This delicious baked feta dinner recipe is a vegetarian meal that comes together in 30 minutes! Creamy baked feta, crispy broccolini, warm tomatoes, and roasted chickpeas are drizzled with a caper basil vinaigrette before serving. It’s full of flavor and oh so yummy!
It’s been a while since I’ve posted a sheet pan meal, and I almost forgot how easy they are to prepare! This new one features my favorite ingredient of the moment: feta cheese.
I’ve been on a big feta kick ever since I made a recipe from my friend Deanna’s cookbook that featured a block of feta cheese simmered in a skillet of diced tomatoes, herbs, and shrimp. (Her cookbook is called the Easy Everyday Mediterranean Diet Cookbook BTW.) After trying (and loving!) this recipe, I started to think about how else I could use a block of feta in veggie-based meals.
Then the TikTok feta pasta trend happened. I’m not even on TikTok, but I heard about it from friends and readers. If you’re not familiar with TikTok feta pasta, it’s made by roasting a block of feta cheese with cherry tomatoes in the oven then adding cooked pasta to the dish and giving it all a good stir.
The baked feta gets soft enough and combines with the roasted tomatoes to essentially become a creamy sauce that coats the pasta. Sounds delicious, huh? A lot of people thought so too. My sister-in-law told me that the country of Denmark even ran out of feta cheese at the height of the trend! Have you tried feta pasta? Let me know in the comments!
So there you have it. This series of events is what led to my baked feta with vegetables and chickpeas. It’s a variation on a theme and includes some of my favorite plants: broccolini, cherry tomatoes, and chickpeas. And the best part is that you can have it on the table in 30 minutes, making it a great option for a quick weeknight meal.
How to Make Baked Feta with Vegetables
For the full ingredients and instructions, scroll down to the recipe card! In the meantime, here’s a preview of the recipe, followed by my expert tips to help you make perfect baked feta.
- Prep the ingredients. Slice the block of feta into planks. Drain and rinse the chickpeas. Wash and trim the broccolini, and wash and halve the cherry tomatoes. Pat the chickpeas and veggies dry.
- Toss the chickpeas and veggies in olive oil and seasonings, and spread them out on a lined baking sheet. Nestle the feta planks in between the other ingredients.
- Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until the veggies are tender and lightly browned. Whisk the dressing ingredients together in a small bowl.
- Serve warm with the dressing. Enjoy!
Expert Tips and FAQ
- This baked feta dinner serves 2 to 4 people. If you serve it alone without sides, I’d plan on it making 2 large servings. That’s perfect for Will and me, but I know some of you may need more servings for your family. You can easily double this recipe. Just use two sheet pans instead of one so that the ingredients don’t overlap!
- You can mix up the veggies if you want. However, this recipe works best with veggies that don’t take that long to roast. That’s why I went with broccolini and cherry tomatoes. Broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, zucchini, bell peppers, and eggplant would also be good options. Hold off on the root vegetables. Feel free to use white beans in place of the chickpeas too.
- Leftovers will last for up to 3 days in an airtight container in the fridge. Enjoy cold or reheat in the microwave for a minute or two until warmed through.
Does feta cheese melt in the oven?
You may be wondering: won’t feta cheese melt if you bake it? Actually, feta cheese does not melt in the oven. It holds up well and gets creamy and soft but doesn’t fully melt, since most of its moisture evaporates in the oven. That’s why baked feta is such a great recipe!
Similar Recipes
If you can’t get enough of this easy baked feta recipe, check out my other sheet pan meals. You’ll love the Sheet Pan Gnocchi with Feta, Broccoli, and Herb Sauce, Sheet Pan Dill Radishes and Salmon and Sheet Pan Maple Mustard Salmon and Brussels. For more meals with roasted chickpeas, see the Roasted Chickpea Salad with Herb Yogurt Dressing or the Honey Mustard Brussels Sprouts and Chickpea Bowls.
📖 Recipe
Baked Feta with Vegetables and Chickpeas
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 bunch broccolini - trimmed and cut into smaller pieces if desired
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes - halved
- 1 15-ounce can chickpeas - drained, rinsed, and patted dry
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes - optional
- Salt - to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper - to taste
- 1 8-ounce block feta cheese - cut into lengthwise planks
Caper basil vinaigrette:
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 tablespoon freshly chopped basil
- 1 tablespoon capers - with their juice
- 1 clove garlic - minced
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Transfer the prepared veggies and chickpeas to the baking sheet. Toss with olive oil, oregano, red pepper flakes (optional), salt, and pepper. Spread the veggies and chickpeas out in a single layer, then make room for the planks of feta cheese to be nestled between the other ingredients.
- Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until the veggies are tender, the feta is soft, and everything is lightly browned. In the meantime, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, basil, capers, and garlic in small bowl.
- Transfer to serving plates, and drizzle with the dressing.
- Leave a rating or review by tapping the stars on this recipe card (above) or in the comments section (at the end of the post)!
Notes
- This recipe serves about 2 to 3 as a main dish but can be doubled to serve more people. Just be sure to use two baking sheets so that the ingredients don’t overlap. You can also bulk up the recipe by serving it over pasta, brown rice, orzo, or farro.
- You can use different vegetables, but avoid veggies that take long to cook (i.e. root veggies). Zucchini, cauliflower, or green beans would be good substitutions.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Claire
A really nice side, flavorful and filling but light. I added about 1/4 tsp salt to the sauce (but I didn’t really measure the salt for the veggies, so I may have under-salted them). We also did pan-fried salmon and the sauce was excellent with those too. Will be using this sauce with other dishes too!
Lizzie Streit, MS, RDN
I’m so glad to hear that you enjoyed the recipe! I bet it was delicious with the salmon. Thanks for sharing!
Faye
This was really good. I substituted broccoli for broccolini as my stores never carry anything else. Due to dietary restrictions I did not make the sauce. I feel guilty as I am only technically reviewing one half of the recipe. However, the half I did make was delicious and I will absolutely make it again.
Lizzie Streit, MS, RDN
Hi Faye, I’m glad to hear that you enjoyed the recipe! Thanks for leaving a review.