Warm, creamy, and luscious baked feta recipe with bell peppers, tomatoes, herbs, and a good drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. One of the simplest and most satisfying mezze you'll make! All you need is some crusty bread or homemade pita chips to serve.
When it comes to baked cheese, most people imagine something gooey like baked brie (which I love with a spread of jam and some nuts), or the top layer of melty mozzarella on your baked ziti.
But today, we get to explore a new baked cheese goodness: baked feta!
This Mediterranean feta recipe is a simple appetizer that takes inspiration from my earlier trip to Greece, where tangy, rich feta is as imperative as olive oil and is used in cooking; or served with seasonal veggies (especially on top of village Greek Salad); or as a simple appetizer maybe next to other small plates like sokrdalia (garlic and potato dip) or melitzanosalata (eggplant dip).
Why this recipe works
In this recipe, a block of quality feta cheese is baked to tender perfection with bell peppers, red onions, and cherry tomatoes. A good drizzle of extra virgin olive oil (I used Private Reserve Greek EVOO), plus a few pinches of oregano and fresh thyme, bring it together.
While a blast of heat from your oven will not fully melt your feta cheese, it will transform it into a warm and luscious, creamy spread. Absolutely addictive! To serve it, all you need is some crusty bread, or better yet, some homemade pita chips!
Is it ok to cook feta cheese?
One of the most frequently asked questions is whether you can actually heat feta cheese. And the answer is YES! Quality feta can be fried and drizzled with warmed honey, or baked in a high-heated oven until tender and perfectly creamy, like in today's appetizer. Or you can use it in other ways. Here are a few recipes:
- Spinach Frittata
- Savory pies such as spanakopita
- In saucy dishes like Greek shrimp with tomatoes
- Greek red lentil soup
A few tips for the best baked feta
- Use a high-heated oven. I set mine on 400 degrees F. If the cheese needs some more color after it's been baked for about 25 to 30 minutes, you can put it under the broiler briefly.
- Make sure you have an oven-safe little dish for this recipe (a small cast iron skillet will work as well). Place the dish or skillet on a small baking sheet for ease of use.
- Use quality feta cheese. Find creamy Greek feta. French or Bulgarian white cheese will work great too (which are like feta but can not be given the term because Greece has the PDO for the term "feta"). Do not use crumbled feta, which is too dry and will not work as well in this recipe.
- Use a good tasting olive oil. You don't need a ton of extra virgin olive oil here, just a few drizzles. It will make a difference to use a good tasting olive oil, which can add flavor and richness to this dish. (here are the olive oils I always use).
- Serve right away. The idea of this dish is to serve it while the feta is still warm and extra creamy and easily spreadable (obviously, make sure it is not too hot to eat).
- Serve with pita chips or toasted Italian bread like I do in the video. To toast the bread slices, just give them a brush and arrange them on a sheet pan, bake briefly until lightly golden brown in the same oven while the feta is cooking.
Tools used in this recipe
- Small oven-safe dish such as terra cotta cazuela, a ramekin, or a small well-seasoned cast iron skillet
- A small baking sheet to put the dish on for ease of use (like I did in the video below)
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Baked Feta Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ red onion sliced
- ½ green bell pepper sliced into rounds
- ½ cup cherry tomatoes about 3 ounces, halved
- 2 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes optional
- 3 to 4 fresh thyme sprigs optional
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 8 oz Block of quality feta cheese do not crumble
- Fresh mint leaves for garnish (optional)
- Crusty bread or pita chips to serve
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 400 degrees F and adjust a rack in the middle.
- Arrange the onions, bell peppers, and cherry tomatoes at the bottom of a ramekin or oven-safe dish. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon oregano, pinch red pepper flakes, and add some of the fresh thyme. Drizzle a bit of extra virgin olive oil.
- Add the feta on top of the arranged veggies. Season the feta block with the remaining dried oregano, pinch of red pepper flakes and whatever remains of the fresh thyme. Drizzle a generous amount of extra virgin olive oil on the feta and make sure to brush the sides with some of the oil.
- Place the baking dish on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 20 to 30 minutes (and if you like, you can stick it under the broiler very briefly to add color).
- Serve with pita chips or toasted Italian bread.
Video
Notes
- Make sure you are using an oven-safe dish for this recipe. Add a baking sheet below it for easy tranfer in and out of the oven.
- If serving with sliced bread, give the bread slices a brush of extra virign olive oil, spread them on a sheet pan, and toast in the oven briefly, turning over partway through, while the feta is baking!
- Visit Our Shop to browse quality Mediterranean ingredients including extra virgin olive oils and all-natural and organic spices.
There is only one word that comes to mind after tasting this dish: WOW!!! I am salivating just thinking about it. Fantastic recipe!
Thanks, Maria!
Do the dimensions of the block of feta matter? The one I usually buy is like a perfect square. Yours looks more rectangular. I’m thinking I should cut it in two so it won’t be too thick. What would you advise? The one I buy is 8 oz square cube.
Hi, Mary. The dimension really doesn't matter. As long as your using 8 oz., you should be good to go! You can always cut it in two if you prefer, though! This recipe is pretty forgiving :). Enjoy!
Can't find the recepie or video. Make it easy to discover please.
Hi, Mak. If you click either the black "Jump to Recipe" or "Jump to Video" buttons located directly under the recipe's title at the top of the page, you will be taken directly to either. Hope that helps!
Super delicious. I have made this many time. Always love your recipes. Thankyou!
I love this recipe - actually the one in your gorgeous cookbook! And I'm totally OBSESSED with the pan in the cookbook! I'd love to know what it is so I can have one of my own. And the blue plates.....
Hi, Liz! So glad this recipe is such a hit :). Unfortunately, I'm not sure where that pan pictured in the cookbook is from. It was provided by our lovely photographer to use while shooting pictures for the book. I agree... it is absolutely gorgeous!
I found it on Etsy and eBay! It's an inexpensive, vintage Wear-Ever Twist Handles 7" pan, just in case anyone else has to have one : )
I was thinking it was some antique French pan worth hundreds!
Thanks for the quick reply.
Can this be made in advance and then heated back up? I need to travel a couple hours after preparing it.
Hi, Harold. I would recommend preparing this just up to the point of baking, and then baking it once you reach your destination.
This greek feta dish is spectacular!
Made it multie times, always many compliments.
Love this recipe! I serve it with garlic toast as a side to the braised chickpeas. One of my favorite meals.
P.S. since I have started using your recipes, I am eating more vegetables and have lost 10 lbs in 6 weeks!
Thanks for making vegetables and meals so tasty and healthy.
I'm making this tomorrow evening..... I have some eggplant I need to use, so will toss it in with the tomatoes and peppers... YUM!!!
I made this recipe from your cookbook (which I am loving!) yesterday. I spread olive oil & crushed garlic on sliced Belgium bread and toasted in oven as per your suggestion. This was served as a side to soup. First spread the nicely soft feta on the bread and then topped with the yummy vegetables. It was so delicious! I used Bulgarian sheep feta cheese that I purchased from the Middle East store and it worked perfectly. Another winner!