Back in 2021, a baked feta pasta recipe went viral on TikTok. People around the world became obsessed with the dish, which is heavy on dairy and definitely not plant-based. But did you know it’s possible to make vegan baked feta pasta?

The original recipe, which was covered by media outlets including the Washington Post, features dairy feta cheese, garlic, red pepper flakes, and cherry tomatoes, which are baked together in olive oil to make the sauce.

This vegan take on the baked feta pasta recipe uses ingredients including vegan feta, tomatoes, aubergine, nutritional yeast, and capers. It comes from recipe developer Natali Eleftheriou, the owner of Natilicious Food.

What is vegan feta?

Vegan feta is generally made with coconut oil, which allows the cheese to melt in a similar way to dairy cheese. The vegan cheese market has come a long way in the last few years, and it’s now possible to find dairy-free feta in many supermarkets and grocery stories. The below recipe uses Violife, but you can also opt for other brands like Nurishh or Green Vie.

A report published in October 2023 predicted that the vegan cheese market would grow to USD $9.1 billion by 2032, growing at a compound annual growth rate of 12.8 percent. Growing public awareness of the ethical, environmental, and health costs of dairy is driving demand.

Vegan baked feta pasta recipe

Mediterranean pasta with baked feta, tomatoes, aubergines and capers. It will take less than 40 minutes (prep and cooking time) to make, and it won't disappoint!

Baked feta pasta cooked to a dairy-free recipe

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Servings

Ingredients

220 g cherry tomatoes
200 g aubergine (eggplant), cut in small cubes
200 g plant-based feta (I used Violife)
2-3 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp capers
3 sun-dried tomatoes (from jar), cut into pieces
2-3 cloves garlic, crushed
Salt and pepper
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp garlic granules
Fresh or frozen basil
500 g pasta of choice

Instructions

Preheat the oven at 180°C
In a baking tray, spread the cherry tomatoes, aubergine cubes and in the middle add the feta
Sprinkle the olive oil and all the remaining ingredients, except the basil and pasta
Give it a good stir around the feta and add 80ml of water
Cover with foil and bake for a total of 30 minutes, the last 5 minutes uncovered
While the feta/veggie mixture is in the oven, cook your pasta according to the package instructions
Add the cooked pasta in the feta mixture, sprinkle some basil and combine

If your feta is very salted add less salt