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Feta softens in the oven before it's combined with spinach and pasta, with the pasta cooking right in the baking dish. Enjoy this one-pan pasta with feta dish on its own as a vegetarian main or serve with sautéed chicken breast for a boost of protein.

EatingWell.com, April 2021; updated October 2022

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Read the full recipe after the video.

Recipe Summary

active:
10 mins
total:
50 mins
Servings:
4

Nutrition Profile:

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How to Make Baked Spinach & Feta Pasta

This one-pan baked feta pasta is the perfect weeknight dinner. This simple recipe is made even easier by cooking the pasta in the baking dish. Here's how to make it:

Bake the Feta

We start by baking a block of feta cheese in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish until softened. Baked feta is the creamy, tangy and flavorful base of this recipe.

Prepare the Spinach

While the feta is baking, combine the baby spinach, olive oil, garlic, dill, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Massage the spinach until it's reduced in volume by half. Massaging the spinach helps break down the vegetable's fibrous texture, leaving the leaves with a softer texture, which makes it easier to combine with the dried pasta.

Bake the Pasta

Next, we add the spinach and pasta mixture to the baking dish with the baked feta. Boiling water is poured over the mixture, which will cook the pasta in the baking dish. It's important to cover the baking dish tightly with foil to keep the heat and moisture in so that the pasta cooks through. Bake until the pasta is tender, which only takes about 18 minutes. Once it's baked, stir the pasta, cover and let it sit for 3 minutes before serving. This ensures the pasta has absorbed all the moisture from baking.

Additional reporting by Jan Valdez

Ingredients

Ingredient Checklist

Directions

Instructions Checklist
  • Preheat oven to 400°F.

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  • Place feta in the center of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Bake until softened and starting to brown, about 15 minutes.

  • Meanwhile, combine spinach, oil, garlic, dill, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Use your hands to massage the spinach until it's reduced in volume by half. Stir in pasta.

  • After the feta has baked for 15 minutes, add the spinach and pasta mixture to the baking dish. Pour boiling water over the mixture and gently stir. Cover with foil and bake until the pasta is tender, about 18 minutes. Remove from the oven and stir. Cover and let stand for at least 3 minutes before serving.

Equipment

9-by-13-inch baking dish

Nutrition Facts

1 1/4 cups
394 calories; fat 19g; cholesterol 32mg; sodium 480mg; carbohydrates 45g; dietary fiber 6g; protein 14g; sugars 3g; niacin equivalents 5mg; saturated fat 7g; vitamin a iu 2458IU; potassium 286mg.
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