Baked feta and cherry tomatoes

This easy-baked recipe is ready in 30 mins.  Packed with nutrients that have been shown to help reduce your risk of breast cancer.

Prep: 5 mins Cook in 30 mins.

Serves 4

Ingredients

50ml olive oil

250g cherry tomatoes

250g baby plum tomatoes

200g block of feta

2 garlic cloves (more if you love garlic)

½ teaspoon dried oregano

300g of your favourite wholemeal pasta

Dried chilli flakes (optional) – a pinch is enough but if you like it fiery add a few more

A handful of basil leaves to dress the dish at the end

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 200°C upper and lower heat/Fan 180°C/Gas 6.
2. Place the cherry tomatoes and baby plum tomatoes into a large ovenproof dish. Drizzle over most of olive oil and season with a pinch of black pepper. Make sure they are fully coated by tossing them with your hands.
3. Place the whole block of feta in the middle of the pan surrounded by the tomatoes. Drizzle over the remaining olive oil and some black pepper. Slide into the oven and bake for 25 mins.
4. While the feta and tomatoes bake, fill a large pan with water and add a pinch of salt. Set on a high heat and bring to the boil. Peel and finely chop the garlic cloves.
5. When the feta has baked for 25 mins, check the pan of water and, if it’s boiling, add your pasta. Cook for the recommended time on the packet. Drain and set to one side.
6. After 25 mins, take the feta and tomatoes out of the oven. Use a fork to crush the feta and tomatoes and muddle them together. Add the chopped garlic, oregano and a pinch of chilli flakes, if you’re using them. Stir to mix. Return to the oven and bake for a further 10 mins until the feta and tomatoes have caramelised a little and the garlic is cooked (softened not burnt).
7. Remove the dish from the oven. Add the drained pasta and mix gently to coat the pasta. Serve the pasta garnished with a few basil leaves and drizzled with a little extra olive oil.

Optional:  serve with a nice chunky piece of wholemeal bread and use it to soak up the juices, yum!

Why this is good for you

Wholemeal pasta has a higher fibre content than durum wheat pasta and can help you achieve the 30g fibre/day recommended by the British Nutrition Foundation. More and more studies are showing that a diet high in fibre can help reduce your breast cancer risk.

Tomatoes are rich in carotenoid lycopene. Carotenoids are substances found in fruit and vegs responsible for their bright colours and have also been linked with a reduced breast cancer risk, especially when you eat lots of them. Lycopene is fat-soluble, so olive oil will help with its absorption.

Olive oil is high in monounsaturated fatty acids, containing about 75% by volume. When substituted for saturated fat, monounsaturated fats help lower your “bad” LDL cholesterol.