Feta Pasta with Dill

Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings 4 people

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This Feta Pasta with Dill is made with just 4 ingredients and one pot! It’s a simple but flavorful vegetarian dinner recipe, ready in 20 minutes.

tagliatelle pasta in feta sauce with fresh dill and fork stuck in noodles.

Looking for more simple pasta dishes? Try this 3 Ingredient Boursin Pasta, this Angel Hair Pasta with Blistered Tomatoes or this Creamy Tomato Rigatoni Pasta next!

This Feta Pasta with Dill is so simple to make! I am a firm believer in creating incredible meals with just a few really special ingredients, and this one tops the list.

When my garden is bursting with fresh dill, this is a great way to enjoy it. The creamy feta sauce is luxurious but not too heavy, and the fresh herby flavor helps to cut through the richness of the cheese.

I created this recipe after a recent trip to Greece — the birthplace of feta cheese!

We had a similar pasta at Akadimia restaurant which was part of one of the most incredible meals.

Thanks to a press trip coordinated by Feta PDO, myself and 7 other food writers were lucky enough to explore Greek dairies and feta production facilities. Although this post is not sponsored, I am excited to share some of the knowledge I learned with you while we were hosted!

feta cheese curds before being pressed.
Feta cheese curds before being pressed, brined and matured.

If you love quick and easy dinners, check out all of my Six Ingredient Suppers here and fine more One Pot Meals over here.

What is Feta?

Feta cheese is a sheep’s milk cheese that has a Protected Designation of Origin — this means that the product itself is tied to the region in which it is produced.

What does that mean?

It means that “feta” cheese products that are produced outside of Greece are, in fact, not actually feta.

Here are a few more FAQ’s:

Is Feta made with sheep milk?

Feta is made with sheep milk or up to 30% goat milk.
This is regulated by those that oversee the PDO designation and there is no wiggle room, which means that the “feta” you see in the store made of local cow’s milk is not feta at all.

How can cheese be labelled feta that is not made in Greece?

The PDO legislation is an EU law, which means that other countries are not bound by it.
Interestingly enough, we learned that Canada will soon be adopting PDO legislation which means you will soon see only authentic Greek feta using the name on packaging.

How do I know that I have authentic Greek Feta cheese?

Look for the red and yellow PDO symbol. You can see it below in the two brands that I found at my local (Canadian) grocery store.

How long does feta keep?

Feta can keep nearly indefinitely if sealed and in brine. Once it is opened, it can still keep in the brine for a year or so. Many packages include a recipe to create additional brine to keep the cheese covered if need be.

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Ingredients needed:

ingredients needed for feta pasta with dill.
  • Pasta: you can use any pasta in this recipe! I like to use a long pasta like this Tagliatelle because when I had it originally in Greece, it was prepared with a long pasta. Gluten free, fresh pasta or whole grain work well as well.
  • Feta cheese: look for the PDO symbol to make sure you’re getting authentic Greek Feta cheese for the best flavor and texture! I like to use a creamy feta (stay away from the crumbles!) for this recipe so that it has a nice silky sauce.
  • Pasta water: I recommend reserving 2 cups of pasta water to thin the feta into a smooth sauce. The pasta will absorb the sauce and thicken it considerably, so you may find you need to keep adding pasta water until it is the right consistency.
  • Dill: fresh is best. Since this recipe has only 4 ingredients, I recommend making it with the best ingredients possible. Unfortunately dried dill is a poor substitute for fresh, so I would save this recipe for when it is readily available (or try another fresh herb you enjoy).
  • Garlic: again, freshly minced has the best flavor!
  • Salt and pepper: go easy on the salt in this recipe until you have tasted the final product! Feta is often a salty cheese which adds tons of flavor on its own.

How to make Feta Pasta with Dill:

  1. Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling water until al dente — go a little easier on the salt with this recipe because feta can be a salty cheese!
  2. Reserve at least 2 cups pasta water, then drain and remove pasta. Combine Feta, dill, garlic and a small amount of pasta water in the pot.
  3. Cook on medium heat and whisk until a smooth sauce forms.
  4. Add cooked pasta and toss to coat in sauce, adding more pasta water as needed to coat the pasta.

Tips and Variations:

  • Chop Feta and bring to room temperature while pasta cooks so that it melts more easily.
  • More pasta water is better! Save as much as you can but at least 2 cups — you’d be surprised how much is needed to thin the sauce to a smooth consistency. Start with a small amount, and add more once the pasta is added to the sauce.
  • Mix things up! A little lemon zest or finely chopped zucchini are great additions to this recipe.
  • Serve it with some Baked Chicken Breast or Grilled Pork Tenderloin for a delicious, protein-packed meal. Add Air Fryer Broccoli or Roasted Green Beans for a vegetarian dinner!
feta pasta with dill in large pot with tongs.

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Feta Pasta with Dill

4.76 from 29 votes
This Feta Pasta with Dill is made with just 4 ingredients and one pot! It's a simple but flavorful vegetarian dinner recipe, ready in 20 minutes.
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Cuisine American, Greek
Course Main Course
Servings 4 people
Calories 496cal

Ingredients

  • 1 lb pasta (any kind – I used tagliatelle)
  • 2 cups reserved pasta water (divided)
  • ¾ cup Feta cheese (chopped)
  • 2-4 tablespoons fresh chopped dill
  • 2 cloves freshly minced garlic
  • fresh cracked pepper and salt (as needed)

Instructions

  • In a large pot of boiling, lightly salted water, cook pasta until al dente (about 8-12 minutes).
  • Reserve at least 2 cups pasta water.
  • Drain and remove pasta from pot.
  • To the pot, add ½ cup pasta water, Feta cheese, dill (start with 2 tablespoons dill and add more as you desire) and garlic. Cook and stir on medium heat just until melted and smooth, about 3-4 minutes.
  • Add cooked pasta and toss to coat, adding additional pasta water as required until the sauce coats all the pasta. You may find you have to keep adding pasta water as it sits, so don't dump it!
  • Taste and add salt and pepper as needed, or additional fresh dill if desired.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 496cal | Carbohydrates: 86g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 25mg | Sodium: 334mg | Potassium: 274mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 134IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 167mg | Iron: 2mg
Keywords feta pasta

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Meet Ashley

My name is Ashley Fehr and I love creating easy meals my family loves. I also like to do things my way, which means improvising and breaking the rules when necessary. Here you will find creative twists on old favorites and some of my favorite family recipes, passed down from generations!

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Comments

  1. KJ says

    Success! I made this with Violife vegan feta and it worked perfectly. I added some lemon juice and the brine from the feta because I wanted a little more acidity in the sauce. While the pasta was cooking I sautรฉed some oyster mushrooms with some onion, garlic, and sliced zucchini to put on top. Made for a very filling and easy dish!

  2. Cam says

    Sauce didn’t work at all. Feta clumped up with the dill and basically made a feta-dill cheese curd, separate from the sauce entirely. The saving grace was the feta, Parm and pepper I put on top of the pasta.

    Wouldn’t recommend this recipe unless the author can adjust the actual instructions to better explain how to make the sauce creamy.

    • The Recipe Rebel says

      Hi Cam, Iโ€™m sorry to hear you had trouble. There are notes in the blog post as to how to get your feta to melt, so we already gave advice on it ahead of time. Itโ€™s located under the โ€œTips and Variationsโ€ section.

    • The Recipe Rebel says

      Hi Bee, the main ingredient in this particular pasta is feta. I’d take a look at some of my other pasta dishes and see if you find one that fits.

  3. alexandra says

    WOW! I came home questioning what I was going to make tonight, and saw leftover dill in my crisper thinking “I wonder if this would taste good in a pasta…” One minute on google later, I find this recipe and decided to give it a go! and I’m so pleased I did. It is the perfect easy dinner (mine came together in about 15min) and really tastes good. I made just a few modifications to play with it:

    1. After removing the pasta, I added 2 tbsp salted butter to the pot with garlic and cooked for one minute before adding the feta + dill
    2. I doubled the amount of garlic (I’m a garlic + butter type of gal!)
    3. I used gluten free pasta

    Thank you for sharing this recipe!!

  4. Steph says

    Not creamy and not good. Feta loses a lot of flavor when โ€œmeltedโ€ and I say melted loosely. It is not a melty or creamy cheese. I will not try again.

    • The Recipe Rebel says

      Iโ€™m sorry to hear it hasnโ€™t worked out for you, Steph! The recipe has worked well for me (and others) so I wish it would of been a hit for you too.

    • Nick says

      We agree about the feta not melting and was a bit chunky.

      Wondering if crumbled feta would work better than brined feta, which is what we used. Still, it was tasty once you put in the pasta, which helped the cheese melt.

      Too bad the author didnโ€™t give you any practical advice about how to make the sauce creamier though!

      • The Recipe Rebel says

        Hi Nick, I’m sorry to hear you had trouble. There are notes in the blog post as to how to get your feta to melt, so we already gave practical advice on it ahead of time. It’s located under the “Tips and Variations” section.

  5. yttap_us@yahoo.com says

    How simple this will be with a chicken breast. My husband will be all over it. I followed your link to the feta PRO and browser through their recipies and they look lovely and delicious can’t wait to try two of them, the grilled vegetables with tabbouleh and the tomato tartan with herbs. I’ll have to work around the tomato tartan since its not translated into english.

4.76 from 29 votes (25 ratings without comment)

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