Sweet Baked Feta

By: Eleni Saltas

I fell in love with baked feta while on a trip to Northern Greece a few years ago. Called bouyiourdi in Greek, and commonly made with sliced tomatoes, onions, and hot peppers, the spicy version of baked feta has been a staple on my dinner table ever since. Though I do lean heavy towards spicy foods, it’s time to share a sweeter version of the classic baked feta. Using the similar technique of setting a brick of feta in a ceramic dish, this recipe calls for Kalamata olives and colorful cherry tomatoes to brighten up the dish. A generous drizzle of golden honey covers the ingredients for that desired sweetness that combines perfectly with saltiness from the feta and olives. Now get your bread or baguette ready and prepare to fall head over heels with this meze.

Prep Time:

5min

Total Time:

35-40min

Servings:

2-4

Good For:

Meze/Appetizer

Ingredients

  • 8 ounces brick of feta*
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 3/4 cups pitted Kalamata olives
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons Greek honey
  • 5-6 sprigs of fresh thyme
  • Pinch of sesame seeds

Step by Step Instructions

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 400° F. Using a clay pot, a shallow baking dish or ramekin, place the feta in the center. Arrange the tomatoes and olives around the feta.

Step 2

Drizzle with olive oil and honey. Sprinkle the dish with some loose leaves of thyme, and tuck remaining sprigs around the olives and tomatoes. Sprinkle sesame seeds on top.

Step 3

Bake for 30 minutes, until the feta is golden and gooey. For extra browning, broil for 5 minutes at the end. Serve as is in the pot with plenty of warm bread or crostinis for dunking. 

Recipe Notes

For the feta, I like a harder brick feta, not crumbled. If your feta comes with the brine, or if you use a softer feta, the baking time will be less and the result will be more gooey, which is also delicious!