Baked Feta Recipe
User Reviews
5.0
33 reviews
Excellent
Baked Feta Recipe
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This Baked Feta Recipe is an appetizer that you can prepare in just 5 minutes using a handful of ingredients – grape tomatoes, olives, fresh garlic, olive oil, honey, and dried herbs. Bake it all together with a block of feta cheese until it's warm and soft. Serve it with crostini or pita chips!
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Ingredients
- 2 cups grape tomatoes or cherry tomatoes
- 1 cup pitted olives preferably a medley of green olives and Kalamata olives
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano plus extra
- 1 teaspoon dried basil plus extra
- 4 tablespoon olive oil or EVOO (good quality), divided (use more oil if needed)
- 8 oz feta cheese block choose a full-fat, brined feta cheese preferably and drain the liquid before baking (NOT CRUMBLED FETA)
- red pepper flakes A pinch
- 2 ½ tablespoon honey divided (you can skip it but it provides a balance of flavors). Use sugar-free honey for a keto appetizer!
- fresh basil and oregano optional (to garnish)
- Crostini or (pita chips) to serve with
Instructions
- To start, place grape tomatoes and olives in a baking dish. Toss them well with minced garlic, dried oregano and basil, 3 tablespoon of olive oil, and 2 tablespoon of honey.
- Using a spoon, push the vegetables to the sides of the baking dish and place the block of feta cheese right in the middle.
- Drizzle the cheese with 1 tablespoon of olive oil (or more if you want) and sprinkle extra dried herbs on top and a good pinch of red pepper flakes.
- Bake at 350° F (180° C) for about 20-25 minutes on the middle rack until soft. Then, brush ½ tablespoon of honey on top of the feta cheese and broil it on the oven top rack until golden brown on top (about 3-5 minutes).
- Alternatively, you can bake the cheese at 430° F (220° C) for 10 minutes on the oven top rack, or until soft and charred. It will take less time to bake but the top can brown faster!
- Because we used honey in this baked feta recipe, we used the first method; otherwise, the top may have gotten too brown. Either way, the spreadable feta will be soft, but not melted!
- Serve it with fresh herbs such as fresh basil leaves (and/or oregano leaves) and crostini or pita chips.
Notes
- Tips:
- Storage
- Store leftover veggies in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Use them in pasta, casseroles, savory bread puddings, pizza toppings, etc.
- The baked feta cheese itself must be eaten right away.
- But if you have leftovers, keep them chilled in the same container and warm them in the microwave for 30-60 seconds.
- It will be warm but not spreadable (or as soft) as when it first came out of the oven.
- You can make countless variations of the dish, adding your favorite herbs or spices. For instance, people also like to bake feta with fresh dill or fennel fronds, or paprika.
- You can easily adapt the amount of veggies according to your liking and the number of people you're serving.
- If you use a medium-heated oven (350° F), you’ll have to broil the cheese later in order to achieve a golden brown top. Or you can use a high-heated oven (430° F) all the way through and achieve all at once. But in this case, do not add honey to the recipe or use only a hint of it.
- Make sure you have an oven-safe dish for this recipe.
- Our baked feta appetizer serves about 6-8 people. Use a small baking dish and reduce the amount of each ingredient for 2 people!
- Use quality Greek feta cheese (one with a creamy texture, not crumbled) or feta that comes in a brined liquid (the moisture gives the feta extra flavor and increases its But drain the brine off before baking and pat dry with a paper towel). Although French or Bulgarian white cheese will work fine too! They are like feta but can not use the term because Greece has the PDO for the term "feta". Do not use crumbled feta, which is too dry and will not get soft enough after baking.
- Use a good quality olive oil or extra-virgin olive oil.
- Serve the baked feta right away; otherwise, it will harden quickly! It will be soft, but not melted! Because I didn’t serve mine immediately, it wasn’t spreadable but still delish!
- Serve it with toasted bread (crostini) or pita chips. To toast the bread, slice a baguette and brush on both sides with olive oil. Sprinkle some dried herbs on top and arrange them on a sheet pan lined with aluminum foil. Bake it at 350° F for 8 minutes.
Nutrition Information
Show Details
Calories
190kcal
(10%)
Carbohydrates
9g
(3%)
Protein
5g
(10%)
Fat
16g
(25%)
Saturated Fat
6g
(30%)
Polyunsaturated Fat
1g
Monounsaturated Fat
8g
Cholesterol
25mg
(8%)
Sodium
582mg
(24%)
Potassium
127mg
(4%)
Fiber
1g
(4%)
Sugar
8g
(16%)
Vitamin A
502IU
(10%)
Vitamin C
5mg
(6%)
Calcium
162mg
(16%)
Iron
1mg
(6%)
Nutrition Facts
Serving: 8people
Amount Per Serving
Calories 190 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 190kcal | 10% |
| Carbohydrates | 9g | 3% |
| Protein | 5g | 10% |
| Fat | 16g | 25% |
| Saturated Fat | 6g | 30% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 1g | 6% |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 8g | 40% |
| Cholesterol | 25mg | 8% |
| Sodium | 582mg | 24% |
| Potassium | 127mg | 3% |
| Fiber | 1g | 4% |
| Sugar | 8g | 16% |
| Vitamin A | 502IU | 10% |
| Vitamin C | 5mg | 6% |
| Calcium | 162mg | 16% |
| Iron | 1mg | 6% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
Genuine Reviews
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5.0
33 reviews
Excellent
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