While my taste buds changed in a way to accommodate even more delicious plant foods, the one food I still can’t get behind is raw tomatoes. I now LOVE mushrooms and regret not adding them to this dish. There are so many foods I didn’t care for in my pre-vegan, or pregan days, mushrooms being one of them. So we figured the whole baking process needn’t occur and we could just use our beloved iPot. Really the only magic performed here is the melting of the cheese which we don’t need to figure out anyway, since our dish is going to be plant-based and totally dairy free. It consists of taking a baking dish, pasta, cherry tomatoes, and a block of poisonous feta cheese and baking it until the cheese melts and everything gets mixed together. If you haven’t been on TikTok to see this viral trend, I will explain it and save you from the addictive nature of this forsaken app. We especially love using the lentil pasta in the pressure cooker because it holds its shape and stays more al dente during the cooking process. It is even gluten-free if you use red lentil pasta like we did. Our version of this recipe is truly healthy and perhaps easier and faster than the originals. While it may be a little more calorie dense than some of our other recipes because of the tofu, it is a far cry from the other viral videos we’ve seen using feta cheese and olive oil. What we love about this recipe is it requires zero chopping, you can set it and forget it, and it is deliciously flavorful and fast. We did the same thing for our New Year’s Hoppin John video with great success. Usually, our exciting twist is being able to make it in the Instant Pot or pressure cooker, and this time was no exception. Inherently not vegan, we sought to not only veganize this viral trend in our own healthy way, but to add an exciting twist to it. This time it was the food hack taking over the world: Baked “Feta” Pasta.

You remember our first viral TikTok experience when we did the highly popular tortilla hack with our own homemade red lentil flatbread tortillas. We tried another TikTok viral video trend, that is.

If you want to add more veggies, stir baby spinach into the alfredo pasta or meat sauce, or throw in frozen peas for an added serving of greens.Oops, we did it again. Add chili flakes or Calabrian chili paste to the mushroom mixture for a bit of a kick. Mushrooms work too! Blitz a pound of mushrooms, such as cremini, in a food processor and brown instead of beef for a veggie substitute. The meat sauce can also be wholly plant based, and use products like Impossible crumbles to substitute in for beef.

To add a bit of fiber and protein, use a whole wheat noodle or try gluten-free pasta for the recipe to suit those with allergies. Spaghetti also isn’t essential for this recipe-you can use another long noodle, like linguine or fettuccine, or go for a tubular pasta like ziti or penne. Amp up your homemade or jarred alfredo sauce by stirring in roasted garlic or garlic powder for a garlicky flavor, or add some shakes of Italian seasoning for a flavor boost. Thin jarred alfredo sauce out with a few ladles of starchy pasta water for it to cling to the pasta. Frozen onions and peppers can also be subbed in to cook the meat with. Naturally, you can use store bought meat sauce and alfredo sauce for one or both components of the recipe, to make it faster and easier. Ready to make it your own? This recipe is ready for plenty of variety and renditions, as seen on TikTok, of course. Add cooked spaghetti and stir until pasta is coated. On low heat, stir in two cups of grated Parmesan cheese until well combined. Melt one stick of unsalted butter with two cups of cream, and season with salt and pepper. In a large pot, you’ll make your alfredo sauce. It’s fine if the pasta is a little stiff, because it will finish cooking in the oven. Meanwhile, boil water and cook one pound of spaghetti until al dente, about two minutes less than package directions. Once the meat is browned, add a jar of your favorite pasta sauce. Brown the meat with veggies, ensuring the meat is in small crumbles. If you don’t eat red meat, you can substitute ground turkey, ground chicken or even plant-based sausage crumbles. Add veggies to a preheated saute pan with a bit of olive oil, cook until fragrant, and add a pound of ground beef and a pound of Italian sausage. Start by dicing an onion, a green pepper, and a red pepper. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and have your 9-by-13-inch baking dish ready to go.

Tik tok pasta