Baked Feta Pasta (High Protein Version of a Viral Favorite)
My take on the viral Baked Feta Pasta with a few simple swaps to make a higher protein, lower calorie version. Perfect for an easy dinner or meal prep!
Servings: 2 servings
Calories: 492kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups dry protein pasta of choice (see Note 1)
- 100 g block of feta cheese
- 3 cups cherry tomatoes
- 6-8 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
- ½ tsp freshly cracked black pepper
- ½ tsp chili flakes, optional
- Salt, to taste (I use about ½ tsp; see Note 2)
- 1 tbsp olive oil (if you're using extra virgin, make sure the smoke point is above 400℉)
- ¾ cup spinach
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400℉
- Add the feta block, cherry tomatoes, garlic, freshly cracked black pepper, chili flakes and salt to a broiler-safe baking dish
- Drizzle with olive oil then mix until the tomatoes and feta are coated
- Bake for 40-45 minutes or until the feta is soft and the tomatoes have burst, then broil for 30 seconds
- Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to a boil and season generously with salt
- Cook the protein pasta then drain and set aside
- Mash the feta and garlic then mix with the tomatoes
- Stir in the spinach and return to the oven for 10 minutes or until the spinach is wilted
- Remove from the oven and stir in the cooked pasta then serve or divide into heatproof containers for meal prep (see Note 3)
Notes
Note 1: My favorite protein pastas are the Garofolo and Barilla protein pasta, but you can use any protein pasta of your choice or even regular pasta.
Note 2: Start with less salt, then add more to taste after you've mixed the feta, tomatoes and spinach together. The tomatoes need salt, but the feta is also salty.
Note 3: This recipe makes 2 large dinner sized servings, but you could also make 4 smaller lunch sized servings.
Note 4: The original creator of this recipe is Jenni Häyrinen. You can find her version on her blog Liemessa or her social media channels. All credit for the idea and inspiration behind this recipe goes to the original creator.
Nutrition Facts in the recipe card below are calculated automatically and may be inaccurate. For more accurate nutrition information, refer to the macros below. Macros in the Recipe Notes section are calculated using a Macro Calculation App but will differ slightly based on ingredients used in individual variations. Nutritional information for this recipe is based on one serving.
Macros per serving: 621 calories/33g protein/69g carbs/21g fat
Nutrition
Serving: 1 serving | Calories: 492kcal | Carbohydrates: 63g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 45mg | Sodium: 619mg | Potassium: 806mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 2635IU | Vitamin C: 60mg | Calcium: 318mg | Iron: 3mg