I tried the pizza pasta dish that's taken over TikTok despite costing $30 to make. I may never be able to eat cheese again.

Sam TabahritiAug 14, 2022, 14:33 IST

The pizza pasta dish just out of the oven.Insider

I tried TikTok's pizza pasta dish that requires a small mountain of cheese to make.
The ingredients for the dish cost $30 all up and it contains well over 2,000 calories.

A video on The Shaba Kitchen account on TikTok showing viewers how to make a cheese-laden pizza pasta dish caught my attention.

I was amazed by the huge amount of cheese that was included in the dish. Looking at the comments, I certainly was not the only one thinking something was very wrong with the recipe.

I am French, which of course means I grew up eating nothing but refined and sophisticated dishes.

And yet curiosity still got the better of me, so I decided to make this horrific recipe. Now read on to find out what I really thought about it.

I went to a supermarket and bought most of the products the woman used in her video: pasta, tomato and basil pasta sauce, feta cheese (two of them as I couldn't find a block of goat cheese), grated Parmesan, shredded mozzarella, pepperoni slices, and garlic purée. It cost me slightly over $30.

Insider

I went to a supermarket and bought most of the products the woman used in her video: pasta, tomato and basil pasta sauce, feta cheese (two of them as I couldn't find a block of goat cheese), grated Parmesan, shredded mozzarella, pepperoni slices, and garlic purée. It cost me slightly over $30.

I started by adding the two blocks of feta cheese to an oven dish. I started doubting myself because it sure was too much cheese already.

Insider

I added about 500g of pasta around the feta cheese. I realized my dish was definitely too small.

Insider

I decided to use another dish to make sure there was enough room to add the rest of the ingredients. While not my best work, it looked okay.

Insider

At this point, I had the pasta, the feta cheese, mozzarella, Parmesan, and garlic purée – bearing in mind there were two blocks of feta, a whole pack of shredded Mozzarella, and half a pack of grated Parmesan. It was time to add the liquid.

Insider

At this point, I had the pasta, the feta cheese, mozzarella, Parmesan, and garlic purée – bearing in mind there were two blocks of feta, a whole pack of shredded Mozzarella, and half a pack of grated Parmesan. It was time to add the liquid.

I decided to buy dairy-free milk as I thought it wouldn't hurt to have less dairy in this dish. I soon realised this was a big mistake. I mixed everything together around the blocks of feta.

Insider

I decided to buy dairy-free milk as I thought it wouldn't hurt to have less dairy in this dish. I soon realised this was a big mistake. I mixed everything together around the blocks of feta.

I added the tomato and basil sauce – you can never really go wrong with pasta sauce. It added a bit of color and taste. I figured the sourness of the tomatoes would help balance out all that cheese.

Insider

Came the time to put the dishes into the oven. I followed the instructions and put the oven at 350 F for 50 minutes.

In the meantime, I counted the amount of calories in this dish – 2,3210 – then I reminded myself of all the comments I had seen of people reacting to the TikTok:

"Italians are crying watching the amount of cheese and ingredients added to the pasta."

"I love cheese, I'd even say I'm addicted to it. But that much cheese horrified me."

or even: "I'd be in the bathroom for hours."

I added the tomato and basil sauce – you can never really go wrong with pasta sauce. It added a bit of color and taste. I figured the sourness of the tomatoes would help balance out all that cheese.

Came the time to put the dishes into the oven. I followed the instructions and put the oven at 350 F for 50 minutes.

In the meantime, I counted the amount of calories in this dish – 2,3210 – then I reminded myself of all the comments I had seen of people reacting to the TikTok:

Italians are crying watching the amount of cheese and ingredients added to the pasta.

I love cheese, I'd even say I'm addicted to it. But that much cheese horrified me.

or even: I'd be in the bathroom for hours.

I didn't know what to expect, but it certainly did not look appetizing. I took a wooden spoon and started mixing it all together, breaking down the blocks of feta cheese, while trying not to spill anything.

Insider

I didn't know what to expect, but it certainly did not look appetizing. I took a wooden spoon and started mixing it all together, breaking down the blocks of feta cheese, while trying not to spill anything.

The non-Italian in me started adding pepperoni slices and even more mozzarella to one of the dishes as instructed. I left one dish without the added cheese, thinking it might just be too much – and back to the oven they went.

Insider

The non-Italian in me started adding pepperoni slices and even more mozzarella to one of the dishes as instructed. I left one dish without the added cheese, thinking it might just be too much – and back to the oven they went.

Ta da! Fresh out of the oven I must admit it looked pretty yummy. I hurriedly served myself a portion of this very cheesy pizza pasta dish.

The pizza pasta dish just out of the oven.Insider

It looked like lasagna, but with a ton of cheese and pepperoni slices. It was time to put this dish to the test.

Insider

I had a smile on my face, but it didn't last long. Five mouthfuls later, I couldn't eat any more. It was what the French would call a sacrilege.

Insider

This probably was one of the worst dishes I have ever made. Not because I messed up the recipe, but because it was just so rich and so cheesy. I genuinely don't know how anyone could eat this. My stomach still hurts – and I may never be able to eat cheese again.

Insider

This probably was one of the worst dishes I have ever made. Not because I messed up the recipe, but because it was just so rich and so cheesy. I genuinely don't know how anyone could eat this. My stomach still hurts – and I may never be able to eat cheese again.

We visited an Aldi store in the US and the UK to find out what you can buy for $25

Cookies on the Business Insider India website

I tried the pizza pasta dish that's taken over TikTok despite costing $30 to make. I may never be able to eat cheese again.

I went to a supermarket and bought most of the products the woman used in her video: pasta, tomato and basil pasta sauce, feta cheese (two of them as I couldn't find a block of goat cheese), grated Parmesan, shredded mozzarella, pepperoni slices, and garlic purée. It cost me slightly over $30.

I started by adding the two blocks of feta cheese to an oven dish. I started doubting myself because it sure was too much cheese already.

I added about 500g of pasta around the feta cheese. I realized my dish was definitely too small.

I decided to use another dish to make sure there was enough room to add the rest of the ingredients. While not my best work, it looked okay.

At this point, I had the pasta, the feta cheese, mozzarella, Parmesan, and garlic purée – bearing in mind there were two blocks of feta, a whole pack of shredded Mozzarella, and half a pack of grated Parmesan. It was time to add the liquid.

I decided to buy dairy-free milk as I thought it wouldn't hurt to have less dairy in this dish. I soon realised this was a big mistake. I mixed everything together around the blocks of feta.

I added the tomato and basil sauce – you can never really go wrong with pasta sauce. It added a bit of color and taste. I figured the sourness of the tomatoes would help balance out all that cheese.

I didn't know what to expect, but it certainly did not look appetizing. I took a wooden spoon and started mixing it all together, breaking down the blocks of feta cheese, while trying not to spill anything.

The non-Italian in me started adding pepperoni slices and even more mozzarella to one of the dishes as instructed. I left one dish without the added cheese, thinking it might just be too much – and back to the oven they went.

Ta da! Fresh out of the oven I must admit it looked pretty yummy. I hurriedly served myself a portion of this very cheesy pizza pasta dish.

It looked like lasagna, but with a ton of cheese and pepperoni slices. It was time to put this dish to the test.

I had a smile on my face, but it didn't last long. Five mouthfuls later, I couldn't eat any more. It was what the French would call a sacrilege.

This probably was one of the worst dishes I have ever made. Not because I messed up the recipe, but because it was just so rich and so cheesy. I genuinely don't know how anyone could eat this. My stomach still hurts – and I may never be able to eat cheese again.