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    Home » Appetizers

    Baked Feta Appetizer

    Published: Jun 12, 2020 » Modified: Oct 25, 2022 » By: Kylie » This post may contain affiliate links. » 128 Comments

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    This Baked Feta Appetizer comes together in just minutes with only a handful of ingredients - olives, sun-dried tomatoes, fresh garlic, olive oil, and dried herbs. Bake it all together with a block of feta cheese until it's warm and creamy then serve with crispy crostini!

    White plate filled with baked feta olives and herbs
    Table of Contents show
    You Will Love This
    Ingredients and Substitutions
    Instructions
    Tips
    Variations
    Make it Into Pasta!
    Make-Ahead, Storage, and Reheating
    Does feta cheese melt in the oven?
    What can I do with a block of feta cheese?
    What goes well with feta?
    How do you use feta in brine?
    Quick & Easy Appetizers
    Recipe
    Baked Feta

    You Will Love This

    • It's so quick and easy! The only prep work required for this baked feta is thinly slicing the garlic! Other than that it's pretty much just throw everything in a baking dish and bake. Which is what makes it one of our family's favorites.
    • It's feta like you've never had it before! We all watched as baked feta pasta took over the internet but this baked feta is a warm, decadent way to enjoy feta cheese in a whole new way! It's got roasted olives, garlic, and sun-dried tomatoes in an olive oil marinade. The flavors are amazing, the texture is indulgent and the way it all comes together will make this your go-to appetizer recipe too! If you love this one be sure to check out my Herb and Garlic Marinated Feta recipe too!
    • If you loved this feta appetizer, be sure to try my 15 Minute Greek Pasta, Orzo Greek Salad, Mediterranean Flatbread Pizza, and Baked Mediterranean Salmon.
    Sliced bread with a chunk of baked feta on it

    Ingredients and Substitutions

    • Feta - For the best flavor and texture, buy a block of Greek feta (preferably in brine) instead of the pre-crumbled stuff. If you're looking for a different flavor or don't like sheep's milk cheese, try using goat cheese or Brie cheese instead of the feta. Stick with 8 ounces of cheese whichever you choose.
    • Pitted Olives - A jar of pitted, Mediterranean olives will usually provide a convenient medley of green and Kalamata olives. If you’re not a fan of one or the other, though, just get the kind you prefer.
    • Sun-Dried Tomatoes - Get sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, rather than dried ones, if you can. Dry sun-dried tomatoes will need to be reconstituted for this recipe. If you're not a fan of sun-dried tomatoes, try halved cherry tomatoes or diced red peppers instead!
    • Olive Oil - The olive oil is a key player, here, so get a good one: preferably cold-pressed, organic, extra virgin olive oil.
    • Fresh Garlic - Freshly minced garlic always has a better, bolder flavor than the stuff in a jar. I totally get that sometimes you just need the convenience of pre-minced garlic, but it’s not worth it for this appetizer.
    • Dried Oregano, Thyme, and Rosemary - You can use an Italian seasoning blend in place of the dried oregano, dried thyme, and dried rosemary if that’s all you have available. You could also substitute with fresh herbs instead.

    Instructions

    Add feta to a small baking dish or rimmed sheet pan. Add olives and sun-dried tomatoes to the baking dish around the block of feta.

    Small white baking dish with olives, sun dried tomatoes and a block of feta in it

    In a small dish combine olive oil, sliced garlic, oregano, thyme, rosemary, and a couple pinches of salt and pepper. Drizzle over the feta, olives, and sun-dried tomatoes. 

    Small white baking dish with olives, sun dried tomatoes and a block of feta in it

    Bake for 20 minutes. Broil for 1-2 minutes. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley and sliced French bread, crostini, crackers, or pita chips.

    White plate filled with baked feta olives and herbs

    Tips

    • My favorite feta to use for this recipe is the kind that comes as a block in a brine liquid. Being stored in brine gives the feta cheese a lot of extra moisture which helps to increase the creaminess in this baked feta. Just make sure you drain the brine off before baking!
    • If you can't find a block in brine, just a regular block of feta will work as well. It will give you a very similar taste and texture as the feta that comes in brine. Honestly, crumbled feta would likely work too, the presentation will just be slightly different and you may need to bake it for less time.
    • If you're not into olives, try roasting the feta with grape tomatoes instead! Keep everything the same, just replace the olives with tomatoes! The tomatoes will become tender, roasted, and delicious! You could also just skip the olives all together and enjoy this baked feta with the sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, and herbs!

    Variations

    This recipe is super forgiving so feel free to switch up the ingredients to suit the season or your family's taste. Some of our favorite varitions include:

    • a squeeze of lemon juice
    • lemon zest
    • a drizzle of honey
    • capers
    • sliced red onion
    • sliced shallot
    • red pepper flakes
    • fresh thyme
    • fresh basil leaves

    Make it Into Pasta!

    • If you're looking to switch things up a bit and take this dish from an appetizer to the main course, add your favorite al dente pasta!
    • I like to add rotini, penne, or rigatoni but a longer cut of pasta like spaghetti, linguine, or fettuccine would work as well.
    • Cook your pasta, reserve ½ a cup of pasta water, and add the cooked pasta directly to the baked feta after it's come out of the oven. Gently mix the pasta and cheese together and add splashes of pasta water as needed to help the feta fully coat the pasta noodles in the creamy baked sauce.
    • Season to taste with Kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper and enjoy!
    White plate filled with baked feta olives and herbs

    Make-Ahead, Storage, and Reheating

    • Make-Ahead: This baked feta appetizer can be prepped a couple hours in advance which makes it one of my favorite foods to make for a party. Prep the feta according to the recipe instructions and when you're guests arrive, pop it in the oven for a warm appetizer that everyone will love!
    • Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
    • Reheating: Reheat baked feta in a 325-degree oven until warmed through.

    Does feta cheese melt in the oven?

    Feta cheese gets soft in the oven, but it does not melt, because of its relatively high acid content. When acidic cheeses like feta are heated, the proteins tighten, expelling moisture. That moisture evaporates and the cheese becomes too dry to liquefy. This baked feta recipe does give you soft, spreadable feta, but it's not melted feta.

    What can I do with a block of feta cheese?

    An old marketing slogan promised us that, "everything's betta with feta" and they weren't wrong! A block of feta has endless potential and dresses up everything it touches. In this baked feta recipe, it's transformed into a warm, cozy appetizer with sun-dried tomatoes, olives, and crispy crunchy crostini!

    What goes well with feta?

    Feta cheese originated in Greece and is associated with Mediterranean and modern Middle Eastern cuisine. That means feta goes well with other flavors and dishes from the same regions, including olives, hummus, pita, nuts, bell peppers, and roasted veggies. In this feta dip, we pair it with olives and sun-dried tomatoes along with garlic and herbs for a classic Mediterranean-inspired flavor!

    How do you use feta in brine?

    You can usually buy feta in a few different ways: in brine, vacuum packed, or crumbled. It's technically all feta, but the feta in brine is going to be creamier and more flavorful. Once you've used the block of feta for this easy feta appetizer recipe, you can use the leftover brine as a base for dressing or to marinate veggies before roasting.

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    Questions?
    Leave a comment below!
    Liked the recipe?
    Leave a comment below!
    Made this dish?
    Leave a comment and star rating below!

    Print

    Recipe

    Baked Feta

    Print Recipe
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    ★★★★★

    5 from 58 reviews

    This Baked Feta Appetizer comes together in just minutes with only a handful of ingredients - olives, sun-dried tomatoes, fresh garlic, olive oil, and herbs. Bake it all together with a block of feta cheese until it's warm and creamy then serve with crispy crostini!

    • Author: Kylie
    • Prep Time: 5 minutes
    • Cook Time: 20 minutes
    • Total Time: 25 minutes
    • Yield: 8 servings 1x
    • Category: Appetizer
    • Method: Oven
    • Cuisine: Greek/American
    • Diet: Vegetarian

    Ingredients

    Units Scale
    • 8 oz. block feta
    • 1 cup pitted olives, drained
    • ½ cup sun-dried tomatoes
    • ⅓ cup olive oil
    • 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
    • ½ teaspoon dried oregano
    • ½ teaspoon dried thyme
    • ½ teaspoon dried rosemary
    • Kosher salt
    • fresh cracked pepper

    For serving:

    • fresh chopped parsley
    • sliced French bread or crostini

    Instructions

    1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. 
    2. Add feta to a small baking dish.
    3. Add olives and sun-dried tomatoes to the baking dish around the feta.
    4. In a small dish combine olive oil, sliced garlic, oregano, thyme, rosemary, and a couple pinches of salt and pepper. 
    5. Pour over the block of feta, olives, and sun-dried tomatoes. 
    6. Bake for 20 minutes. Broil for 1-2 minutes.
    7. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley and sliced French bread or crostini. 

    Nutrition

    • Serving Size:
    • Calories: 166
    • Sugar: 2.4 g
    • Sodium: 269.1 mg
    • Fat: 15.5 g
    • Saturated Fat: 5.6 g
    • Carbohydrates: 3.5 g
    • Fiber: 0.5 g
    • Protein: 4.6 g
    • Cholesterol: 25.2 mg

    Keywords: baked feta, baked feta recipe, feta cheese recipes

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Cherise

      December 10, 2020 at 6:17 am

      Can this be used with goat cheese?

      Reply
      • Kylie Lato

        December 10, 2020 at 9:18 am

        This would be great with goat cheese! Might not need to bake it quite as long but goat cheese would taste great!

        Reply
    2. Charmaine

      November 28, 2020 at 9:24 pm

      This was delicious. I didn't have sundried tomato so I just used a regular tomato. So flavorful. Will definitely make this one again. And will.put it on the menu for get together.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Kylie Lato

        November 29, 2020 at 9:34 am

        Great substitution! I am so glad to hear that you enjoyed the recipe. Thank you for leaving a review, Charmaine!

        Reply
    3. Deanne

      November 21, 2020 at 6:13 pm

      So delicious. I will make this again. I crumbled the feta in the baking dish instead of leaving it in a block. I wouldn’t add olive oil next time as my sun dried tomatoes were in oil and it was very oily...the package of tomatoes was very oily. I added the olives for the last few minutes. We enjoyed this with a variety of crackers. Thanks for sharing!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Kylie Lato

        November 23, 2020 at 9:56 am

        I am so glad that you enjoyed this recipe, Deanne! And that you were able to make some adjustments to suit your taste. Thank you for leaving a review - I really appreciate it 🙂

        Reply
    4. Renee

      November 08, 2020 at 8:08 am

      This recipe was easy and delicious! Next time I will skip the salt, found it a little salty for my taste.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Kylie Lato

        November 08, 2020 at 4:15 pm

        I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe, Renee!! Feta can be quite salty and I think the saltiness can really differ from brand to brand as well so that's a great idea. Thank you for leaving a review - I really appreciate it! 🙂

        Reply
    5. Pam

      October 24, 2020 at 6:40 pm

      So simple and outrageously delicious!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Kylie Lato

        October 24, 2020 at 6:42 pm

        I am so glad that you enjoyed this recipe, Pam! Thank you for leaving a review!

        Reply
    6. Bridget

      October 23, 2020 at 9:15 pm

      I added a leaf of fresh basil to each slice of bread. Created the perfect balance. Thank you for the great fast impressive recipe!

      Reply
      • Kylie Lato

        October 24, 2020 at 2:47 pm

        YUM! Fresh basil would be a delicious addition to this appetizer. Great idea, Bridget!

        Reply
    7. Sue Ellen

      September 25, 2020 at 8:45 am

      When you say sun dried tomatoes, do you mean the ones in a jar of olive oil?
      I have a jar of sun dried tomatoes, nothing additional. I have both types and don’t know which one to use.

      Reply
      • Kylie Lato

        September 25, 2020 at 12:01 pm

        Hi Sue! Either would work well for this recipe!! I prefer the oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, but the ones that are not packed in oil would also work just fine as there is olive oil in the recipe itself. Great question. I hope that helps 🙂

        Reply
    8. Donna Anthony

      September 24, 2020 at 1:47 am

      Hi. Love your blog. I'm starting a blog and wonder if you wouldn't mind telling me which recipe add on you are using? Thank you.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Kylie Lato

        September 24, 2020 at 11:09 am

        Yes! I am using Tasty Recipes and I love it!

        Reply
    9. Joe Holton

      September 18, 2020 at 3:22 pm

      Excellent. Can't make it often enough...

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Kylie Lato

        September 20, 2020 at 10:51 am

        Yes!!! I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe, Joe! Thank you for leaving a review 🙂

        Reply
    10. Lily

      September 13, 2020 at 5:46 pm

      It was a hit!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Kylie Lato

        September 14, 2020 at 11:52 am

        Woohoo! I am so glad that you enjoyed this recipe, Lily! Thanks so much for leaving a review!

        Reply
    11. Teri Mitchum

      September 09, 2020 at 2:56 pm

      OMG, i so wanted to eat the whole thing! My hubs isn't really an olive fan, but he liked it as well.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Kylie Lato

        September 09, 2020 at 3:27 pm

        I am so glad this one was a hit, Teri!! Thanks for leaving a review - I really appreciate it!

        Reply
    12. George Fotopoulos

      August 17, 2020 at 2:37 pm

      Hello, I waa gping to combine cherry tomatoes and olives? Ehat do you think?

      Thank you

      George

      Reply
      • Kylie Lato

        August 17, 2020 at 2:53 pm

        Sounds DELICIOUS! I think that would work out great, George! Great question 🙂

        Reply
    13. Jill

      August 03, 2020 at 10:55 am

      Made this with fresh herbs and kalamata olives. It was over the top delicious and easy.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Kylie Lato

        August 03, 2020 at 11:56 am

        Yayyyy! I am so glad you hear that Jill. I'm glad you enjoyed this recipe. Thank you for leaving a review!!

        Reply
    14. Luke

      July 26, 2020 at 4:38 pm

      This was so good! Our daughter loves olives so we used this recipe to introduce her to feta. She ate it right up! Thank you!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Kylie Lato

        July 26, 2020 at 5:02 pm

        I am so glad to hear that, Luke! Thank you so much for leaving a review. I really appreciate it!

        Reply
    15. Karron

      July 05, 2020 at 12:02 pm

      So easy, and wonderfully delicious. I wasn’t able to find block feta in brine so I mounded feta crumbles and smushed it together in the middle of my dish and it worked just fine ? 10/10 will be making again and again!!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Kylie Lato

        July 05, 2020 at 10:15 pm

        I am so glad that liked this recipe! Way to go using what you had!! Thanks so much for leaving a review - I really appreciate it.

        Reply
    Newer Comments »

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    HELLO FROM THE MIDWEST - I'm Kylie and as a mom and blogger, I understand how hard it can be to get a wholesome dinner on the table at the end of a long day. Here at Midwest Foodie, I focus on sharing simple recipes that make it easy to feed your family real food.

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