Baked Feta Pasta

Ingredients

• 2 pints cherry tomatoes
• ½ cup sliced red bell pepper
• ½ cup sliced red onion
• ½ cup olive oil
• 4 cloves peeled garlic, or more to taste
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest
• ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
• ½ teaspoon dried basil
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt
• 1 (8 ounce) package feta cheese
• 1 (12 ounce) package penne pasta
• 1 cup baby spinach

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
2. Combine cherry tomatoes, bell pepper, onion, olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, lemon zest, red pepper flakes, black pepper, Italian seasoning, basil, and sea salt in a 13x9-inch baking dish.
3. Make room in the middle of the pan and add block of feta cheese. Flip in oil, making sure cheese remains intact and becomes well coated.
4. Bake in the preheated oven until the cherry tomatoes begin to blister and split, 40 to 45 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, about 11 minutes. Drain and reserve about 1 cup of the pasta water.
6. Remove feta-tomato mixture from the oven. Mash garlic, tomatoes, onions, and peppers with a heavy spoon and mix with the feta cheese, creating a sauce. Stir in spinach and cooked pasta. The spinach will get cooked from the heat of the pasta sauce and pasta. Add pasta water, a little at a time if needed, to reach desired consistency. Mix well and serve.