Creamy Roasted Vegetable Penne with Feta Cheese

This roasted vegetable penne with feta is creamy, satisfying and filled with veggies.  It is also an easy low key meal that the whole family will love. 

It’s a gorgeous fall day here and for whatever reason, we still have veggies coming out of the garden. Yes, I know, crazy right? Last week was exceptionally busy with my daughters birthday. Rushing around doing all the typical birthday prepping. I had this idea that I would bake up some of those veggies and toss them into a pasta for a simple meal. That simple meal idea turned into a great dish to share with you.

This baked feta pasta is surprisingly easy to make and so good you will not believe it. I have to say that the star of the show is a big block of feta cheese placed in the center of fresh vegetables all roasted together that gives this pasta dish the very best flavor.

For this recipe you can opt to use whole wheat pasta or regular pasta. All you need is a large baking dish and a hot oven ready. 

Roasted Vegetable Penne with Feta Is…

• A great recipe for busy weeknights.
• Can be a pasta side dish or main dish.
• Packed with roasted vegetables and creamy feta cheese.
• A great way to sneak extra vegetables into your families diet.
• A real treat to make for dinner.

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Ingredients

Feta Cheese- for best results, use block feta cheese, a good quality.

Pasta- I like to penne pasta for this but rotini, bow tie pasta and rigatoni are great substitutes. You can make this gluten free by using gluten-free pasta. Your guests won’t notice the difference.

Pasta Water- save a cup of the pasta water, this is important when tossing the pasta together as it helps create a sauce. Don’t skip it.

Olive Oil- I use extra virgin olive oil but you can also use pure olive oil if you prefer. Avocado oil is also a nice alternative.

Fresh Herbs- a good sized bundle of fresh oregano is the perfect herb to add freshness and flavor. Rough chop the herb, a small bundle will yield roughly 2 tbsps.

Eggplant- use large eggplants. I use globe eggplant, but black beauty eggplant, and plain purple eggplant also work well. 

Carrots- use large carrots. If using small, add one or two more to make up the difference.

Onion- you can use yellow onion or white for this.

Seasoning- I use sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper but you can also use pink Himalayan salt or kosher salt as great alternatives or standard s/p. If using standard table salt use a slightly less then directed as table salt is slightly saltier than sea salt. Add more as desired.

Tools

Baking Pan or Casserole Dish

​*Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive commissions if you choose to purchase through the links I provide (at no cost to you).

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Clean and chop vegetables into about 1 inch pieces. Add them directly into a baking pan. Place the block of feta in the center. Drizzle the olive oil over the entire contents of the pan. sprinkle the salt and pepper over the vegetables.

Roughly chop the oregano and sprinkle it over the feta cheese and chopped vegetables. Use a slotted spoon or your hands to toss vegetables around in the oil, making sure they are coated in the oil.

Bake for 35 minutes or until the vegetables are roasted fully.

Cook the pasta according to package instructions. Save 1 cup of the pasta water, set aside. When the feta and vegetables have finished baking, remove the baking pan with heat resistant gloves and place it on a work station. Pour the cooked drained pasta directly into the baking pan along with half the saved pasta water. Use a large slotted spoon to toss the mixture until combined.

Add additional pasta water as needed until a creamy consistency is achieved. Serve warm. 

Cooking Notes

• ​You can use other vegetables if you would like. Some good ones to add in are grape tomatoes, red bell pepper, zucchini or other squash. 
• Cook pasta according to package directions. 
• If using a glass baking dish, use a cooking spray before placing the contents inside.
• You could also place a piece of parchment paper inside the baking pan for easier clean up.

How To Store

Store any leftover pasta in an airtight container placed in the fridge. Allow the pasta to come to room temperature before placing into the fridge. To reheat, I add a little olive oil into my caraway pan (below) and toss the pasta around to warm through. You can also place the pasta into the microwave to reheat. 

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• One- Pot Italian String Bean Minestra
• Fresh Lemon Rosemary Risotto
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If you try this recipe and love it, I would appreciate you coming back to give it 5 stars!