TikTok's Feta Pasta Isn't As Good As It Seems. Here's Why

Even though TikTok only allows short videos to be uploaded, the site has still seen some simple recipes go viral. One of the most popular trends has been a dish that includes feta cheese, cherry tomatoes, and pasta. The sales of the Greek cheese have skyrocketed thanks to this trend, but many who have attempted the dish themselves have learned that it isn’t all that special. It’s not outright bad, but the feta is too strong, and there aren’t enough other ingredients to balance everything out. Let’s take a look at why TikTok’s feta pasta isn’t as good as it seems.

#TikTok #Pasta #Cheese

Where it came from | 0:00
Why people love it | 1:26
A one-dimensional dish | 2:36
Garlic's an afterthought | 3:24
Too tangy | 4:30
Too much feta | 5:23
The type of feta matters | 6:17
Too salty | 7:11
Why put it on pasta? | 8:04
Chuck the tomatoes | 8:46
How about a little heat? | 9:34
Needs more color | 10:33

[nikitaschristou]

Y'all are trippin, I haven't tried it with mascrarpone but as a greek that doesn't even go crazy for feta, this is BUSSIN

[UncleEbenezer]

As a Greek pro chef, I cook w feta frequently. The trick is to finish the dish w crumbled feta and not continue to heat -- just let a little residual heat soften it. If you heat it too much, it breaks down and makes your dish grainy. Feta is a terrible "melting" cheese, hence why you'll never see a feta fondue.

[MariaVana]

I made this a few weeks ago and it was amazing, a very important inclusion of chili flake and finishing with a bit of lemon zest and squeeze of juice really pulls it together

[coolwipp]

J Kenji Lopez Alt gave it his stamp of approval, so...

Get out of here with your bad take

[olivecherry]

If you use enough olive oil, the dish gets less salty and tangy. Since tomatoes and feta are both quite flavorful, you don't really need that much of extra. Although it helps.
This kind of trick doesn't work, I know what I've come from and what I made.

[stroudm]

The dish is fine, and very tasty when seasoned properly. This video and critique is nothing more than sour grapes snobbery from the pretentious, foodie do-gooders who feel like they got left out in the rain because their attempts haven't yielded the success of this particular TikTok food craze. Get over yourselves.

[Crux]

To be fair, I just had this today and it was literally WTF AMAZING! (You have to use cherry tomatoes grown in the summer)

[hastangz]

Sure, although the dish is rather salty due to the prime usage of the feta, the cherry tomatoes tend to sweeten it quite a bit. Which is obviously the reason why you should use a 2 to 1 ratio (2 parts tomatoes - 1 part feta) to be able to counter it all. Maybe even the right seasoning, and the extra bit of herbs could help balance it out a bit more.

Of course, that's my opinion, and so it happens that my opinion of this dish is rather positive. If you don't like it, that's your opinion and I will respect it.

Also... isn't it kind of odd how a food outlet decides to bash a plate for the sole purpose of 'it's popular, so let's do smth abt that'. Don't get me wrong, I've seen them give opinions on other foods, but usually foods from fast-food chains, different restaurants and all that hoo-hah.

This is just a meal created by someone on TikTok just because they thought it was great. Just like someone would do it on YouTube.

Gotta love how outlets try and find every little thing to be relevant, not gonna lie.

[ItsAlwaysSummer]

It’s delicious! I added green onions, garlic, mushrooms, asparagus, cream cheese and fresh basil.

[EliteClinicalResearch]

Y’all are tripping. This dish was beyond amazing! You have to use garlic and fresh basil as well as use some pasta water!

[qo]

People who hate this pasta probably just eat mac n cheese.

[KevyB]

It's pretty good. Y'all need to calm down.

[bradleybaker]

Click bait garbage. It’s actually an amazing recipe. Follow J kenji Lopez’s version. I added pesto, lemon and bacon and the recipe was BUSSIN!!!!

[ChucklesMcChuckleson]

So a couple things really help this dish. First, add some base olive oil to the bottom of the pan before you put in the tomatoes. Dice garlic to taste - i like a lot - and add it to the bottom, again before the tomatoes. Finely dice a shallot and add it as well. Then add the tomatoes. Stir. Add salt and pepper. Stir again. Get all the ingredients covered. Then add the feta, hit it all with a final light coat of olive oil and season the cheese and tomatoes. Go very light on the salt at this stage and favor pepper, as Feta is naturally salty. Now bake this for approximately 40-45 minutes. Boil and add your pasta when it's ready. Reserve one cup pasta water. Add pasta and stir. Have a little lemon zest ready. Stir again. Now you've got a balanced dish that isn't so heavy on one flavor.

[theresenydahl]

Greek and Italian cuisine does'nt mix well. The feta makes this dish taste too sour, use mascarpone instead for a better result❤

[catwithnohatf]

As a home cook ( most of the time when i cook i dont just stop at the bare minimum recipient i always spice and spazz it up as i go ) and their is more types i used cows milk because sheep and goat are more salty.

[toniroberts]

When I saw the video, I was intrigued but I already knew I’d have to make serious corrections. Such as yes, adding garlic to the tomatoes before roasting, cutting the cheese in half, and I’d definitely add a little sugar to the tomatoes, maybe a splash of red wine vinegar to the tomatoes, and possibly extra veggies to the pasta (like baby spinach).
In any event, it’s very rare I find a recipe that I wouldn’t make corrections to. It was interesting so I enjoyed it.
I absolutely LOVE MSG. Thank god some people still think it’s ok lol
I also agree that this would make a fabulous dip with some pita chips or grilled sourdough bread! ❤️

[girlonfiregirlonfire]

I just made it for dinner for me and my husband and it was awesome it was good yeah sure it was just tomatoes and feta and pasta but I did it with beef stuffed pasta and for once my husband actually liked something that I cooked LMFAO

[MrMikkyn]

I made this. People said Feta baked tastes gritty, that didn’t happen to me. I mixed pasta water and used a 1/4 cup olive oil. It wasn’t that good though. I tried to jazz it up with fresh thyme, lemon zest, honey, dried chilli. It was nice for trying something for the first time, but I wouldn’t cook it again.

[violetwade]

It should't but with all the chunky cheese bits, acidic tomatoes, and sheer SOURNESS, it reminds me of....vomit.