Baked Feta Appetizer with Olives is an easy and scrumptious appetizer that's perfect for a small crowd and guaranteed to be a hit. The presentation is beautiful, and you can make it almost entirely ahead of time!
This baked Feta appetizer is one of my favorite recipes to serve a small group. It's fantastic for sharing and easily comes together with just a handful of simple ingredients.
I make this for guests all the time, and I put it together the night before, so all I have to do is bake it just before serving. Easy and foolproof!
I love crumbled Feta served chilled, like in salads, and in my Melon Feta recipe - but, it's also amazing served sizzling hot in block form. Add to that, smoky roasted red peppers and Kalamata olives with fresh herbs, and it's a huge hit.
Key Ingredient Information
- Feta cheese - Feta is a Greek cheese made from sheeps' milk and has a salty, tangy flavor. It’s always best to buy Feta in its salt water brine. The texture will be smoother and creamer, and the shelf life is longer. It's a good idea to lightly rinse and pat dry the Feta when it's used directly from brine to remove any excess salt.
- Kalamata olives - Kalamata olives have a salty wine-like flavor. Buy pitted Kalamatas to save time, and if you'd like to substitute them, use Niçoise or green olives like Castelvetranos. (Warmed Castelvetrano olives are superb!)
- roasted bell peppers - Using a couple of colors is really pretty, though you can use one if you prefer. Red, orange and yellow are best -- do not use green for this -- it won't be nearly as good. We roast them for this recipe which adds a delicious smoky flavor to their natural sweetness. Choose peppers that are heavy for their size and shiny. If you want to save time, substitute with jarred roasted peppers.
- fresh oregano - Oregano has a pungent earthy flavor that's lovely with the sweet peppers, salty cheese and olives. Choose perky, dark green bunches without yellow areas. You can substitute the fresh oregano with dried oregano, using about ⅓ the amount.
How to Make Baked Feta with Roasted Peppers & Olives
- First, roast and peel the red peppers. Here's a step-by-step guide for How to Roast and Peel Peppers.
- Finely chop the roasted peppers, olives and oregano, and combine them with the olive oil and lemon juice in a small bowl.
- Place the blocks of Feta cheese in a casserole dish large enough to fit them with a good few inches around them.
- Pour the pepper-olive mixture over and around the cheese, and gently lift the blocks so some of it goes underneath.
- Bake it in a 375°F oven until the oil is sizzling and the edges of the cheese are golden. If the oil is sizzling before it begins to brown, place the dish below the broiler until it's slightly golden, about 30 seconds or so. Recipe Tip: If you place it under the broiler, watch it carefully as it can go from perfect to too dark within seconds.
Serving Suggestions
- I serve the baked Feta appetizer with thin, toasted baguette slices. If desired, rub a raw garlic clove on them, otherwise, I don’t add any additional flavors because the cheese with olives and peppers is already intensely flavored.
- Plain crackers, pita or bagel chips are also great choices.
I love a party of appetizers or small plates. Below are a few delicious ideas if you'd like to do just that.
More Appetizers for Sharing to Serve With the Feta
Making it Ahead and Storage
- You can prep the recipe 100% the day before you want to serve it. Keep it refrigerated, covered tightly with plastic wrap, and about 40 minutes before serving remove it from the refrigerator and preheat the oven to 375°F. Put it in the oven to bake about 20 minutes before you're ready to serve.
- Unlike in a baked brie recipe, baked Feta cheese doesn't really melt -- it softens. Therefore, once cooled to room temperature, it can easily be wrapped and stored. (I love the leftovers in a grilled cheese sandwich!)
Variations
- This recipe is also fantastic with fresh thyme or rosemary. If you use rosemary, use about 1 teaspoon less.
- It's common to drizzle honey on top of baked feta, and it would be really tasty with the salty tangy flavors in this baked Feta recipe.
- Turn it into a main course Baked Feta Pasta dish. Once baked, you can crumble the cheese and mix everything together, and then combine it with a pasta of your choice.
- Gluten-free version. Instead of serving it with bread or crackers, serve it with large, diagonally sliced cucumber.
More Must-Try Recipes with Feta
- Watermelon Basil Salad with Feta
- Lamb and Feta Cheese Lasagna
- Spinach Feta Quiche in Portobello Shells
- Mediterranean Burgers with Olives and Feta
I would definitely keep this Feta cheese appetizer in mind the next time you have a casual dinner party.
Hope you love it as much as I do!
Baked Feta Appetizer with Olives Recipe
Ingredients
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¾ cup Kalamata Olives, pitted, finely chopped
- 1 cup roasted peppers, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon fresh oregano, washed, dried, finely chopped
- 2 (½-pound) Feta cheese blocks, drained and patted dry
- freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Set oven and prep the cheese. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Drain and pat the blocks of Feta dry with a paper towel. Then place them in a casserole dish large enough to fit them with a good few inches around them.
- Make marinade. Finely chop the roasted peppers, olives and oregano, and combine them with the olive oil and lemon juice in a small bowl. Drizzle the this mixture over and around the cheese, and gently lift the blocks so some of it goes underneath.
- Bake. Bake in a 375°F oven until the oil is sizzling, and the edges of the cheese are golden, 15 to 20 minutes. If the oil is sizzling before it’s golden, place the dish below the broiler until it's slightly golden, about 30 seconds or so. If you place it under the broiler, watch it carefully as it can go from perfect to too dark within seconds.
- Serve. Serve immediately with a sliced and toasted baguette, crackers or something similar.
NOTES
NUTRITION
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angiesrecipes
A perfect appetizer! I love Feta and should try this ASAP.
valentina
I hope you love it, Angie! Thanks!:-) ~Valentina
Nancy Buchanan
Hands down, this is one of my favorite ways to eat feta. I love the combo of peppers and olives! Isn't it amazing how something SO SIMPLE can be so delicious?
valentina
Awesome. Thanks, Nancy! And yes, I love the simplicity of it. 🙂 ~Valentina
Patricia K Rose
Thank you Valentina. I had Bulgarian feta in my fridge calling to me. Had not baked it before now! Yum!
valentina
Yum! Bulgarian Feta! How great is that? So happy you enjoyed this. 🙂 ~Valentina
Eha
Yes, yes, absolutely yes ! Love feta, have simply been too dumb to use this simple method ! And yes o the olives and peppers - I try very hard not to buy tins for more than one reason, but in this case methinks the jarred peppers would have a better consistency and are certainly faster to use . . . . weekend endeavour perchance . . . 🙂 ?
valentina
Thanks, Eha. I hope you give it a go and love it! Have a delightful weekend. 🙂 ~Valentina
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
I can't tell you how much I LOVE this recipe, Valentina! As soon as I landed on your page and saw the title I pinned right away. I seriously can't wait to try! This is something hubby and I would absolutely devour on a Friday night, maybe as part of a meat and cheese board. I didn't know feta translated to 'slice'. Learn something new every day! Making very soon...and I can see this one being lovely for entertaining during the holidays 🙂 Such a great recipe! Happy Friday!
valentina
Thanks so much, Dawn. You mention Friday nights often in relation to food -- I'm thinking you two have very special and delicious dinners on Friday nights. 🙂 I hope you love it! ~Valentina
David Scott Allen
Baked feta cheese is one of my favorite appetizers to serve. There are so many variations, and I love your version! You are so correct… it is very simple, but very special! Have a lovely weekend!T
valentina
Thanks, David! (And no garlic. :-D) Hope you have a lovely weekend, too! 🙂 ~Valentina
Kim Lange
So yummy and simple to make! Who wouldn't love this?!
Gerlinde @Sunnycovechef
I love feta and always have some in the fridge. Your recipe is wonderful.
David @ Spiced
Interesting! I love feta, and I often just use it by itself. I've also marinated it, and that turned out well. But I have never tried baking feta. What a great holiday appetizer idea with a loaf of chewy Italian bread. Yum!!
valentina
Well now I have to try marinating it. 😀 Thank you for that idea. Enjoy and thank you. ~Valentina
mimi rippee
Well this is fabulous! I love to grill, fry, bake, or just warm just about any kind of cheese! But I love your topping. Some people like to just use honey, and I find it way to sweet of a combination. I much prefer savory toppings.
valentina
Thank you, Mimi. Hope you give it a go sometime and love it. 🙂 ~Valentina
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Tried this over the holidays (for New Year's Eve, actually) and hubby and I LOVED it! So easy and so tasty....will definitely make again 🙂
valentina
Hi Dawn, This makes me so happy! Thank you for sharing. Wishing you and yours a very happy 2020! 🙂 ~Valentina
Mimi Rippee
This is a fabulous and extremely easy recipe! Can’t wait to make it!
http://www.chefmimiblog.com
Valentina
Yay! Thank you, Mimi. I hope it's a hit! 🙂 ~Valentina
David Scott Allen
I forgot to come back and comment. This has become one of our favorite appetizers, and I’ve made several versions with additions. It’s brilliant!
Valentina
You just made my day! Thanks so much, David. And do tell what additions you've tried. 🙂 ~Valentina
2pots2cook
Love baked feta. Your version is "must do" one!
Valentina
Enjoy! 😊Valentina