Comforting baked pasta with a creamy blend of feta, mozzarella, fontina, and parmesan cheeses.
# Required Ingredients:
→ Pasta
01 - 14 oz penne or rigatoni
→ Cheeses
02 - 7 oz feta cheese block
03 - 3.5 oz shredded mozzarella cheese
04 - 3.5 oz shredded fontina cheese
05 - 1.75 oz grated parmesan cheese
→ Vegetables & Aromatics
06 - 10.5 oz cherry tomatoes, halved
07 - 3 cloves garlic, minced
08 - 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
09 - 1 tsp dried oregano
10 - ½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
11 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
12 - 2 tbsp fresh basil leaves, chopped
# Preparation Steps:
01 - Set oven temperature to 400°F and allow to heat fully.
02 - In a large baking dish, combine cherry tomatoes with olive oil, minced garlic, dried oregano, crushed red pepper flakes, salt, and black pepper; toss well.
03 - Nestle the block of feta cheese in the center of the tomatoes; scatter shredded mozzarella and fontina evenly around it.
04 - Bake for 30 minutes until tomatoes blister and cheeses melt to a golden finish.
05 - Simultaneously, cook pasta in salted boiling water until al dente; reserve ½ cup of pasta water before draining.
06 - Remove baking dish from oven; stir in cooked pasta, reserved pasta water, grated parmesan, and chopped basil until creamy and homogenous.
07 - Adjust seasoning if needed and garnish with additional basil leaves; serve immediately.
