Baked Feta & Tomato Pasta

Ingredients

• 200g block feta
• 400g cherry tomatoes
• 50g pitted black olives, optional
• 2 garlic cloves, unpeeled
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 250g short pasta
• handful of basil leaves

Method

1. Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6.
2. Put the feta in the middle of a large baking dish and scatter the tomatoes, olives, and garlic around it.
3. Drizzle with olive oil, season, and bake for 30 minutes until the tomatoes are bursting and the feta is golden at the edges.
4. Squeeze the garlic from its skins into the dish and lightly mash it into the tomatoes.
5. Cook the pasta in salted boiling water according to the packet instructions, then drain, keeping back a mug of the cooking water.
6. Tip the pasta into the baking dish with a splash of the reserved water and mix until the feta breaks up into a creamy sauce.
7. Add more cooking water if needed, then finish with black pepper and basil.