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Home » Recipes » Course » Appetizers

Baked Feta with Tomatoes and Olives

February 10, 2015 by Christy, Updated May 20, 2019 32 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.

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Mediterranean baked feta is roasted to perfection with fresh herbs, tomatoes, olives, and a drizzle of olive oil. This is an appetizer everyone loves!

Picture of baked feta with roasted vegetables  Maybe its my minute sliver of Greek ancestry, but feta really does it for me. Throw a sprinkle of feta on pretty much anything and I'm a happy camper. It just makes everything thaaat much better, ya know?

You can imagine how excited I was when I first heard of baked feta. Basically just a slab of fresh cheese topped in all kinds of tasty roasted stuff like tomato, red pepper, herbs - its what dreams are made of people! Well, weird foodie dreams at least.

For this recipe you need real legit packed in water feta. That crappy pre-crumbled stuff just won't suffice. This recipe is as easy as taking that big ol' chunk of cheese, plunking it down in a baking dish, topping with goodies, and throwing it in the oven. That's all there is to it really.

Feta is a good choice when it comes to cheese too since sheep milk is lower in lactose and fat. The lactose levels are so low in fact that many lactose intolerant people can eat it without any problems. I wish I had known this years ago when I was severely lactose intolerant because giving up cheese altogether was not in the cards for me. So, when a cheese worth suffering for came along, I just powered through. I'm not going to go into details on the symptoms, but they were extremely unpleasant to say the least.

Lactose intolerance is a mysterious ailment. Between me and my four siblings, three of us went through periods of lactose intolerance in our late teens and early 20's. I can't even begin to understand what caused that, but now that I'm able to handle dairy again (hallelujah!), I'm very sympathetic to those that can't. I truly feel ya man... And watch out - not all feta is made from sheep milk!

Baked feta with roasted vegetables in a white dish

Luckily, in addition to being lower in lactose, this baked feta isn't as big of a diet buster as you would think. Each serving is about 150 calories - and that's assuming you split this thing between 6 people, which makes for pretty generous portions.

Piling veggies on top helps lighten up this baked feta dip and lessen the caloric load altogether. I'm a sucker for fresh herbs and I'm completely in love with this combo of parsley, basil, and oregano. You can sub in dried oregano instead of fresh without sacrificing too much flavor, but please, for the love of god, use fresh parsley and basil! Those two play a major part in creating the garden-fresh flavor that makes this baked feta what it is... which is delicious.

If you're really into feta, I have a whipped feta recipe that is tangy and tasty too. Of if the tomatoes are what's drawing you in, check out this zucchini tomato dip - its to die for! If you want something different altogether, these zucchini pizza bites are fun or these sweet potato patties are a unique, delicious change of pace with an equally tantalizing dipping sauce.

ingredients for baked feta recipe

Here's a little before and after shot. Looks okay before, but looks tantalizingly awesome after!

Before and after picture of baked feta

My photography skills aren't great so this really doesn't capture how delicious it is. You're going to have to take my word for it.

White dish with baked feta topped with tomatoes, herbs, olives and peppers

All this talk about feta has done wonders in getting my mind off of other things so thank you for listening to my feta love fest. As I'm writing this, I'm gearing up for quite the busy week, filled with lots of travel, friends, and family time. I'm on the road for work now, flying back to Portland tomorrow, picking up one of my closest friends from the airport a few hours after, and then flying out again a day later. This fabulous friend of mine is in town for a very heartbreaking reason, that I'm not entirely up to talking about at this point, but nonetheless, it will be great seeing her.

Then, the husband and I are flying out to Toronto this Friday to visit Ted's dad's side of the family for a long weekend. Meanwhile, his mom will be flying in from Argentina on the day we get back. She shares my love of old houses so I can't wait to show her around the one that we just bought. Needless to say, it'll be an action packed week filled with good people. Bring it on.

Mediterranean baked feta on a cracker

Picture of baked feta with roasted vegetables
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5 from 3 votes

Baked Feta with Tomatoes and Olives

Mediterranean baked feta is roasted to perfection with fresh herbs, tomatoes, olives, and a drizzle of olive oil. This is an appetizer everyone loves!
Course Appetizer
Cuisine Mediterranean
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 6
Calories 148kcal

Ingredients

  • 8 oz. block of feta
  • 1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1 tsp. minced garlic
  • 1/8 cup thinly sliced red onion (or 1/4 cup if you really love onion)
  • ¼ cup thinly sliced red pepper
  • 1/3 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and halved
  • 1 1/2 Tbsp. chopped parsley
  • 1 Tbsp. chopped basil
  • 1 tsp. chopped oregano (or ½ tsp. dried)
  • ¼ tsp. black pepper, fresh cracked
  • 1 Tbsp. olive oil
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 400° F (205° C).
  • Mix all ingredients other than feta together in a small bowl.
  • Place block of feta into a small rimmed oven safe baking dish. Add tomato mixture to top of feta, letting it spill over into the dish.
  • Bake for approximately 20 minutes until vegetables are roasted and feta has softened. Serve with crackers and/or vegetable crudités. 

Notes

This recipe was adapted from Smitten Kitchen's Mediterranean Baked Feta.

Nutrition

Calories: 148kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 33mg | Sodium: 545mg | Potassium: 155mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 1020IU | Vitamin C: 22.3mg | Calcium: 217mg | Iron: 1.2mg
Did you make the recipe? I love seeing your creations!To be featured tag @FeastingNotFasting on Instagram and use the hashtag #FeastingNotFasting - please leave a star rating below too! ★★★★★

 

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. San says

    December 03, 2021 at 2:37 pm

    I just made this and served it over zoodles. It was amazing and a keeper.

    Reply
    • Christy says

      January 30, 2022 at 10:16 am

      Okay - that just went on my meal planning list for next week! Sounds like a great combo!

      Reply
  2. Aaron says

    October 24, 2021 at 9:40 am

    Just finished devouring this and my wife said it’s the best thing she’s ever eaten. I recommend with a crispy toasted bread so you get the crunch with the creamy. Can’t wait to make this again and bring it to a party.

    Reply
    • Christy says

      October 30, 2021 at 10:43 am

      I'm so thrilled you and your wife like it so much!!! Those roasted veggies really do it for me. Its heavenly!

      Reply
  3. Marisol Rogers says

    July 15, 2021 at 9:45 am

    I will be baking this at home and then taking it to someone's house for an appetizer can I just reheat real quickly in the microwave when we get there?

    Reply
    • Christy says

      July 30, 2021 at 2:56 pm

      You could and it will be okay, but it won't be as good as fresh roasted. I'd recommend prepping everything before hand and then baking fresh there if you can!

      Reply
  4. Kerie Lord says

    March 03, 2021 at 3:33 pm

    5 stars
    This was absolutely delicious!!!

    Reply
    • Christy says

      March 09, 2021 at 5:35 pm

      I just made it again last week too! Its so creamy and I'm glad you liked it too!

      Reply
  5. RJ says

    August 31, 2020 at 6:09 pm

    Does it refrigerate well?

    Reply
    • Christy says

      September 20, 2020 at 10:11 pm

      You can definitely refrigerate and snack on the leftovers but it won't be as creamy as it is when it's warm.

      Reply
  6. Maria says

    November 08, 2019 at 2:50 pm

    Can this be a side dish, as well? Can I add green peppers, too? Thanks.

    Reply
    • Christy says

      November 12, 2019 at 10:10 pm

      I don't see why not - enjoy!

      Reply
  7. Sally says

    August 11, 2019 at 3:52 pm

    Risking the chance of being labelled unfoodie-like(!) - I have tried so very many times but I just cannot like sheep or goats’ milk in any form. I presume that I could use good old ‘fake feta’ as I always call the cows’ milk version as the texture can be almost exactly the same?

    Reply
    • Christy says

      August 13, 2019 at 10:42 pm

      Of course you can! I've made it with cow feta plenty of times and it has been delicious. Slightly less creamy yes, but still worth it and extremely good.

      Reply
  8. Barbara says

    July 28, 2019 at 1:06 pm

    5 stars
    Big hit! I used Bulgarian feta and extra olive oil. I served with crackers but next time will use pita or Italian bread. You’ll want to sop up all the delicious juices/oil! Definitely a keeper!

    Reply
    • Christy says

      July 31, 2019 at 7:06 am

      Isn't it delicious? Wishing I had a big block of feta right now so I could make this one again!

      Reply
  9. Vanessa says

    May 18, 2019 at 11:21 am

    Thanks for sharing! How far ahead of time can I make it?

    Reply
    • Christy says

      May 20, 2019 at 7:12 am

      You can do all of the prep work and assemble a day ahead of time but don't bake it until just before serving. That way it will be warm and spreadable which is what makes it so good!

      Reply
  10. Suzanne says

    May 18, 2019 at 11:20 am

    This looks so good! It can be challenging to find an appetizer to bring to a party that is healthy and tasty!

    Reply
    • Christy says

      May 20, 2019 at 7:14 am

      I feel you on that one. Its so hard to find appetizers that are healthy but actually wow-worthy. If you do bring this one to go, see if you can bake it there so that its warm when you serve it. You might want to double it too. 😉

      Reply
  11. Sharon says

    May 14, 2019 at 8:20 am

    I can't wait to try this recipe! I love onions but my family does not. Can I substitute oinion powder in place of raw onion?

    Reply
    • Christy says

      May 14, 2019 at 8:55 pm

      Yeah sure! 🙂

      Reply
  12. Debi says

    February 04, 2019 at 2:38 pm

    So why put it in a dish inside of the baking dish? Why can’t you just place the block of Dey in dish and cover it with tomato mixture?

    Reply
    • Christy says

      February 04, 2019 at 9:25 pm

      I've got news for you Debi - there's no need to put the dish inside another separate dish! I baked mine directly in the white dish shown in the pictures.

      Reply
  13. Jo leipold says

    October 22, 2017 at 5:30 am

    But what is the "good stuff" for feta?

    Reply
    • Christy says

      October 29, 2017 at 10:09 am

      Basically blocks of feta backed in water will do the trick in a recipe like this, but the really "good stuff" in my opinion, is the imported fresh feta, usually from Eastern Europe. Its super fresh and instead of crumbling into dryer pieces, it smashes creamily between your fingers. I get mine at a local world foods market near my house but somewhere like Whole Foods usually has pretty similar quality. I'm not sure if this is what Anetta had in mind but I'm just jumping in here with my opinions since I'm not sure if she'll see your message. This recipe is PERFECT for this time of year so I certainly hope you try it soon!

      Reply
      • Jo says

        October 29, 2017 at 11:25 am

        Thank you for answering. I will indeed make this soon.

      • Stacie Markham says

        May 04, 2018 at 3:56 pm

        I've actually found some pretty good feta from wisconsin lol. I think that the trick is making sure that it's goats milk feta

      • Christy says

        May 11, 2018 at 8:17 am

        Thanks so much for that info! Wisconsin is the mecca of cheese in America so I don't doubt you have some good feta there. Good to know about the sheep / goat mix! 🙂

      • Stacie Markham says

        May 04, 2018 at 3:59 pm

        pardon me, what I meant to say was that the good feta is a combination of sheeps milk and goats milk.

  14. Anetta @ The Wanderlust Kitchen says

    March 02, 2015 at 11:50 am

    5 stars
    Ummm wow. This looks so amazing! Every since our trip to Greece I've been totally obsessed with Feta, too. I just have to make sure I can find the good stuff, otherwise it's just not the same. I love this recipe idea, can't wait to make it!

    Reply
    • Christy says

      March 03, 2015 at 9:25 am

      I am completely and uncontrollably obsessed with feta. I'm not sure what part of Portland you're in but there's a World Foods store on Barbur Blvd. and another in the Pearl that has the best imported feta and all kinds of other international ingredients that can be hard to find. Its on my way home from work so I pretty much live in this store. Its almost embarrassing how often I'm there...

      Reply

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Hi, I'm Christy - the foodie, photographer and recipe developer behind Feasting Not Fasting, a site centered on making it easier to eat healthy. More about me…

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