Baked Cheddar Pasta (TikTok)

Y’all, I cannot believe I’ve waited this long to try this trendy recipe from TikTok!

For this recipe, I switched it up a bit. Instead of feta cheese, I used aged cheddar! I also added a few handful of baby spinach to add some color🌈

Not to mention... this recipe is PACKED full of PROTEIN (20 grams per serving)!

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 pints cherry tomatoes

• 4 cloves garlic, halved lengthwise

• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided

• 1 block aged cheddar cheese

• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

• Freshly ground black pepper

• 12 ounces medium-length dried pasta, (I used Barilla Protein + Penne)

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

2. In a 9x13 pan, combine tomatoes, 1/4 cup garlic, and olive oil. Place the block of cheese in the center of the pan and top with remaining olive oil. Sprinkle entire dish with red pepper flakes and black pepper. Bake for 40 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, cook your pasta according to the box instrucitons. (Don't forget to reserve 1 cup of pasta water when you drain the pasta!)

4. Once tomatoes, garlic, and cheese have finished cooking, mash and mix them together with a fork. Mix the sauce with the pasta and add reserved pasta water if dry. ENJOY!

NUTRITION

• Serving Size: 1/4 of recipe

• Calories: 572

• Sugar: 3g

• Sodium: 298.1mg

• Fat: 25.8g

• Saturated Fat: 9.8g

• Polyunsaturated Fat: 1.9g

• Monounsaturated Fat: 11.1g

• Trans Fat: 0g

• Carbohydrates: 63.9g

• Fiber: 3.3g

• Protein: 20.4g

• Cholesterol: 37.1mg