Baked Feta Pasta with Asparagus

Steps

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and place a nine by 13 casserole dish in it.
2. Trim the ends of the asparagus and cut it into bite-sized pieces. Peel and finely mince four garlic cloves (reserve half for later).
3. Add the cherry or grape tomatoes and prepared asparagus to the casserole dish.
4. Pour one third cup of extra virgin olive oil over the vegetables, along with half of your minced garlic. Season with a quarter teaspoon of salt and half a teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper.
5. Toss the vegetables until they are coated with olive oil.
6. Create a space in the center of the dish and place eight ounces of Feta cheese (crumbled or block). Drizzle one tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil over the cheese alone and sprinkle with black pepper.
7. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, until the tomatoes start to burst.
8. About halfway through the baking time, bring a large pot of water to boil. Add a generous amount of salt and add eight to 10 ounces of pasta (penne or similar short pasta).
9. Cook the pasta according to package instructions until al dente, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.
10. Reserve half a cup of hot pasta water before draining the rest of the pasta. Do not rinse the drained pasta.
11. Once the bake is out of the oven after 30 minutes, add the remaining minced garlic and about a quarter cup of finely chopped parsley (or basil). Stir while the mixture is still hot to partially cook the herbs.
12. Mash the feta cheese into the olive oil until it forms a well-incorporated sauce. Ensure you do not skimp on the olive oil as it helps form the base of the sauce.
13. Add the hot cooked pasta to the casserole dish and toss until evenly coated with the cheesy sauce.
14. To make the pasta even creamier, add some of the reserved hot pasta water over the noodles and mix well.