Vegan Feta Pasta with Tomato, Butternut Squash, and Garlic
You may remember the viral feta pasta trending on Tiktok last year. But unlike many food trends on the platform, this vegan feta pasta recipe is here to stay!
This tomato feta pasta recipe is great for a midweek meal as it requires minimal effort, and you can cook the sauce in the oven while you unwind from a busy day.
Recipe Inspiration From Tiktok
If you didn’t catch the wave on Tiktok last year, you might be wondering what all the press about feta pasta is about. It was popular due to its iconic creamy taste and because it was super easy to make.
Feta pasta is a viral food trend that uses a whole block of feta (or vegan alternative) and tomatoes and roasts these ingredients until soft. Then, this cheesy tomato sauce is mixed with pasta and other ingredients.
For the recipe, I added butternut squash to add color and another level of creamy texture, as well as some hidden vegetables. I also added sage for some crispy bites to enhance the flavor of the dish.
How to Serve This Vegan Feta Pasta
Once you have mixed everything in the large baking dish, you are ready to serve!
Simply add a portion to a pasta bowl and top with extra crumbled feta, salt, and black pepper. You may wish to add fresh sage and basil leaves and chili flakes to jazz up the appearance of this pasta dish.
You could also serve this pasta dish cold for lunch the next day. Simply keep it in the fridge in an airtight container and chill overnight. Then enjoy this filling pasta and vegan feta recipe at work, school, or at home.
What Equipment You Need For This Vegan Feta Pasta
The beauty of this Violife feta pasta is that it uses minimal equipment. This is not only ideal if you are a student with basic kitchen utensils, but it also means when you finish cooking, there is minimal washing up. (Ideal!)
All you need is:
- 1 large oven-safe baking dish
- 1 saucepan (large enough for your pasta)
- Chopping board
- Sharp knife (butternut squash can be a little tricky to chop. Alternatively, you could opt for pre-chopped, frozen butternut)
How Does Vegan Feta Taste?
I use the Violife Vegan feta at home, so the taste and texture may vary if you use another plant-based cheese brand.
Violife uses coconut oil as a base for most of their cheeses, but despite this, the flavor is cheesy and almost resembles mild cheddar cheese. The Violife ‘Just Like Feta’ block tastes like a combination of feta and cream cheese. Dairy feta tends to be a little crumblier in texture. The cheese flavor is similar to feta, with a smooth, creamy texture (especially when melted).
INGREDIENTS
- 2.5 cups butternut squash – Frozen or Fresh, cubed
- 2.5 cups Sungold tomatoes, Cherry will work as well
- 1/3 cup olive oil plus more for drizzling
- 2 hefty pinches salt (just shy of ½ tsp)
- 1 block vegan feta cheese more for topping if desired
- 1 lb Rotini pasta
- 10 sage leaves minced
- 3 garlic cloves finely minced
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- salt and pepper
METHOD
- Preheat oven to 400F.
- In a baking dish, toss the butternut squash and Sungold tomatoes with olive oil, garlic, 1/2 tsp of salt, and fresh ground pepper.
- Next, place the block of feta in the middle of the butternut squash and Sungold tomatoes. Drizzle the feta with a little bit of olive oil and fresh pepper. Bake for 40 – 45 minutes.
- Meanwhile, prepare the 1 lb Rotini pasta according to the package.
- Remove the baking dish from the oven and immediately stir in the minced sage leaves and maple syrup.
- Now add the pasta to the baking dish and mix everything together.
- Season with more salt and pepper and extra crumbled feta if desired.
Vegan Feta Pasta with Butternut Squash
Ingredients
- 2.5 cups butternut squash Frozen or Fresh, cubed
- 2.5 cups Sungold tomatoes Cherry tomatoes will work as well
- 1/3 cup olive oil plus more for drizzling
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 block vegan feta cheese more for topping if desired
- 1 lb Rotini pasta
- 10 sage leaves minced
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F.
- In a baking dish toss the butternut squash, and Sungold tomatoes with olive oil, garlic, 1/2 tsp of salt, and fresh ground pepper.
- Meanwhile, prepare the 1 lb Rotini pasta according to the package.
- Remove the baking dish from the oven and immediately stir in the minced sage leaves and maple syrup.
- Now add the pasta into the baking dish and mix everything together.
- Season with more salt and pepper, and extra crumbled feta if desired.
