bowls and top with plenty of basil leaves.
Notes
Melissa's Modifications: What are shirataki noodles or Wonder Noodles? They are made from glucomannan, which is a starch found in the konjac yam, an eastern and southeastern Asian plant.
These noodles are free of gluten, fat, grain, and soy. They are VERY VERY low in calories and have no fat! Give them a try ... some people find they have an odor when you open the package. I rinse them with cold water thoroughly and it goes away. When you add any sauce to the noodles, they take on the flavors especially if they are cooked in the sauce. Some may not like the texture—not much you can do about that, but it's worth a try for a low-cal healthy modification.
Nutrition Value:
Light version using vegan cheese and shirataki Wonder Noodles:
Calories: 325; Total Fat: 26.6 g; Saturated Fat: 15.7 g; Cholesterol: 0mg; Sodium: 437 mg; Carbohydrates: 12.3 g; Fiber: 3 g; Sugar: .6g; Protein: 2.2 g.
Using original recipe ingredients:
Calories: 718; Total Fat: 40 g; Saturated Fat: 12 g; Cholesterol: 44 mg; Sodium: 596 mg; Carbohydrates: 66 g; Dietary Fiber: 5 g; Sugar: 8 g; Protein: 19 g.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
