Warm feta stuffed olives are the perfect appetizer to make for your next dinner party. They are simple, impressive and will always please a crowd! They are filled with feta cheese and then dressed in a garlic, herb and zesty marinade.
Warm feta stuffed olives
This is such a simple recipe that is filled with so much flavor! Simply slow roasting the olives in lots of extra virgin olive oil brings out there most flavorful characteristic. They are then stuffed with feta cheese and dressed in a marinade that is made with fresh herbs, lemon zest, garlic and red pepper flakes. Whenever I serve these at a dinner party, they are always the first dish to go with people asking for more!
Why baked olives?
Baking the olives in extra virgin olive oil at a low heat will really soften their flavor. This is a technique that is similar to confit. The salty and briney flavor of olives will be replaced with a smooth and mild taste. You can also re use the oil that the olives cook in any recipe that calls for olive oil. Just make sure you store it in a jar that is kept in your pantry.
What you need for warm olives
Olives: It can be very dependent on which type of olive you prefer to eat! I have chosen green olives but you could always do a mix of green, black and kalamata olives. Just make sure they are pitted olives so it’s easy to stuff them.
Feta: Feta cheese being a sharp flavor that is nicely complimented with the smooth and mild taste of the baked olives. You can really use whatever cheese you like such as goat cheese, cream cheese, blue cheese or boursin cheese. You could even make a cheese mixture using all four Just make sure it can hold its shape for stuffing.
Herbs: I have used fresh rosemary in the marinade but any herb will work here! You can also used dried herbs if you can’t get your hands on fresh.
Red pepper flakes / chili flakes: This is for that little kick and spiciness. If spicy is not your thing then simply leave these out.
Lemon: Whenever I am creating a recipe that uses lemon juice I always like to include the lemon zest as well. It just adds a strong zesty flavor that is perfect in this recipe.
Garlic: Well it wouldn’t be a recipe of mine without it! I have used fresh raw garlic which has a very strong taste so be very to not overdo it with the garlic. One small clove is all that is needed.
Olive oil: A good quality extra virgin olive oil will work beautifully here
Appetizers you will also love
If you love an impressive appetizer, then you will also love what I have to offer below:
- Goats cheese stuffed olives
- Warm baked olive confit
- Patatas bravas
- Peach and crispy prosciutto crostini
If you have any questions or would like to leave a review, please do so here! I always love answering your food and recipe related questions and hearing your feedback on my recipes.
Images by Alanna Penn Photography.
Warm feta stuffed olives
Ingredients
- 7 oz green or black olives 220g / drained and pitted
- 1 cup olive oil
- 2 oz feta 75g
- 1 tbsp rosemary finely diced
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 1 tsp lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300°F / 150°C
- In a small baking tray, combine the olives and olive oil. Bake covered or uncovered for 45 minutes.
- Using a colander, separate the olives from the olive oil and store all but 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a glass jar to use at a later date. The olive oil will keep for 1 month.
- Allow the olives to slightly cool. When cool enough to handle, stuff the olives with small amounts of feta cheese. You can do this with your finger or a chopstick.
- Place the stuffed olives into a small bowl and dress with 1 tablespoon of the reserved oil, rosemary, garlic, red pepper flakes and lemon zest and juice. Mix to combine.
- Serve immediately while the olives are still warm.
Leave a Reply