Baked Feta with Cherry Tomatoes

Ingredients

• 4 tbsp olive oil (divided)
• 1 lb cherry tomatoes (450 to 500 g)
• 4 garlic (cloves, thinly sliced)
• 1 shallot (small, optional, thinly sliced)
• 1 hot chilies (small, optional, thinly sliced; or a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes)
• flaky sea salt (to taste)
• fresh cracked black pepper (to taste)
• 7 oz feta cheese (200 grams block, cut into two slabs)
• 1 handful fresh basil
• bread (for serving, such as focaccia or crusty bread)

Steps

1. 1

   Heat oven to 400ºF (200ºC). Place one rack in the middle of the oven and another rack at the very top, close to the broiler.

2. 2

   Pour 2 tablespoons of the olive oil into an 8- or 9-inch baking dish.

3. 3

   Add the cherry tomatoes, sliced garlic, sliced shallots (if using), and sliced chilies (or red pepper flakes) to the baking dish.

4. 4

   Sprinkle the vegetables with a pinch of flaky sea salt and cracked black pepper to taste. Toss everything together to coat thoroughly in the oil.

5. 5

   Place the two slabs of feta cheese into the dish among the tomatoes.

6. 6

   Drizzle the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil over the feta and tomatoes. Crack more black pepper over the top to taste.

7. 7

   Transfer the pan to the middle rack of the oven and bake for 20 minutes.

8. 8

   After 20 minutes, move the pan to the top rack and switch the oven to the broiler setting on high. Broil for about 5 minutes, watching closely, until the tomatoes are blistered and the cheese is slightly browned.

9. 9

   While the tomatoes broil, warm your bread in a toaster oven or on the bottom rack of the main oven.

10. 10

    Remove the pan from the oven. Toss in a handful of fresh basil and stir gently to combine the melted cheese and juices. Serve immediately with the warm bread.

Notes

To turn this into the viral pasta recipe: Use 8 tablespoons of oil total and boil 1 lb of pasta. Save the pasta cooking liquid. Toss the cooked pasta with the finished roasted tomato-feta mixture, thinning with the reserved liquid if necessary. For a low-carb version, toss with the roasted strands of one spaghetti squash.

Nutrition per serving

• appetizer
• vegetarian
• baked
• dip
• summer
• easy
• viral recipe