Hello lovelies, have you already heard of the feta-pasta trend? Probably so. I was curious too, so today here's my version: **Vegan Feta Pasta Deluxe. **And I'll say it up front: the hype is justified. Because you end up with an incredibly delicious, easy dish that everyone here loved.
Of course I didn't make the "normal" version – I had to jazz it up a bit. And not just because that's my way, but also because I didn't use ordinary pasta: the recipe was created in collaboration with Suessa.
**Suessa **
Suessa is an organic pasta of the highest quality. Made in a small family business in Slovenia that specializes in producing easily digestible pasta from local, organic farming. Carefully made to a family recipe, without eggs or other animal products, it yields innovative pasta varieties – with kamut and buckwheat flour, for example – that provide both enjoyment and health.
This pasta was discovered by Sue (hence the name ;-)), who found it on one of her many business trips. She was so taken with the concept and the taste that she decided to bring the pasta to Switzerland exclusively.
Sustainability is a top priority at Suessa, so not only does the production rely on organically grown ingredients, but the packaging is sustainable too. The wrappers are made by a Swiss printer that specializes in the Cradle to Cradle principle. The idea behind it is to think in complete product cycles from the very start, and in this way to avoid creating any waste in the conventional sense at all. All the material used (for the wrappers) can be reused after use or composted without harmful residues.
There are currently 5 varieties of the pasta:
- #03 organic Mezze Rigatoni made from durum wheat
- #07 organic Fusilli made from durum wheat
- #39 organic Conchiglie Rigate made from kamut flour
- #75 organic Sorprese made from buckwheat flour
- #88 organic Fusilli made from red lentils
Of course we tested all 5 varieties extensively, and our favorites are the durum-wheat pasta, but we liked the other varieties too. Not only the variety of shapes but also the fine taste won us over. I also think the design is really well done.
For the recipe I used the #03 organic Mezze Rigatoni, which are colored with activated charcoal and turmeric. And I figured they'd make a nice contrast to the other ingredients.
Now on to the recipe for the vegan feta pasta. The original recipe by Finnish blogger Jenni Häyrinen uses "normal" feta, plus tomatoes, garlic and olive oil. So just a few ingredients. Naturally I wanted to use a few more flavors, and I swapped the feta for a vegan version. Plus the following ingredients:
- shallots
- garlic
- date tomatoes
- capers
- olives
- sun-dried tomatoes
- pine nuts
All these flavors go so well with the feta, which melts creamily in the oven – wow, we were really surprised, and this will definitely be on the table more often here.
In a short time you'll have a delicious pasta dish on the table; the feta makes a creamy sauce and coats the pasta. Above all it's so easy to prepare, since you just have to put everything in the baking dish. And believe me, the combination of these ingredients is so harmonious and delicious – the kids would have happily licked their plates clean :-).
So definitely give it a try – I can promise you, your family will be thrilled. This pasta is becoming a firm part of our repertoire. If you're after more pasta ideas, you might also love my creamy vegan veggie pasta, my mediterranean pasta with asparagus and tomatoes or, for an extra protein kick, my protein pasta with chickpeas and lentils.
The dish will surely taste wonderful with all the Suessa pasta varieties too – whether you reach for the lentil pasta or one of the whole-grain versions with buckwheat or kamut flour – so you can add some variety as well.
I'm curious which of the Suessa organic pastas will become your favorite – definitely give them a try. You can order them here, and there's also a great sampler pack. On the site you'll also find more recipe ideas with the pasta and cooking tips for the best result.
If you're on Pinterest, you can find me here and feel free to pin one of these pictures:
**This blog post was created in collaboration with Suessa.ch – the recipes are my own. *
