Baked Feta Pasta (TikTok Recipe, Veganized)
This vegan baked feta pasta will make you shed a tear of joy. Using simple, plant-based ingredients I’ve been able to create the creamiest cheesiest pasta sauce of your dreams.
If you’ve been on Instagram or TikTok lately, you’ve surely seen a version of Baked Feta Pasta making the rounds. The TikTok famous recipe went so viral, that it supposedly saw feta cheese sold out all across Finland. The dish actually originates in Finland, by food blogger Jenni Häyrinen who created the recipe in 2019, coining the term Uunifetapasta.
Luckily, us vegans don’t have to worry about feta being sold out across superstores. This recipe has no *actual* feta cheese in it. Instead, we make a mock feta cheese utilizing extra firm tofu, cashews and a few strategic seasonings and spices.
Why You’ll Love Vegan Baked Feta Pasta
- It’s So Cheesy: Yes, I know there’s no actual cheese in this vegan Baked Feta Pasta, but trust me when I say this dish is seriously cheesy. This is a dead ringer for a creamy cheese non-vegan pasta sauce.
- It’s Simple To Make: Like all my recipes, this is pretty straightforward. You just blend up your ‘cheese’ ingredients, throw tomatoes in an oven safe container along with the blended cheese, and let it bake. The prep probably takes less than 10 minutes.
- Made With Good For You Ingredients: As far as healthiness goes, this recipe meets all the marks. Packed with protein from the tofu and the cashews, nutrients from the aromatic spices, tomatoes, and spinach packed in, and all topped off with a whole grain pasta, I’d say you’ve got a great well rounded vegan meal to enjoy!
How To Make The Viral TikTok Recipe
Making this Baked Feta Pasta is easy.
You’re going to want to start by preheating the oven to 400F, and picking out a deep baking dish to cook your sauce in.
Now, simply add all of the feta ingredients to a high speed blender or food processor, and give it a whirl. I used a vitamix, and I did have to use the tamper a bit. It probably took about three minutes to achieve a creamy consistency. And shhh… I didn’t even boil or soak my cashews.
A standard food processor will do the job just fine as well.
Now that you feta is made, pour the tomatoes into the baking dish, drizzle with olive oil and top with salt and pepper. Scoop your ‘feta’ into the middle, and pop in the oven for around 35 to 40 minutes until the tomatoes have bursted.
While the sauce is roasting, cook up a pasta of choice. I used whole wheat penne. For a gluten free option, chickpea pasta or brown rice pasta would both work great.
Once the sauce is cooked, take it out of the oven and stir. This is the best part because you get to see the melty tofu feta meld with the bursted cherry tomatoes. Pour the pasta in, toss and enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I Make This Recipe Nut Free?
Yes! To make the tofu feta recipe nut free, I recommend simply omitting the cashews. To add a little fat, you could sub with some tahini or sunflower seeds, but it’s honestly not necessary.
Can I Make This Recipe Soy Free?
Yes again! To make this recipe soy free, I suggest using my cashew cream cheese recipe in place of the tofu feta which you can find here.
What About Oil Free?
To make this recipe oil free, simply do not drizzle the tomatoes with olive oil. I caution against this though, because it really does add to the richness of the dish.
Can I Add More Veggies?
Absolutely. I would suggest adding sauteed mushrooms, peppers, onions and garlic to this dish. You could also add fresh basil!
Other Vegan Pasta Recipes
- Gigi Hadid’s Vodka Pasta Recipe VEGANIZED
- Vegan One Pot Pasta
- Pasta With Vegetables Recipe (Vegan, Oil Free)
- Quick & Easy Green Glowing Pasta Salad
The Recipe: Baked Feta Pasta Veganized (TikTok Recipe)
Ingredients
- 1 350g extra firm tofu
- ½ cup cashews, Soaked overnight or boiled for 30 minutes
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 2 ½ cups cherry tomatoes
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cups penne, cooked, drained
- 1 handful spinach or basil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400F.
- Add all the vegan feta ingredients to a high speed blender or food processor, including the tofu, cashews, sea salt, nutritional yeast, garlic powder and apple cider vinegar. Blend until a smooth sauce is formed.
- Add the tomatoes to a baking or casserole dish, along with a drizzle of olive oil and salt and pepper. Pour the tofu “feta” in the middle, and top with more salt and pepper. Pop in the oven for 35 to 40 minutes, until the tomatoes have bursted.
- Stir with a spoon until the tomatoes and “feta” meld together, and add a handful of spinach into the mix. Pour in the pasta, and mix until coated with the sauce. Enjoy with more freshly cracked pepper and red chili flakes.
Notes
Soy Free: Make my cashew cream cheese and bake it instead.
Amazing!! So easy and so quick! It’s really easy to add other veggies to it too. Try to use cherry tomatoes and err on more tomatoes than less. Fed this to non vegans who thought I had made them the cheesiest, creamiest cheat meal (aka not vegan). Little did they know how healthy and VEGAN it was!
Thank you Ally!!
SOOO good! My nonveg husband said the recipe is a keeper & is excited for leftovers!
Thank you so so much!
Really good, everyone loved it and so easy to make. I try to eat vegan most of the time but the other people of my family are all non-vegans (and non-vegetarian) and cheese lovers. But they all really loved this recipe and want to make it again in the future.
Ahh I’m so happy thank you!!
Hi! Looks delicious! Do you know how long the vegan feta would last if I was prepping it? Can I keep it in the fridge for a couple days or is it a ‘day of’ thing?
Oh my goodness, this turned out delicious!! The non-vegan version has been all over my social media feeds so I was looking for a vegan option and this is absolutely perfect. Thanks so much!
This was absolutely amazing, and will definitely be added to the rotation!! My daughter has a nut allergy so I used 2T tahini instead of the cashews. Otherwise I made it exactly as written. Yum!
So glad to hear the tahini worked out and that you enjoyed the recipe! I appreciate it so much.
AMAZING RECIPE! I’ve been subscribing to Plantyou for around a year and a half and this recipe is everything! Along with so many other great recipes this one is truly amazing. The tofu sauce comes out so creamy and when paired with the burst tomatoes makes for a flavor explosion in your mouth! It doesn’t even resemble a vegan meal… I made it for one of my non vegan friends and he loved it! Will definitely be making for a everyone. The recipe is so simple with just a few ingredients I typically always have on hand and quick and easy to throw together. It will definitely be a staple meal in my household from now on!!
Wow! This comment made my day. Thank you so much Kelli
Is it 2 cups of raw pasta or 2 cups after it’s cooked?
2 cups after cooked! Sorry I didn’t see this sooner
This is so delicious. So quick and easy for supper! I can’t wait to play around with adding more veg into it.
Thank you so much! This would be delicious with more veggies added
I was honestly a skeptic…”vegan feta!?” And you have won me over–this is delicious! Thanks for veganizing this! Love it!
This makes me so happy thank you!
I’m really looking forward to trying this, I’m wondering if this can be made and reheated ?
I found vegan feta at Fresh Direct, so using it will be simpler and similar to the regular recipe.
I made this for dinner tonight and it was so good! My husband was *sure* I used the real Israeli feta we have in the fridge. Lol! I’m cooking more plant based and I’m now making a completely plant-based dinner once a week. My only mod was adding about 5-6 cloves of garlic to the tomatoes in the roasting pan. I served a raw asparagus salad on the side.
I will def make this again!
I saw that the video says ¼ cup cashews but the recipe calls for ½. What do you recommend?
Hello – when I made the feta I wasn’t getting a smooth sauce as per your description and couldn’t figure out why. I went to view your video to see if what you were referring to as ‘smooth’ is what I was getting and in your video you measure out 1/4c of cashews but your recipe calls for 1/2c and that’s what I used and thus why my feta wasn’t smooth. I’ve since added a bit of cashew milk and it’s in the oven. Fingers crossed (but please update the printed recipe!).
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This recipe was delicious!! Had it with some whole wheat homemade bread. So easy, I will be making this when I I have the family crowd! Allows you to put a delicious meal on the table without having to spend hours in the kitchen. Thank you! We loved it.
I’m going to try this this week. Wondering if the cashews should be raw?
I have been making this almost every week. So easy and delicious! I like to add sliced mushrooms in with the tomatoes and bake everything together ❤
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