Tik Tok Pasta…..My Way
So I’ve discovered that the newer social media platforms really just aren’t my speed. I was down with Myspace (when that was a thing), Facebook is my jam and I clearly don’t have any issues with YouTube. However, for some reason I just can’t get into the newer platforms like Twitter (I know that one’s considered old at this point) or Tik Tok. I haven’t even tried making a Tik Tok account because I know that I’ll more than likely struggle putting out any content there. That being said, I acknowledge that though the beginnings of the food scene on this platform were dubious at best with people sharing all manner of kitchen hacks, most of which did not work, lately there have been some viral recipes that have taken off. I was still avoiding trying many of them due to my rebelling against the platform, but then I saw Paula Deen making this viral pasta dish on her YouTube channel. I then threw my hands up and said, “Well, if Paula can embrace it, then so can I!” Now, I tried the original Tik Tok pasta recipe as written, but found it to be rather uninteresting. It was good, don’t get me wrong, but I felt that it needed some extra push to bring it to the next level. That is the recipe you see here.
The basic process of the recipe I left completely alone as that is the whole point of the trend. I did, however, add some ingredients to amp up the flavor. The original consists of the feta cheese, cherry tomatoes, garlic, oil, crushed red pepper and a little basil (besides the pasta). I thought that the recipe could use something more Mediterranean, so I added oregano as well to the herb list. I also thought that the finished product needed more green and more bite, so I added zucchini for that extra veggie flair. This all gets thrown into a roasting pan and baked at a high-ish heat in the oven for 40 minutes. The long cook time at high heat breaks down the tomatoes and the zucchini and melts down the cheese into what will become the sauce.
Upon leaving the oven you mix up the ingredients in the pan until they become the sauce. I found it important to smash the garlic before you start mixing. The garlic, unlike the other ingredients, doesn’t break down as easily, but it does get soft enough to smash with a fork. I boosted the sauci-ness of this concoction by adding in some of the pasta cooking water. I also adjusted the amount of pasta. The original used only 10 oz. I don’t know about you, but I get a little annoyed when I read recipes that don’t use a whole pound of pasta. That’s how they sell it, so that’s how much I’m going to use. Stretching the sauce with the pasta water helps out with this too. I also felt like adding a little lemon to the sauce to really bring the flavor home. Adding in a lemon’s worth of juice really took this over the edge, and made me feel like I was eating something truly special.
In the end, I’m pleased with the final product of this. I’m glad that I tried the recipe and that I got to play around with it as I did. It just goes to show you that trying new things can turn out delicious results. I still don’t have a Tik Tok account, but I know I’ll be less suspicious of recipes from the platform in the future. Remember you don’t have to be a pro to make magic in your kitchen.
Joe the Blue Wizard
P.S. I added some air fryer chicken breast to the top of mine because…..why not?…haha
Tik Tok Pasta...My Way
Ingredients
- 1 pt. (280-310 g) Cherry Tomatoes
- 2 medium Zucchini, quartered and chopped
- 8 cloves Garlic
- 7 oz. (200 g) Greek Feta
- 1/2 tsp. (2.5 g) Onion Powder
- 1 1/2 tsp. (1.5 g) Dried Oregano
- 1 tsp. (1 g) Dried Basil
- 1/4 tsp. (0.5 g)Crushed Red Pepper
- 2 tbsp. (30 mL) Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 lb. (450 g) Medium Cut Pasta
- Juice of 1 Lemon
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F.
- In a large baking dish mix together tomatoes, zucchini and garlic and make a space in the center.
- In the space place the block of feta.
- Sprinkle over top the onion powder, dried oregano, dried basil, crushed red pepper and olive oil.
- Bake on middle rack of the oven for 40 minutes.
- Meanwhile cook and drain the pasta per the package instructions reserving at least a half a cup of the pasta cooking water.
- When the baking time is done, remove the pan from the oven and stir together the ingredients inside to form the sauce, adding enough pasta water to your desired consistency.
- Squeeze in the lemon juice and stir to combine.
- Add the pasta and stir until coated. Enjoy!
