Martha Put Her Spin on the Baked Feta and Tomatoes Trend and It Looks Incredible

Martha used a handful of pantry staples to elevate the baked feta and tomatoes trend.

Karla Walsh February 17, 2021

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When you heard the phrase "feta recipe" just a few months ago, you may have envisioned a lettuce-free and fully-loaded Greek salad, spinach-stuffed spanakopita or perhaps an herb-spiked watermelon-feta salad.

But everything changed the day cheese-loving TikTok-ers resurfaced Finnish food blogger Jenni Häyrinen's "Uunifetapasta," or oven-baked feta pasta. She originally posted the how-to in 2019, but after a few other popular social media stars posted their own renditions, baked feta pasta officially became the biggest viral food trend of 2021 so far. (Case in point: To date, #bakedfetapasta has nearly 68 million views on TikTok.)

Credit: Getty Images / Arnold Turner / Stringer

Many EatingWell editors and several popular bloggers including Smitten Kitchen, Just a Taste and Gimme Some Oven have all tried and raved about the original, and now Martha Stewart is putting her own twist on the trend.

Related: Baked Cheese Is Taking Over the Internet—Here's How to Make It at Home

We love that Stewart's variation is even easier to whip up come winter since it relies on pantry staples instead of fresh tomatoes (which taste best come summer, but still work well in the colder months once roasted, as they are in the baked feta pasta). Plus it can be served as an appetizer—scoop up with crostini or crudités—or mixed with pasta just like the OG version.

To make Stewart's Baked Feta-Marinara Dip, blend homemade marinara sauce or store-bought marinara (we love Organico Bello Spicy Marinara Pasta Sauce; $26.50 for three 25-ounce jars, Amazon.com) with a few jarred piquillo peppers, which offer a spicy-sweet kick. Pour this combo into a baking dish, pop a block of feta on top, then bake in a 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes, or until the marinara mixture it begins to bubble around the edges. Dress it up with a pinch of red pepper flakes and/or fresh basil leaves, then scoop up with bread or veggies or toss with cooked pasta.

We can't wait to try the original Baked Feta-Marinara Dip recipe, as-is, then keep riffing on the theme by trading goat cheese or halloumi for the feta and romesco, pesto or butternut squash pasta sauce for the marinara. Let the feta-fest continue!