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This recipe, based on one published in the Washington Post, will make four servings for hearty appetites.

Ruminations on Cooking – rustic feta based pasta sauce

For a creamier texture, be sure to use Greek feta, which is made from at least 70 percent sheep’s milk. Any pasta shape you have on hand will do, but we recommend a medium-length pasta that holds onto the rustic sauce for optimal enjoyment.

Activetime:10 mins; Total time:45 mins

Ingredients

• 18 ounces cherry or grape tomatoes
• 4 cloves garlic quartered lengthwise
• 1/2 cup Pompeian Robust extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• Sea salt
• 1 block (7ounces) Greek feta cheese; be SURE it’s at least 70% sheep’s milk as feta made in the United States is usually cow’s milk
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• Coarse ground black pepper
• 12 ounces (3/4 box) San Giorgio Rigatoni #23, a robust pasta to keep its cook time a bit flexible and one that holds the rustic sauce well
• Fresh basil leaves, for serving

Steps:

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees with the rack in the middle.

Use a 9 by 13 inch baking dish for this recipe, the size fits pretty exactly with that 12 ounces of rigatoni.

Combine the tomatoes, garlic and 1/4 cup of the olive oil in the dish, sprinkle with some salt, and stir the ingredients, I used my hand, to coat them with the oil. When the tomatoes and garlic are well coated, make an open spot in the center of the dish, then put the block of feta cheese in it, moving the tomatoes back next to the cheese. Add the remaining 1/4 cup of olive oil by drizzling it over the entire dish, and sprinkle the red pepper flakes and a little black pepper over it.

Put the baking dish in the oven and bake everything for about 40 minutes. The garlic should have softened and the tomatoes burst their skins.

Make the pasta according to the manufacturer’s directions for an al dente result. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water (just in case you need it) and drain the pasta.

Mash and stir the feta and tomatoes with a fork until they are evenly combined, then add the pasta and mix until everything is coated. This might include adding a little of the reserved pasta water if the mix is a little dry.

To serve family style, just add the basil leaves to the top of the pasta mixture and place the baking dish on a trivet in the center of the table.