Favorite Baked Feta Dip With Tomatoes, Peppers And Olives

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Did you know you can bake feta…. and make it into an effortless hot baked feta dip? Throw a whole block into the oven with Mediterranean vegetables and flavours and 30 minutes later you’ll have a virtually effortless but incredibly delicious dish. You could say it’s like a warm Greek salad, and it makes a delicious shared appetizer, lunch, or side!

A dish of baked feta with tomatoes, feta and olives

Every once in a while, I make a new recipe that I know I’ll make again and again (and again). It gets the seal of approval from my ‘chief testers’ aka Mr. Scrummy and our son. It’s also easy enough and yet impressive enough to serve to guests.

This Greek chicken and potatoes falls into that category. As do these mind blowing crispy halloumi fries. Oh, and this 6-ingredient Swedish chocolate cake. They just… work.

You know what I’m going to say now. This Greek baked feta dip is a firm family favourite, too. It’s an idea I fall back on often for very good reasons.

What is baked feta?

If you’ve ever been to Greece, you may have eaten various versions of cooked feta cheese.

The dish that my recipe is based on is called ‘bouyiourdi’ in Greece. I’ve eaten it there and it’s delicious but usually it’s very heavy on the feta and not so heavy on the veggies.

This is most definitely inspired by my time living in Greece. But to make it into a more filling and versatile dish I wanted to massively increase the amount of tomatoes, peppers, onions and olives.

Why you’ll love it

  • It’s versatile. This baked feta dip can be a fancy shared appetizer for a nibbles and drinks sort of occasion. Or an easy lunch.. Or even an easy side dish.
  • It’s quick and easy. We’re talking VERY easy. Throw everything in a dish and bake for 30 minutes sort of easy.
  • It’s incredibly delicious. In my opinion of course. But if you like Greek salads then you’ll like this too. You could say it’s a warm Greek salad!
  • You can prepare it ahead. Always a bonus when preparing food for guests.

About the ingredients

This is one of those recipes that hardly needs a recipe, if you know what I mean. After you’ve made a baked feta cheese dip couple of times you’ll probably feel comfortable not worrying about exact amounts.

The amounts are really just a guide!

feta cheese: As this is the star of the show in this recipe, I like to buy good quality feta cheese for the dip. Preferably Greek. You’ll need a thick slice. Or two thick slices for a slightly bigger crowd. Don’t buy ‘Danish feta’, which is delicious too but a bit too soft and creamy for this recipe.

cherry tomatoes: Just slice in half and throw them in!

peppers: 1 medium sized pepper is about right. I like to use half a green pepper and half a red to make the dish more colourful.

onion: Just a 1/4 to 1/2 a medium sliced onion is enough.

Kalamata olives: Around 15 as a general guide. Just slice and throw them in. Or throw them in whole – it’s up to you!

olive oil and dried oregano: Toss everything apart from the feta in a generous amount of olive oil and oregano. It’ll combine with the veggies to make the most delicious juices to mop up with toast.

paprika: For sprinkling over the whole dish before baking.

How to make it

Apart from how crazy delicious it is, the best thing about this baked feta dip recipe is how easy it is to make.

You could virtually make it blind-folded.

A collage of 4 images showing how to assemble baked feta with tomatoes, peppers and olives for the oven

See how easy it is? Slice the cherry tomatoes in half – if you like – then roughly chop the peppers and onion.

Toss plenty of olive oil and dried oregano through. Then nestle a whole block of quality feta cheese in the middle.

Scatter with paprika and a bit more olive oil, then bake for about 30 minutes or until bubbling and starting to brown.

How to serve

Yep, looks and sounds delicious, I hear you Mediterranean food lovers thinking. But is it an appetizer, a baked feta dip, party dish, lunch, side dish or dinner?

Would you believe me if I said it could be any one of the above?

My favourite way to serve Greek baked feta cheese dip is as a shared appetizer or as part of a buffet style meal. I prefer to give everyone their own plate and throw a big spoon in the dish so everyone can serve themselves.

It’s important to serve it immediately. Preferably with a big plate of these 2-minute olive oil toasts. Or if you have some extra time, you won’t regret making a loaf of this traditional Greek bread (it’s SO easy)!

Or air fryer pita chips! (If you have an air fryer. If not, just bake instead!)

When it’s just out of the oven the squidgy warm feta is perfect for smooshing onto the toast with some of the roasted Mediterranean vegetables. Don’t forget to mop up the amazing juices!

You can also serve this oven baked feta dish like this:

  • as a BBQ side dish.
  • as a kind of feta dip at a party.
  • with wine (or ouzo!) and nibbles outside on a warm summer evening.
  • stirred through pasta! Have you seen the viral Tiktok trend? I hadn’t until after I first posted this recipe, but I think it’s a fabulous idea. Scroll down a little for more details.

It’s a pretty simple idea, right? But it tastes as good as if you’d slaved over a hot stove for hours!

As the examples above show, you can serve it for several occasions. But here’s my top recommendation:

Step 1: Wherever in the world you are, wait for a setting sun on a nice day.

Step 2: Grab a friend or loved one.

Step 3: Sit outside on a veranda or in a garden and enjoy this delicious baked feta with a glass of chilled wine (or ouzo!).

Make it into TikTok pasta

There’s one more thing you can do with this dish…

Shortly after posting this recipe, a viral Tiktok baked feta pasta started doing the rounds!

I’m not usually one to jump on the bandwagon, but in this case I’ll make an exception. It’s a fabulous idea!

All you have to do is cook some pasta (I like penne or similar, but any pasta works). When it’s ready, mash up the baked feta right in the dish. Then stir it through the hot pasta, serve and enjoy!

A dish of baked feta with tomatoes, peppers and olives taken from above

If you like this recipe, you might also like these baked feta filo pies with honey! Or try a cold and spicy Greek feta dip instead (also delicious!).

More Mediterranean inspired family favourites to try

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A dish of baked feta with tomatoes, peppers and olives from above
5 from 4 votes

Favorite Baked Feta Dip With Tomatoes, Peppers And Olives

A wonderfully simple Greek appetizer of baked feta cheese with tomatoes, peppers, olives, oregano and paprika. This hot dip tastes a bit like a warm Greek salad and is wonderful smooshed onto bread with or without a glass of ouzo or wine!
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 30 minutes
Total: 40 minutes
Servings: 4 (as an appetizer, or 2 as a lunch)

Ingredients 
 

  • 3.5 ounces feta cheese, (Try to buy an entire thick slice – I prefer Greek)
  • 9 ounces cherry tomatoes, cut in half
  • ½ red pepper, sliced into smallish strips
  • ½ green pepper, sliced into smallish strips (or just use 1 green or red pepper)
  • ¼ medium onion, (¼ to ½) sliced thinly
  • 15 Kalamata olives, stoned and chopped in half (or leave whole but buy stoned olives)
  • ½ tablespoon dried oregano
  • ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil, plus a little extra
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • black pepper to taste

Instructions 

  • Pre-heat the oven to 190C/375F. Put the tomato halves, pepper pieces, onion and olives into a small to medium baking dish (around 8 inch x 8 inch or similar).
  • Sprinkle over the oregano and pour over the olive oil. Mix well.
  • Clear a gap in the middle of the vegetables. Nestle the block of feta in it.
  • Sprinkle the whole dish with the paprika and some black pepper (to taste). Drizzle the top of the cheese with a little more olive oil.
  • Bake for 30 minutes until the vegetables are starting to bubble and brown and the feta is soft.
  • Serve immediately with fresh toasted bread (everyone serves themselves onto individual plates).

Video

Notes

Ingredient amounts: The amounts in this recipe are just a rough guide. After you’ve made it a couple of times, you’ll probably be able to make it without the recipe! You can also double the ingredients to serve to a bigger crowd. Just use a larger baking dish and bake 2 blocks of feta and double everything else.
How to serve: This dish is best served immediately while the feta is warm and squidgy, although it’s still delicious once cooled down a bit. Serve as a light bite for 2, an appetizer for 4, or a side dish for a family dinner. Or double the ingredients and serve at a BBQ or party as a side dish/buffet offering. 
 

Nutrition

Calories: 231kcal, Carbohydrates: 7g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 21g, Saturated Fat: 6g, Cholesterol: 22mg, Sodium: 519mg, Potassium: 233mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 4g, Vitamin A: 1243IU, Vitamin C: 46mg, Calcium: 147mg, Iron: 1mg
Like this recipe? Rate and comment below!

About Helen Schofield

Don't expect to find anything fussy or complicated here. Just QUICK, EASY & (mostly!) HEALTHY recipes from the Mediterranean and beyond. ENJOY!

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54 Comments

    1. Thank you so much for the feedback, Isis. I’m so happy you agree with me about how delicious this is, and of course garlic is a perfect addition!

  1. 5 stars
    Our family makes this regularly once every month or month and a half. Usually eat it with baguette. Excellent and so easy to prepare. Chapeau!

    1. Hi Aryeh! Thank you for the feedback! I’m so happy to hear you’ve been enjoying this as a family. Baguette for dipping sounds wonderful. You can also break up the feta and stir everything through pasta! 🙂

  2. 5 stars
    Omg gorgeous
    Had this saved to do during along time and had forgotten about
    Did it tonght on flatbreads as a main dish , whole feta 200g with vegetables for 4
    Absolutely gorgeous, so flavourful definitely 10/10

    1. Hi Paula! Oh I’m SO happy you enjoyed it! Thank you so much for the review. It truly is yummy, isn’t it? And so simple. I find many Mediterranean recipes are like this (easy and delicious) so do try some more of my Greek recipes and let me know how you get on 🙂 I love the way you served this – on the flatbreads. Yum! I’m going to try that too! 🙂

  3. Fantastic! Why I have I never thought of doing this? I seriously could eat this as a main dish and be perfectly happy.

    1. Hello, Pam! Thanks so much for passing by and taking the time to read my post. I love all comments, but especially from new visitors! So glad you liked the fritters. I would eat them as a main dish, too … I think I might just do that next time, now that you’ve mentioned it!

  4. I totally lol-ed when I read this post! Totally reminds me of grocery shopping in Italy – people go nuts trying to outpace each other, like you will get the nice tomato instead, or something. I’d totally do it again, though :P:P:P
    Great blog, btw.

    1. Hey, welcome, Aleks! Thanks so much for taking the time to pass by and comment. I’m glad you ‘get’ what I’m saying here. I felt a bit cheeky saying it, but just couldn’t resist! Thanks for the compliment on the blog. So glad you like it! 🙂

  5. such a great appetizer idea! feta goes so well with the rest of the ingredients!