THE SPLIT PLATE / RECIPE

Viral Tomato Feta Chicken Pasta, Split Plate Style

Remember the feta pasta that took over the internet? One shared tomato-feta bake + chicken + two pastas = 6 adult portions plus 6 smaller portions from one cook. ~450 cal / 37g protein per adult plate.

YIELD9 servings
TOTAL TIME60 min (45 min bake + 20 min chicken parallel + 10 min pasta + split)
COOK METHODSee method
EST. / SERVING~450 cal | ~37g protein
KEY TO SUCCESS: BLOCK FETA ONLY. Pre-crumbled feta is starch-coated and won't melt into the creamy texture. Two 8 oz blocks.

Ingredients

BAKE

  • 600 g cherry and pear tomatoes (whole)
  • 16 oz feta cheese (two 8 oz blocks — BLOCK feta only)
  • 4 tbsp olive oil
  • Mediterranean or Greek seasoning, to taste
  • Salt, to taste (season with awareness — feta + blends are already salty)

PROTEIN

  • 2 lb chicken thighs (pre-seasoned Mediterranean shortcut shown; plain thighs + Greek blend if not)

ADULT PASTA

  • 12 oz dry low-carb penne (Carbe Diem or Barilla Protein+) — 2 oz per adult container

Option 1

  • 9 oz dry regular penne (Barilla or similar) — 1.5 oz per smaller container

Allergens: dairy, gluten. Verify pasta labels for egg

AFTER MASHING THE TOMATO-FETA SAUCE. Move ~1/3 of the mashed sauce and chopped chicken to a second mixing bowl. Fold the regular-penne portion into that bowl; fold the low-carb-penne portion into the main casserole.

Method

Shared base

  1. 1.PREHEAT. Heat the oven to 400°F.
  2. 2.ROAST TOMATOES + FETA. Place 600 g whole tomatoes in a large casserole dish. Add 4 tbsp olive oil + Mediterranean seasoning + salt (light — feta will add more). Toss. Nestle both feta blocks among the tomatoes; drizzle the remaining oil over the feta and finish with a bit more seasoning if needed. Bake 45 min until the tomatoes have burst and the feta is soft and lightly browned.
  3. 3.AIR-FRY CHICKEN. While the casserole bakes, air-fry the chicken thighs for ~20 min. Air-fryer performance varies — verify a safe internal temperature on the thickest pieces before pulling. Rest briefly, then chop into bite-size pieces.
  4. 4.COOK PASTAS SEPARATELY. 12 oz low-carb penne and 9 oz regular penne in two separate salted-water pots per each package's directions. Drain both, keep separate.
  5. 5.MASH THE SAUCE. Stir the baked feta and tomatoes right in the casserole until creamy with visible tomato pieces. Do not blend smooth — the texture is the point.
  6. 6.SPLIT 2. 1: Move ~1/3 of the mashed sauce and ~1/3 of the chopped chicken into a separate mixing bowl. Leave ~2/3 in the casserole dish.

Adult — Low-Carb Penne + 2/3 Sauce and Chicken

  1. 7.FOLD. The low-carb penne into the main casserole with the remaining 2/3 sauce and 2/3 chopped chicken. Fold until evenly coated. Portion into 6 adult containers, 2 oz dry pasta equivalent per container.

Smaller Portions — Regular Penne + 1/3 Sauce and Chicken · Option 1

  1. 7.FOLD. Regular penne into the mixing bowl with the 1/3 sauce and 1/3 chicken. Fold until evenly coated.
  2. 8.PORTION 6 SMALLER CONTAINERS. Divide across six airtight containers, ~1.5 oz dry pasta equivalent per container. Cool 20-30 min uncovered before sealing.

SPLIT PLATE SERVING

Adult — Low-Carb Penne + 2/3 Sauce and Chicken: Serve the adult portion as described above.

Smaller Portions — Regular Penne + 1/3 Sauce and Chicken: Serve the kid portion as described above.

Keys to success

  • TOMATOES STAY WHOLE. Do not chop, halve, or slice before baking. They burst under heat and release their liquid slowly.
  • SEASON WITH AWARENESS. Feta and Greek blends are already salty — taste before adding salt on top.

If something fails

Sauce looks oily and won't come together: Keep mashing and stirring while warm — the feta emulsifies with the tomato juices and olive oil as you fold. If it stays separated, return the casserole to a low oven for 5 min and try again while hot.

Sauce is too thick to coat the pasta: Add a small amount of reserved pasta water — only what's needed. Do not list pasta water as a required measured ingredient; it's a texture adjustment.

Sauce is watery: Let the mashed sauce stand 5-10 min before folding in the pasta, or return the casserole to the oven briefly to reduce. Homegrown tomatoes can vary in water content.

Pasta is soft by day 3: Cook the pasta only to al dente, then cool the portions uncovered before sealing. Add a spoonful of water before reheating.

Chicken dries out on reheat: Pull it as soon as it reaches a safe internal temperature. Reheat gently — microwave 60-90 sec covered, or a covered skillet with a splash of water.

Kid rejects the smaller portion: 1.5 oz dry regular penne is what worked for the creator's girls — adjust up or down for your kid's appetite. Regular penne is intentional; kids read the fiber-elbow chew as wrong here.

Storage and reheating

Store: 6 adult + 6 smaller containers, airtight. Cool 20-30 min uncovered before sealing. Refrigerate promptly.

Reheat: Microwave 60-90 sec covered with a splash of water if the pasta has absorbed the sauce. Covered skillet on low is the gentler option — keeps the chicken from drying out.

Lasts: Up to 5 days fridge. Reheat to steaming throughout. Best texture through day 3-4.

Estimated nutrition

~450 cal | ~37g protein.

thesplitplate.com/recipes/viral-tomato-feta-chicken-pasta

Viral Tomato Feta Chicken Pasta, Split Plate Style
Split Cook Method™Weeknight Assembly

Viral Tomato Feta Chicken Pasta, Split Plate Style

Remember the feta pasta that took over the internet? One shared tomato-feta bake + chicken + two pastas = 6 adult portions plus 6 smaller portions from one cook. ~450 cal / 37g protein per adult plate.

Make this when

Tomato season and the garden is producing faster than you can keep up. You want the viral tomato-feta pasta everyone made in lockdown, but you also want it to feed adults and kids differently — adults on a lower-carb pasta with the full sauce, kids on regular pasta with a smaller share. One bake, two pasta pots, six adult containers plus six smaller containers.

Total time
60 min (45 min bake + 20 min chicken parallel + 10 min pasta + split)
Yield
9 servings
Protein
~37g
Calories
~450
Cost / serving
$4.75
Allergens and safety

Contains: dairy, gluten

  • Verify pasta labels for egg

Packaged ingredients change formulas — check the label on what's actually in your kitchen.

Adjust servings

Ingredients

Batch cookOriginal yield: 9. Adjusted ingredients will appear in print; check pan size and cooking time.

BAKE

PROTEIN

ADULT PASTA

SMALLER-PORTION PASTA

Method

Split point

AFTER MASHING THE TOMATO-FETA SAUCE. Move ~1/3 of the mashed sauce and chopped chicken to a second mixing bowl. Fold the regular-penne portion into that bowl; fold the low-carb-penne portion into the main casserole.

6 adult containers (2 oz dry low-carb penne + 2/3-share of sauce and chicken) / 6 smaller containers (1.5 oz dry regular penne + 1/3-share of sauce and chicken). Same tomato-feta sauce, same chicken — the split is the pasta and the portion size.

Shared base

Cook once — this part works for everyone.

  1. 1
    PREHEAT

    Heat the oven to 400°F.

  2. 2
    ROAST TOMATOES + FETA

    Place 600 g whole tomatoes in a large casserole dish. Add 4 tbsp olive oil + Mediterranean seasoning + salt (light — feta will add more). Toss. Nestle both feta blocks among the tomatoes; drizzle the remaining oil over the feta and finish with a bit more seasoning if needed. Bake 45 min until the tomatoes have burst and the feta is soft and lightly browned.

  3. 3
    AIR-FRY CHICKEN

    While the casserole bakes, air-fry the chicken thighs for ~20 min. Air-fryer performance varies — verify a safe internal temperature on the thickest pieces before pulling. Rest briefly, then chop into bite-size pieces.

  4. 4
    COOK PASTAS SEPARATELY

    12 oz low-carb penne and 9 oz regular penne in two separate salted-water pots per each package's directions. Drain both, keep separate.

  5. 5
    MASH THE SAUCE

    Stir the baked feta and tomatoes right in the casserole until creamy with visible tomato pieces. Do not blend smooth — the texture is the point.

  6. 6
    SPLIT 2

    1: Move ~1/3 of the mashed sauce and ~1/3 of the chopped chicken into a separate mixing bowl. Leave ~2/3 in the casserole dish.

Adult — Low-Carb Penne + 2/3 Sauce and Chicken

  1. 7
    FOLD

    The low-carb penne into the main casserole with the remaining 2/3 sauce and 2/3 chopped chicken. Fold until evenly coated. Portion into 6 adult containers, 2 oz dry pasta equivalent per container.

Smaller Portions — Regular Penne + 1/3 Sauce and Chicken

  1. 7
    FOLD

    Regular penne into the mixing bowl with the 1/3 sauce and 1/3 chicken. Fold until evenly coated.

  2. 8
    PORTION 6 SMALLER CONTAINERS

    Divide across six airtight containers, ~1.5 oz dry pasta equivalent per container. Cool 20-30 min uncovered before sealing.

Adult plate | Kid plate

6 adult containers (2 oz dry low-carb penne + 2/3-share of sauce and chicken) / 6 smaller containers (1.5 oz dry regular penne + 1/3-share of sauce and chicken). Same tomato-feta sauce, same chicken — the split is the pasta and the portion size.

Adult plate

Adult — Low-Carb Penne + 2/3 Sauce and Chicken

37g
Protein
450
Calories

What makes it different

  • 12 oz dry low-carb penne (Carbe Diem or Barilla Protein+) — 2 oz per adult container
Kid plate

Smaller Portions — Regular Penne + 1/3 Sauce and Chicken

Macros not published for this plate — portion it to their appetite.

What makes it different

  • 9 oz dry regular penne (Barilla or similar) — 1.5 oz per smaller container

Three keys to success

  1. 1BLOCK FETA ONLY. Pre-crumbled feta is starch-coated and won't melt into the creamy texture. Two 8 oz blocks.
  2. 2TOMATOES STAY WHOLE. Do not chop, halve, or slice before baking. They burst under heat and release their liquid slowly.
  3. 3SEASON WITH AWARENESS. Feta and Greek blends are already salty — taste before adding salt on top.

Go deeper

Storage and nutrition

Storage: 6 adult + 6 smaller containers, airtight. Cool 20-30 min uncovered before sealing. Refrigerate promptly.

Reheat: Microwave 60-90 sec covered with a splash of water if the pasta has absorbed the sauce. Covered skillet on low is the gentler option — keeps the chicken from drying out.

Lasts: Up to 5 days fridge. Reheat to steaming throughout. Best texture through day 3-4.

Watch the full cook

Brands I use

Spiceology
Greek Freak Mediterranean seasoning
The Mediterranean blend shown on the shared bake. Any Greek / Mediterranean seasoning works — Spiceology is the specific SKU photographed.
Carbe Diem
Low-carb penne (adult pasta)
Adult macro anchor — ~17g protein / 7g net carbs per serving keeps the adult container honest at ~450 cal / 37g protein while the sauce stays full-fat feta. Sub Barilla Protein+ Penne.
Barilla
Regular penne (smaller-portion pasta)
Kids get the familiar texture and shape. Any small-cut regular pasta works.

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