Bouyiourdi, baked feta cheese with tomatoes and peppers, is an appetizer, meze as we call it in Greek, which is made with feta cheese, onion, tomato, and hot peppers. It is a different kind of cheese saganaki as this is baked and not fried.
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This famous Greek meze comes from Thessaloniki, the second-largest city in Greece; a cosmopolitan seaside city in Northern Greece. Thessaloniki lies at the crossroads between Europe and Asia. Many of the local dishes and tastes’ influences date back to the time of Alexander the Great. But most of the culinary tastes of that region were influenced by the Ottoman Empire since Thessaloniki remained under Ottoman rule for about 100 years more than southern Greece.
The name bouyiourdi (boo-your-dee) is reminiscent of the Ottoman Empire. According to Wikipedia, the word originally meant the written order of an officer of the Ottoman Empire. Today means the official document, particularly an order, usually with unpleasant economic content.
Bouyiourdi is a classic appetizer of the Near East. It is very easy to make, and you only need a few pantry and fridge staples of the Greek houses, and it became very popular for impromptu gatherings. Pair it with some crusty bread, which will be the perfect meze to accompany the wine, ouzo, tsipouro, and raki.
This super easy Greek baked feta recipe is the best way to use leftover feta cheese and tomatoes and make a delicious brand new dish!
This spicy baked feta with tomatoes is something you have to try! It incorporates many great flavors from the vegetables and the spices, melded and elevated by the warm feta cheese.
A good quality Greek feta cheese gives this traditional bouyiourdi (baked feta with tomatoes and peppers) a bold, complex, and salty flavor. I highly recommend getting authentic Greek imported feta. The combination of sheep and goat milk and the Greek Feta cheese production method makes the difference for a fantastic Feta Bouyiourdi.
The slices of feta cheese are placed on top of onion slices and then are topped with sliced hot peppers and tomatoes and seasoned with black pepper and oregano. Adding extra virgin olive oil helps the flavors meld together as the dish bakes slowly until the feta softens and becomes gooey. Serve immediately with some crusty bread.
Ingredients to use for this recipe
- Greek Feta Cheese
- Roma Tomatoes
- Hot pepper – I use jalapeno
- Onion
- Oregano
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Freshly ground pepper
How to make the Baked Feta Cheese with Tomatoes and Peppers?
Aluminum foil method:
- If you are cooking the bouyiourdi in the oven, preheat the oven to 375 F. Otherwise, preheat the barbecue to medium-high.
- Cut two pieces of aluminum foil, large enough to create a loose packet around the feta cheese. Layer one piece of foil on top of the other.
- On the aluminum foil, place the onion slices.
- Place the feta on top of the onions, the peppers, and the tomatoes.
- Sprinkle with freshly ground pepper and the oregano.
- Drizzle with olive oil.
- Fold the ends of the foil to make a packet, raising the folded ends slightly to avoid the juices running out of the packets.
- If cooking in the oven, place the packets on a cookie sheet and bake for about 20 minutes.
- If cooking on the barbeque, place the packets directly on the grilling rack.
- Remove from the oven or the barbeque, open the packets, transfer the contents to a serving place, and drizzle with the juices.
Baking dish method (can only be baked in the oven):
- Preheat the oven to 375 F.
- In a small stoneware-baking dish, place the feta on top of the onions, the peppers, and the tomatoes.
- Sprinkle with freshly ground pepper and the oregano.
- Drizzle with olive oil.
- Cover the dish (if the dish does not have a cover, use aluminum foil).
- Bake for about 20 minutes.
- Remove from the oven, uncover and serve immediately.
Notes and Tips
There are a few cooking methods for this dish: In the oven, placed in a ceramic (oven safe) covered baking dish, or wrapped in aluminum foil either in the oven or on the barbeque (I prefer the BBQ).
The packets are extremely hot when cooking this dish using the foil packet method. You should be very careful when opening them as the steam escaping can burn your hands.
The key to this Greek dish is slowly baking everything wrapped in aluminum foil. This will release all the flavors and the baked feta to simmer in all the delicious juices until softened.
More Feta Cheese Recipes
Greek Spicy Roasted Red Pepper Feta Dip – Htipiti
More Appetizer Recipes
- Roasted Greek Eggplant Dip – Melitzanosalata
- Tahini Sauce
- Roaster Garlic Hummus
- Baba Ghanoush
- Tzatziki Sauce
- Cauliflower tabbouleh
- Quinoa Tabouli
- Grilled Oyster Mushrooms
- Grilled Octopus Salad
Bouyiourdi – Baked Feta Cheese with Tomatoes and Peppers
Ingredients
- 1 slice of Feta Cheese 1/2 inch thick, about 3 oz
- 1 Roma Tomato sliced ¼ inch thick
- 1 Hot pepper sliced (I use jalapeno)
- 1 Onion sliced ¼ inch thick
- 1/2 tsp Oregano
- 1 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Freshly ground pepper
Instructions
Aluminum foil method:
- If you are cooking the bouyiourdi in the oven, preheat the oven to 375 F. Otherwise, preheat the barbecue to medium-high.
- Cut two pieces of aluminum foil, large enough to create a loose packet around the feta cheese. Layer one piece of foil on top of the other.
- On the aluminum foil, place the onion slices.
- Place the feta on top of the onions, and the peppers and the tomatoes.
- Sprinkle with freshly ground pepper and the oregano.
- Drizzle with the olive oil.
- Fold the ends of the foil to make a packet, taking care to raise the folded ends slightly to avoid the juices running out of the packets.
- If cooking in the oven, place the packets in a cookie sheet and bake for about 20 minutes.
- If cooking on the barbeque, place the packets the directly on grilling rack.
- Remove from the oven or the barbeque, open the packets and transfer the contents to a serving place and drizzle with the juices at the bottom of the packet.
- Note: the packets are extremely hot and you should be very careful when opening them as the steam escaping can burn your hands.
Baking dish method (can only be baked in the oven):
- Preheat the oven to 375 F.
- In a small stoneware-baking dish, place the feta on top of the onions, and the peppers and the tomatoes.
- Sprinkle with freshly ground pepper and the oregano.
- Drizzle with the olive oil.
- Cover the dish (if the dish does not have a cover, use some aluminum foil).
- Bake for about 20 minutes.
- Remove from the oven, uncover and serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
This information is provided as a courtesy and for entertainment purposes only. This information comes from online calculators. Although eatmediterraneanfood.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.
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