Quick and Easy Baked Feta in Marinara Appetizer
You only need 8 simple ingredients to make this Easy Baked Feta in Marinara Appetizer.
Creamy feta is baked with marinara sauce, sun-dried tomatoes and garlic for the most delectable bite.
This is a low effort appetizer you can make in just 20 minutes!
While you may have seen the original viral recipes using baked feta in tomato sauce to create a luscious pasta sauce, this baked feta is a take on that idea!
Baked feta is so versatile – you can enjoy baked feta as an appetizer or as a light meal with summer vegetables. This baked feta in marinara is perfect to throw together when you need a quick and tasty appetizer to serve guests.
Why you’ll love this baked feta in marinara
- Quick: Prep and bake this feta in marinara in just 20 minutes with a handful of ingredients.
- Comforting: A cozy and easy recipe for a date-night in.
- Versatile: This is a wonderful recipe to double and make for a larger crowd!
Ingredients
Feta cheese: You’ll need an 8oz (200-225 gram) block of feta cheese. For best results, be sure to buy a Greek block of feta cheese (sometimes sold in brine) instead of crumbled feta.
Marinara sauce: Make sure to buy a jar of marinara sauce that you enjoy! Or, use a homemade marinara sauce.
Seasonings: extra virgin olive oil, sun-dried tomatoes, fresh garlic cloves, chili flakes (or red-pepper flakes), dried oregano and fresh herbs like basil round out the flavours
How to make this baked feta recipe
- Preheat the oven to 400F.
- Add the marinara sauce, sliced cloves of garlic and sundried tomatoes to a small baking dish and stir together.
- Nestle the feta block into the marinara sauce and sprinkle with chili flakes (or red pepper flakes) and dried oregano. Drizzle the feta with olive oil and then bake for 15-20 minutes until the feta is quite soft and the sauce is bubbling just around the edges.
- Let cool for a few minutes before garnishing with fresh basil and serving with crostini or crusty bread.
Tips & Tricks
- Make your own crostini: Preheat the oven to 400°F. Use a bread knife to slice a baguette into 1-inch thick slices, about 20-24 slices. Place the baguette slices on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Brush the bread slices with olive oil on one side and place in a single layer on the baking sheet. Bake for 5 minutes, then flip and bake for another 5 minutes until toasted. Set aside.
- Serve a larger crowd: Easily double this recipe to serve more people!
- Use quality feta cheese: A good quality Greek feta cheese in brine is preferred to get that creamy texture once baked.
Substitutions and Variations
- Use dried Italian seasoning instead of dried oregano if desired.
- Garnish with fresh parsley instead of fresh basil if that’s all you have on hand.
- Instead of making crostini, serve this feta dip with crusty bread that is torn into pieces.
- If you don’t have sun-dried tomatoes, a handful of halved cherry tomatoes will add some texture to the marinara sauce.
- Add olives or diced red onion to the marinara sauce for more variety of flavours.
- While this is delicious as an appetizer, you can also bake the feta in the marinara sauce and use it as a pasta sauce. Once the feta is quite soft, use the back of a spoon to break it down and mix it into the marinara. Then, mix in some cooked pasta for a quick and delicious dinner!
Common Questions
Yes! I would simply double the recipe to make this baked feta in marinara for a larger crowd and use a large baking dish instead of small. Also, make the crostini ahead of time so you’re all set to serve guests after the feta is baked.
I recommend prepping the ingredients in advance BUT don’t bake this appetizer in advance. You can mix together the marinara sauce, sliced cloves of garlic and sundried tomatoes in a small bowl and cover and refrigerate until ready to bake. Then, while the oven is preheating, follow the rest of the recipe instructions (place the sauce in a baking dish along with the feta and olive oil and bake). You can also make the crostini ahead of time to serve with the baked feta and store at room temperature until ready to serve.
How to store and reheat this appetizer
Baked feta is most delicious on the day it’s made; however, you can store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. Gently reheat leftovers by placing in a baking dish and warming at 325F until the feta is soft and creamy again.
More baked feta appetizers to make from the blog
- Phyllo-Wrapped Baked Feta Appetizer with Walnuts
- Baked Feta Appetizer with Dates, Pistachios & Honey
- Easy Baked Feta Appetizer with Tomatoes and Peppers
Quick and Easy Baked Feta in Marinara Appetizer
Ingredients
- 8 oz (200-225 grams) block feta cheese
- 1 1/2 cups marinara sauce
- ¼ cup chopped sun dried tomatoes
- 2 small garlic cloves, sliced
- ¼ tsp chili flakes (optional)
- ¼ tsp Dried oregano
- Extra-virgin olive oil to drizzle
- Fresh basil leaves for garnish
- Crostini or other crusty bread for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400F.
- Add the marinara sauce, sliced garlic and sundried tomatoes to a small baking dish and stir together.
- Nestle the block of feta cheese into the sauce and sprinkle with chili flakes and dried oregano. Drizzle the feta with olive oil and then bake for 15-20 minutes until the feta is quite soft and the sauce is bubbling just around the edges.
- Let cool for a few minutes before garnishing with fresh basil and serving with crostini.
Optional: make your own crostini
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Use a bread knife to slice a baguette into 1-inch thick slices, about 20-24 slices. Place the baguette slices on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Brush the bread slices with olive oil on one side and place in a single layer on the baking sheet. Bake for 5 minutes, then flip and bake for another 5 minutes until toasted. Set aside.
Photography by: Kaeleigh Pugliese
