I have made this recipe, exactly as written, so many times! It’s elegant, easy, and satisfies so many cravings at once. It’s one of my go-to party appetizers, and a weeknight treat along with a crusty sourdough. Thanks so much for sharing this recipe 🙂 ~Miranda
baked feta cheese is an unexpectedly delicious appetizer
I have a feeling once you try this unusual baked cheese appetizer you’ll return to it again and again. You’ll get lots of appreciation from your friends, that’s for sure, and nobody will be expecting it. When it’s baked, the feta takes on an entirely different personality ~ the cheese not only gets warm, it softens and becomes less crumbly, a little more spreadable. And if you haven’t tried imported sheep’s milk feta, you’re in for a treat, the flavor is so much better. Bake this for your next gathering and watch it disappear!
This baked feta isn’t non-caloric, but it tastes heavenly, and those are relatively healthy calories from lower fat sheep’s milk cheese and extra virgin olive oil.
what you’ll need to make baked feta
The Mediterranean flavors really shine in this simple dish. Notice there’s no salt on this list, the feta is plenty salty.
- a block of feta cheese ~ look for sheep’s milk feta, the flavor is superior.
- mixed olives ~ I like to gather a mix of types for this dish, and ideally they should not be pitted, again for best flavor. If you’ve got a local market with an olive bar, that’s ideal, just grab what you need. Note: warn diners that you are serving olives with the pits inside, and provide a discreet dish for the discarded pits.
- olive oil ~ normally I don’t cook with extra virgin olive oil, I save it for raw uses like drizzling and salad dressings, etc., but I make an exception in this case.
- fresh lemons ~ regular or Meyer lemons will work.
- fresh rosemary ~ it’s beautiful and the piney flavor is perfect here.
- fresh cracked black pepper ~ start with whole peppercorns, the difference is amazing.
- hot pepper flakes ~ adds the finishing touch to baked feta.
what happens when you bake feta?
baking transforms the 3 main ingredients in magical ways:
- the cheese, as I said above, mellows and softens. Note, it doesn’t actually become spreadable like a cream cheese, but it does soften.
- the olives undergo a similar transformation to the cheese, and they become soft and juicy. They’re so good you can serve them all by themselves as a super easy appetizer, see my roasted olives recipe for details.
- even the lemons become pliable and release their juice into the warm olive oil ‘sauce’ in your baked feta.
what is feta cheese?
- Feta is a Greek cheese made with sheep’s milk, or sheep’s milk and goat’s milk.
- The cheese is made in blocks, and stored in brine. Its texture is crumbly and its flavor is sharp and salty.
- Legally, feta cheese is only made in certain areas of Greece, but other feta-type cheeses are made in other parts of Europe, and in the US.
the difference between Greek feta and American feta
Greek feta cheese is made from sheep’s milk, or a combination of sheep’s and goat’s milk. It has a tangy, salty, and creamy flavor and a crumbly texture. Greek feta is protected by EU law and can only be called feta if it is made in Greece using traditional methods.
American feta cheese is typically made from cow’s milk, or a combination of cow’s and goat’s milk. It may also be produced using different methods, such as using microbial rennet instead of animal rennet.
Greek feta has a tangier, saltier flavor and crumbly texture, while American feta is milder and creamier in flavor and texture.
is baked feta healthy?
- Feta cheese is lower in fat and calories than most other cheeses, and is healthy if you don’t gorge on it!
- The flavor is sharp and a little goes a long way…it makes a big impact in recipes and salads, etc., without adding a lot of fat.
- Feta is somewhat salty, so stick to about an ounce serving size if you’re watching your sodium.
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Baked Feta Cheese with Olives, Lemon and Rosemary
Video
Ingredients
- 10 ounce block of sheep's milk feta Note: the amount of cheese can vary, that's fine. If your block is very thick you may want to slice it in half through the middle so you have 2 thinner slabs.
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- juice of 1/2 large lemon
- 1 1/2 cups mixed olives
- 3 Tbsp fresh rosemary leaves
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- a few coarse grindings of black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Put the feta in a gratin dish or other small ovenproof dish that you will also use for serving.
- Pour the olive oil into the dish, followed by the lemon juice. Arrange the olives around the cheese, with the rosemary. I quarter the squeezed lemon half and throw that in as well. Sprinkle the red and black pepper over all.
- Bake for about 20 minutes, or until hot and bubbling. I loosely laid a sheet of foil over mine. You can finish under the broiler if you like for a little charring effect.
- Serve hot with toasted bread.
Notes
- Add a handful of shrimp and make this a meal!
- Try fresh thyme instead of rosemary.
- You might try cutting the feta in large cubes instead of baking it brick style.
- I’m dying to try this baked feta with my Romesco Sauce.
Nutrition
more feta cheese, please!
- Feta is perfect for crumbling on salads, like I do on my wheat berry salad or my chopped asparagus salad.
- The cheese can be a more assertive ingredient in a salad when you slice it into small chunks, as in an Israeli or Greek salad.
- Feta cheese absorbs flavors well, and can be marinated. I make a grapefruit and rosemary marinated feta.
- Feta cheese can be whipped or blended into a dip, see my crudites with fire feta for inspiration.
- Add it to your next cheese board or appetizer platter.
This is a family favorite!! So quick and simple. I made it as part of our mezze platter last week. My daughter teaches cooking classes and has added this to her tapas menu. Thanks for so many great recipes!
You’re welcome Linda, I appreciate the support!
Made this for NYE appetizer…..delicious! Hubby and I almost finished it off ourselves!
Thanks Sue for another great recipe ?
This is one of my favorite recipes now. Comes together in just minutes, and is soooo beautiful as well as satisfying! Thanks so much for sharing it 🙂
Thanks Miranda, it really works well for the holidays, I think. Glad you liked it!
Loved this! Didn’t have feta, but goat cheese was a great substitution!
Thanks Sue, another Keeper Recipe! Lovely subtle olive flavours with the Feta and Lemon, all soaked up into a delicious fresh baguette. Great textures between the olives, feta and bread. I loved the ‘spreadable’ nature of the Feta, almost like a dip but not quite! I splurged and glad that I did and got some good quality olives (Green olives stuffed with garlic, Kalamata olives stuffed with Jalapeño and Sicilian olives stuffed with an attitude and a gun), but the individual flavours of each olive made every mouthful totally different! Everything was magnificent! Thanks again.
Thanks for the recipe , my little boy lived it very much. Though it was my first try we enjoyed lots with olive and feta cheese.
I made this and thought the feta and olives were very tasty but I couldn’t get the feta to get soft and bubbly. I left it way longer in the oven then the time listed and even under the broiler but nothing happened. I used sheep’s milk feta in brine from Trader Joes. The cheese tasted good just didn’t really melt in the way I expected it to based on the recipe picture. Do you have any suggestions?
The cheese doesn’t melt Janna, it just gets warm and softens. Feta doesn’t melt or get bubbly, that’s just its nature.
I guess I was confused that it said in the recipe “Bake for about 20 minutes, or until hot and bubbling”
The picture does not show the cheese soft and bubbly. Feta doesn’t melt like that.
Pictures are sometimes difficult to interpret, that’s for sure. The hot and bubbling refers to the juices around it.
Sue, congratulations for this amazing website and of course for this post! Did you know that Feta as we know it today has its origins in Greece? I wanted to let your large audience know about Feta PDO, an initiative financed by the EU, that has as a mission to inform people about the origins of Feta. As Feta PDO is a cause, i am not providing you with any link as that in our eyes would look spam. If however you want to join our cause we would be more than happy to share more information!
Keep up the good work 🙂
What is ghe best commercial extra v olive oil for ghis recipe?
Honestly Nicole when I’m in the grocery store I usually grab a medium priced oil, and I like to vary my brand just for variety’s sake. My favorite specialty olive oil is a company called O Olive Oil, and I did a post all about them here.
So good. This was dinner! With wine
My kind of dinner 🙂