This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
This wonderfully delicious and creamy Baked Feta recipe is an easy appetizer featuring soft and warm feta cheese, roasted red peppers, tomatoes, black olives, and seasonings. This is one of the tastiest dishes you’ll ever whip up! Just grab some naan bread or potato chips to go with it, and you’re all set!
As a Macedonian, I’m excited to share a piece of my culinary heritage through this baked feta recipe, or as we call it back home, ‘Topeno Sirenje.’ I’ve tailored the traditional recipe to bring out the rich flavors that have been enjoyed in my family for generations. I hope it brings a taste of the Mediterranean as well as of Macedonia to your table!
This easy-to-make Mediterranean Baked Feta Dip recipe brings together the creamy richness of feta cheese with the robust flavors of roasted red peppers, tangy black olives, and ripe tomatoes. Drizzled with olive oil and baked to gooey, melty perfection, each bite is a warm bite that’s irresistibly good. It’s the perfect appetizer recipe for gatherings or a treat for a cozy night in, and it’s always a hit with cheese lovers.
Why We Love This Baked Feta Recipe
- Easy and Quick: With minimal preparation required, this dish is simple to make. It’s perfect for those times when you want a quick yet delicious appetizer.
- Packed with Flavors: Baked feta cheese with peppers, tomatoes, and olives combine to make this dish a real flavor bomb. It’s got all those awesome Mediterranean flavors that we can’t get enough of.
- Convenient: This dip can be prepped a day ahead and kept in the fridge. When ready to serve, just bake it until soft and bubbly.
Ingredients For Baked Feta
- Feta Cheese: You’ll need one block of feta cut into about six half-inch thick slices.
- Grape Tomatoes: The tomatoes should be cut in half. Cherry tomatoes are also okay to use.
- Roasted Red Peppers: I usually find these in a jar. If they aren’t already cut into strips, cut them up before using.
- Black Olives: Regular pitted black olives from a deli counter or canned ones are fine.
- Garlic: One clove is plenty for this dish.
- Dried Oregano and Thyme: These add a wonderful flavor and aroma to the baked cheese!
- Olive Oil: I use extra virgin olive oil; it has the strongest flavor and goes well with all the ingredients.
- Cracked Black Pepper: This gives more of a peppery kick to the dish than regular ground pepper, but feel free to substitute (or omit) according to your taste! Red pepper flakes are also great!
- Fresh Basil: Just a bit for a garnish.
- Pita Chips or Crackers: For serving. You could also use veggies or toasted baguette slices.
How To Make Baked Feta
This snack is a great and tasty recipe to put together quickly. All you do is slice the feta, halve the tomatoes and olives, and then arrange everything in a baking dish and bake it!
- Preheat Oven: The oven should be preheated to 425°F before baking.
- Assemble Dish: Place the feta in a small baking dish. Top with tomatoes, peppers, and olives; then sprinkle with garlic, oregano, and thyme. Finally, drizzle olive oil over the dish.
- Bake, Garnish & Serve: Bake until the cheese is soft. Remove from the oven. Garnish with cracked black pepper and basil, and serve with crusty bread or pita chips.
Recipe Tips And Variations
- Buy Brined: Feta tastes best when it’s been packaged in its own brine because it doesn’t dry out as much that way. So, if possible, look for vacuum-sealed packages of feta cheese in brine for the best flavor and texture.
- Rinse or Soak: You might find that the feta cheese you have purchased is a little too salty for your liking. If so, try rinsing the cheese, or even soaking it in water for a few minutes, to remove some of the salt.
- Substitutions: If you want to change up some of the ingredients here, please do. This dish works really well with most things you’d find in antipasti, or Mediterranean charcuterie boards: sun-dried tomatoes, roasted garlic, different olive varieties, marinated veggies of all kinds (hello, artichokes!), even goat cheese instead of feta, and little slivers of prosciutto or ham.
- Enjoy it fresh from the oven: This dish is best enjoyed while the feta is warm and at its creamiest, perfect for spreading.
- To serve: Pair the dip with pita chips or toasted bread slices.
Serving Suggestions
If you’d like to serve this as a side dish, it fits perfectly with my White Bean Soup, or try it with this Instant Pot Chicken Marsala. Serving a Mediterranean appetizer with Creamy Garlic Butter Pasta with Spinach is a fantastic choice. For a mezze platter, include this Mediterranean White Bean Salad alongside the feta dip and add some Quinoa Stuffed Tomatoes, too.
Storing Leftovers
To refrigerate, cover leftovers tightly in airtight containers and store them in the refrigerator for up to 48 hours. To reheat, place the leftovers in an ovenproof dish and bake at 350˚F until heated through.
Easy Feta Recipes
Pin this now to find it later
Pin It
Mediterranean Baked Feta
Ingredients
- 8 to 10 ounces feta cheese,, cut into about 6 slices, (slices should be about ½-inch thick)
- 1 cup grape tomatoes,, halved
- ½ cup roasted red pepper strips,, usually sold in a jar or a can
- ½ cup pitted black olives,, rinsed and cut in half
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 clove garlic, , minced
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- freshly cracked black pepper,, for garnish
- 1 tablespoon basil ribbons,, for garnish
- pita chips or crackers,, for serving
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425˚F.
- Arrange the cheese in an 8-inch baking dish.
- Top the feta cheese with the tomatoes, peppers, and olives.
- Sprinkle with oregano, thyme, and minced garlic.
- Drizzle olive oil over the feta and veggies.
- Bake for 25 to 35 minutes or until the cheese is soft and bubbly.
- Remove from oven and let it rest for a few minutes.
- Garnish with cracked black pepper and basil.
- Serve with pita chips, toasted bread slices, crackers, etc.
Notes
- Serving Temperature: Serve the dip while it’s still warm to enjoy the creamy and soft texture of the feta.
- Bread Pairing: Toasted bread complements this dip well. You can toast slices of a baguette or Italian bread in the oven until they are crispy and golden.
- Add a Kick: For those who enjoy a bit of heat, sprinkle some chili flakes before baking or drizzle with a little chili oil after baking.
- Balancing Saltiness: Since feta is naturally salty, be cautious with adding extra salt.
- Leftovers: If you have leftovers, they can be refrigerated and reused in salads, as a spread, or even mixed into pasta.
- Wine Pairing: A crisp white wine or a light red can complement the flavors of the dip perfectly.
Nutrition
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
One of the most delicious appetizers to make! So easy and yummy!!!!
Thank YOU! I’m very happy you enjoyed it! 🙂
Excellent dish. Added artichokes and, as I was using bigger portions of veggies, I increased the spice-especially the garlic. Tossed over a gluten free corm pasta. Yum!
I’m very happy you enjoyed it! Thank you for chiming in! 🙂
This tastes amazing ! I omitted the pepper as I didn’t have them in the cupboard and added some sweetness with a drizzle of honey . So so good
What is the serving size!
About 2 to 3 ounces. A serving of Feta is 1 ounce, the rest is the veggies and olive oil. The entire recipe is 8 servings, as stated in the recipe card.
Omg this sounds delicious! Thank you!