If you’ve been on TikTok these past few weeks, you’ve probably seen at least one, if not many, videos of people trying out a pasta dish. The feta pasta dish, the newest addition to TikTok’s viral food chain, has left Americans dying to get their hands on a block of feta.

Feta cheese has a tangy, rich, and slightly salty flavor, making it perfect for pasta. In fact, all the way over in Finland, grocery stores have been running low on their feta supply due to this delicious recipe. Who knew a combination of pasta, tomatoes, and cheese would inspire hundreds, including me, to try out this new recipe? The question is: is the dish worth the hype? 

One main reason as to why this pasta recipe went viral was because of its simplicity. Here are the steps to create your own feta pasta:

1. Wash and add 2 pints of cherry tomatoes into a baking dish or an oven safe pan
2. Pour ½ cup olive oil all over the tomatoes and season with salt and pepper
3. Toss the tomatoes until they are all covered will oil 
4. Add one 8 ounce block feta cheese right in the middle of the dish
5. Add 2 garlic cloves 
6. Pour an extra drizzle of olive oil on top of the cheese 
7. Bake at 400 degrees for 35 minutes 
8. Prepare 8 oz of cooked pasta to add to the dish 
9. When the tomatoes and cheese come out of the oven, immediately mix everything together 
10. Add the pasta, give it a good toss, add basil, and you’re done! 

Personally, my answer to the question is no. This recipe was overhyped, but there are still many ways to improve this basic recipe to improve the flavor! To brighten it up with more flavors, try adding in some lemon zest, dried oregano, and red pepper flakes. The lemon zest gives it a nice brightness because it cancels out some of the richness from the feta. Also, when making this pasta dish, or any pasta dish, please remember to save the pasta water!  I saved about a cup and used almost all of it—the starch in the water helps emulsify the sauce and make it creamy. 

If you are not a huge cheese fan, there’s still a chance for you to enjoy this recipe too! You can cut back on the intensity of the feta by using half a block (instead of using a full one) and add a lot more pasta water. You can even make the sauce creamier with heavy cream without the cheese.

If feta cheese is simply not your favorite, there are many other pasta recipes to try. Maybe try Gigi Hadid’s pasta recipe that went viral on TikTok a few months ago. Or maybe create your own recipe! Who knows, maybe your recipe will go viral just like this one did.