Authentic Baked Feta and Tomatoes
For this delicious traditional Greek dish, feta and tomatoes along with a hot pepper are roasted until soft and melty.
I have a delicious recipe to share today. As you may know feta and tomatoes are some of my favorite ingredients, so when I saw a baked feta recipe go viral on tiktok, I realized that this actually reminds me of a traditional Greek dish called Bouyiourdi. Baked feta is not new, Greeks have been baking their feta forever, my favorites being shrimp saganaki where feta, shrimp and tomatoes are baked together and of course the addictive baked feta in phyllo drizzled with honey. So… I went ahead and posted a video on tiktok with my own version (see below).
For this traditional recipe you baked feta, along with tomatoes, a hot pepper and olive oil until everything become soft and melty. Then we serve it as an appetizer with some good ouzo and fresh bread for dipping. Yum!
The viral recipe apparently came from a blogger in Finland, and it’s no wonder people are loving it, I mean tomatoes and feta are a match made in heaven. I also tried it with pasta, it was nice, but I felt that mixing it with pasta takes away from the initial flavors of feta and tomato.
Ingredients and Tips
Feta
If you are able to use Greek feta, use it! It is the original feta; the same way parmesan is Italian for example. In Europe it is illegal to sell feta that is not made in Greece, but in other parts of the world any type of white cheese can say its feta. If you are unable to find Greek feta, then opt for feta that is made with sheep’s milk, feta is never made from cow’s milk. Get my tips on how to choose the best feta here and 19 delicious ways to use feta here.
Tomatoes
In the traditional Greek appetizer recipe, we use large tomatoes, here I used cherry tomatoes as I was going to mix it with the pasta and would blend better.
Olive Oil
Use extra virgin olive oil. You don’t need to use too much as the tomatoes will release a bit of water while cooking, you can always add some right before serving as well.
Herbs/Salt
I don’t add salt to this recipe as feta has enough to season the dish. I do add oregano and after baking I add mint which pairs perfectly with feta. If you cannot find mint, you can add basil.
Pasta (Optional)
If you use pasta, use small pasta such as penne, rotini or orecchiette. For this recipe I would use ½ cup dry pasta. However, if you want a starchier meal then I would use 1 cup dry pasta. Whole grain pasta would work great as well.
Check out my Baked Feta TikTok video below:
Authentic Baked Feta and Tomatoes
Ingredients
- 15 ounces (400 g) cherry tomatoes
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 4 ounces (120 g) feta in a block not crumbled
- fresh ground pepper
- 1 tsp dry oregano
- 1 small hot pepper
- 2 tbsp fresh chopped mint or basil
- 4 oz (about 1 cup) dry penne pasta or similar type optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven at 350 F (180 C)
- In medium sized baking dish spread the tomatoes.
- Drizzle 2 tablespoons over the tomatoes and toss.
- Place the feta in the center of the baking dish, sprinkle with oregano, black pepper and place the hot pepper on top of the feta. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil.
- Bake for 35 minutes. If adding pasta, start boiling it now and set aside.
- Remove from oven and smash the feta -tomato a bit before serving.
- Sprinkle with chopped mint before serving
Notes
- To serve as an appetizer, accompany with some bread.
- To serve as a meal, add the pasta and mix.
SAVE FOR LATER AND PIN IT!
I added shrimp and served it for dinner. It was delicious!
I made this this evening after seeing you on TikTok. My 14 year old grandson was here and he was positive that he would not like it, he ate half of it. It was delicious.
I made this as directed. I used about a quarter of a jalapeño, because I was afraid I might not like it. The fumes when I cut it were impressive! Turns out it was pretty mellow after cooking. I will use more next time. The simple combination of sweet tomatoes, salty feta and, peppery pepper is very satisfying. It is very easy to put together and delicious. I used red and yellow mini tomatoes because I think the more color the better.
I didn’t see a direction for mint (or basil), so I sprinkled the mint on the cheese and tomatoes. I also found a container of different sizes of tomatoes. It had yellow tomatoes, which I like because I have GERD.
My husband (who loved the red tomatoes) and I put this on sourdough bread slices. It was delicious!!! I’m definitely making it again.
Nice addition of the yellow tomatoes! The mint goes after baking, just added it in the instructions.
Can you recommend a bread available in the Stats that is low gluten for those like myself who watch their gluten intake due to lipedema?
The best way is to look at the ingredients of the bread, prefer those with whole grains and seeds and avoid those that have many additives and colorings.
Had this dish for a Saturday supper, it was yummy. I also added some garlic and Balsamic Vinegar
Nice addition! Glad you enjoyed it!
I season shrimp and cook it Iwhen everything is I mix it all in a large bowl it is so good
I did make this dish with non-authentic Feta and it was delicious. I also anointed it with fresh Garlic and Basil. Really nice.
Glad you enjoyed it Mary!
I bought your new cookbook, Elena. It’s fabulous. Thanks so much for writing it.
Thank you Lynn!! Glad you are enjoying it!
I don’t know where you are, but Aldi do a proper Greek feta, and it’s reasonably priced at under £2 a block 🙂 It’s very tasty.
Thank you for sharing Jackie!
I know Feta is Greek but unfortunately you have to take what you can get. I have never seen Greek Feta for sale outside of Greece. Probably it would be really costly as well!
Yes,if it is not available. Greek feta is sold throughout Europe and in North America.But it’s not much more expensive than non-Greek feta.
I’m not sure where you live Mary but in the states we have feta everywhere! Costco, bj’s, Trader joe’s, Aldi’s Etc
Elena, I’m short on feta right now, but I have a 5 oz chunk of Kasseri which I’ve never tried. Would it be an acceptable substitute for the feta?
Hi Denise! Yes you can. Just make sure you grate the kaseri on the largest grating holes.