Listen, this will surprise nobody at all, but I am not trendy. I am deeply uncool and I prefer it this way. It puts expectations right where they belong — low; no, lower, please. But I am not immune to TikTok. I, um, love TikTok, it’s my favorite time suck. Through it, I’ve learned so much about even more ways I can be uncool. Side parts! Laugh-cry emojis! It’s a whole thing. So is this baked feta, which is a spin on a baked pasta that’s been going viral the last few weeks. It began with a recipe developed by Finnish food blogger Jenni Häyrinen called “Uunifetapasta,” which translates to oven-baked feta pasta. It’s an older recipe (2019 is “old” in TikTok) but it caught on again because tomatoes and feta are timeless. I like that it uses cherry tomatoes, which are obviously not as great in the winter as they are in the summer, but are surprisingly good year-round when roasted. You’ll see.
Now please don’t get upset, we all have our things, I just don’t really love feta with pasta, unless it’s a pasta salad, or sometimes orzo. I think it’s absolutely perfect, however, with beans, especially chickpeas, which hold up well to this heartier preparation. As a person who is always in need of lunch inspiration that’s not whatever my kids didn’t finish, this was perfect for yesterday, a day I grabbed the ingredients in the morning — our grocery store was suspiciously low on feta and cherry tomatoes I’m absolutely here for it — and we scooped it throughout the afternoon onto focaccia (this, halved and baked thin in a 9×13-inch pan), so grateful for the fresh idea.
The recipe is incredibly flexible — you could add some thin onion slices instead of in addition to the garlic; you could use more chili pepper or less; you could use a softer chèvre instead of feta; you can roast the tomatoes longer, until they’re saucier. You could add rice or farro instead of pasta or chickpeas. You could halve your tomatoes so they break down more — I did this with half of them, but the original recipe calls for them intact. I suspect that some will balk at the 1/2 cup of olive oil but I encourage you to use it to create the confit effect that carries that most flavor through the ingredients. I hope it inspires you, too.
Previously
6 months ago: Whole Lemon Meringue Pie Bars
1 year ago: New Classic Wedding Cake + How-To
2 years ago: Bodega-Style Egg-and-Cheese Sandwich
3 year ago: Stromboli and Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
4 years ago: Guacamole and Broccoli Pizza
5 years ago: Banana Puddings with Vanilla Bean Wafers and Taco Torte
6 years ago: Charred Cauliflower Quesadillas and Chocolate Oat Crumble
7 years ago: Garlicky Party Bread with Herbs and Cheese and Fennel and Blood Orange Salad
8 years ago: Egg Salad with Pickled Celery and Coarse Dijon and Salted Caramel Brownies
9 years ago: Cheddar, Beer, and Mustard Pull-Apart Bread
10 years ago: Roast Chicken with Dijon Sauce and Mushroom and Farro Soup and Meatball Subs with Caramelized Onions
11 years ago: Mixed Citrus Salad with Feta and Mint and Edna Mae’s Sour Cream Pancakes and New York Deli Rye Bread
12 years ago: Flaky Blood Orange Tart and Warm Butternut Squash and Chickpea Salad
13 years ago: Rigatoni with Eggplant Puree and Matzo Ball Soup and Dulce de Leche Cheesecake Squares
14 years ago: Miniature Soft Pretzels and Sour Cream Bran Muffins
Baked Feta with Tomatoes and Chickpeas
- 8-ounce (225-gram) block feta
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) olive oil
- 1 1/2 to 2 pints (3 to 4 cups) cherry or grape tomatoes
- 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 1/2 a red chili pepper, thinly sliced
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 2 to 3 tablespoons fresh chopped herbs (parsley, cilantro, mint, dill, basil, or rosemary, or a mix)
- Flatbread or toasted pita wedges (gluten-free, if needed), for serving
Place feta in the middle of a 9×13-inch or other 3-quart baking dish. Pour olive oil over it and around the pan. Add tomatoes to the olive oil. Sprinkle tomatoes with garlic, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, and a few grinds of black pepper and toss to coat with oil. Scatter chili pepper over feta.
Roast for 15 minutes, until tomatoes begin to release some juices. Add chickpeas to tomatoes around the feta, plus more salt and pepper, stirring to coat them with the oil. Return pan to the oven and roast for another 10 minutes or until tomatoes are as juicy as you’d like them to be.
Transfer the dish to the broiler part of your oven, or crank the oven heat as high as it goes. Broil for about 5 to 8 minutes, until the tomatoes and feta take on a little color.
To serve/eat, you can stir the softened feta into the tomato-chickpea mixture or you can do as I did, and leave it intact in the center, spooning some with each serving of the chickpeas and tomatoes. Scatter with herbs.
I am so pumped to try this recipe. For us non-TikTokers, thank you for keeping us in vogue!
I have whole grape tomatoes, which I froze this summer when I was being tomato-ed out planning to make sauce later down the road. Do you think I could use those in place of *fresh* tomatoes?
I think so, and they’ll be even sweeter once roasted.
No joke my 13 yo came down the other day all excited..”mom, we HAVE to try this recipe!” That she of course found via her number one news source (Eesh, painful to write these words!) tic-tok!
She is making it for us tonight…looking forward to it.
Do you think I could replace the feta with queso fresco? And maybe just add salt? I currently have a lot of queso fresco in house.
The queso fresco will brown nicely, but I bet it won’t be soft and gooey like the feta. I love using queso fresco in place of halloumi, since halloumi is harder to find in the midwest – you can griddle it so the outside is all browned and the inside is like a cheese curd. Less tangy, but same texture. So good on a salad or rice bowl.
Amazing, Deb! I added capers and olives and it’s impossible to stop eating it!
I am adding roasted garlic that I have lying around to mine. I have to try olives and capers next. That sounds like a great idea.
Absolutely delicious, we loved this.
We used a 9×13 pyrex (glass) dish. It did fine under the broiler. (Maybe because it’s old it holds up better?)
I saw this recipe and immediately thought of the bags of garden cherry tomatoes in my freezer too! I think they might break down a little bit more but the flavor will still be great.
This is such an easy meal. I skip the broiler as mine is unreliable but at that stage I add a big handful of chopped kale and put back into the oven. The kale goes crispy and is just fun to eat
More than any other food writer, you always publish recipes that are exactly what I want right now (but I usually didn’t know it).
Thanks, can’t wait to try it! This afternoon!
Thank you for introducing us to this wonderful recipe! Can you please tell me how you would suggest substituting farro for the chickpeas? I bought 25 pounds of farro last March and I’m still looking for ways to use it up.
Farro takes so long and needs extra liquid to cook, I’d personally cook it separately and stir into the dish towards the end of the cooking time (maybe a minute or two before the broil step?), enough to warm through and absorb some flavors but not long enough to overcook it.
I would just cook it and then added it. The original recipe takes this mixture, without chickpeas, and adds 1 pound of dried pasta that’s been cooked to it, mixing the feta to become saucy.
Can you use crumbled feta? We don’t have blocks at our grocery store.
I added the leftovers to (cooked) quinoa and it was amazing.
I assume you are familiar with Deb’s One Pan Farro with Tomatoes (on the site)? If not, enjoy! I just made some for lunch today.
This is SO good. I’m not vegetarian but I made for a friend who is and we both loved it!
Last para should be ‘intact’.
To Margie S
You couldn’t have overlooked that and be happy that Deb was kind enough to give her readers another great recipe to make?
I will never understand people who spend their time looking for grammatical errors instead of simply enjoying what has been offered.
I understand Margie S, but then I’m a cataloger and we’re all about accuracy.
Deb Perlman is very popular. Deb has published two cookbooks that people around the globe have purchased. Deb has been featured in numerous magazines, TV shows where the hosts enjoy talking and cooking with Deb. A great many people who love Deb’s smitten Kitchen blog and recipes she offers, they Debs recipes in their Pinterest.
You are a cataloger like my very good friend in Chile who catalogs for the government. Meaning. No one knows a thing about my friend nor you with the exception of your co-workers and online colleagues. My friend like you is all about accuracy when it involves her work as it must be accurate before it’s presented. The difference between my friend and you is my friend who also enjoys cooking blogs with Smitten Kitchen being one of her favorites would never stoop to correcting a grammatical error by the author of those blogs that you seem to feel the need to do.
Deb has published two cookbooks and so she’s probably very used to people editing her writing to help readers, especially people who may for a variety of reasons not be able to infer what was intended, understand her wonderful recipe better.
Your reaction is vastly out of proportion.
Jeez. Chill. Someone pointed out a typo, no one insulted anyone’s grandma.
How would this turn out with cut-up regular-sized tomatoes (which I have a bunch to use up)? Obviously, no bursting, so is it going to be lackluster?
You can choose to look at people catching typos & other mistakes as ‘got your back’ teamwork.
Why go out of your way to assume an insult when none was intended?
That’s how I took it. Helpful, not critical.
Hey there, Deb is historically, bordering on notoriously, grateful when mistakes are pointed out and tends to make the adjustments after expressing her thanks.
Made this for the fifth (?) time tonight. Did over shells instead of my usual farro this time and it’s my new favorite way. Used reserved pasta water to make a sort of sauce out of the sheet bake, then sprinkled dish with the herbs, 1/2 of the feta, and olive oil to serve. My husband cleaned his plate —and that is rare.
Thanks — now fixed.
We make a version of this from David Tamarkin’s COOK90 that my kids love. This looks easier to make b/c fresh tomatoes. Homemade chickpeas are really worth the extra step and almost no work if you have a crock pot. Looking forward to giving this a try!
https://www.markbittman.com/recipes-1/david-tamarkins-baked-feta-with-chickpeas-and-greens
I make the Cook90 version frequently because my teen requests it! This one does look a little easier—a little less saucy which perhaps means less acidic. However, I recommend the kale!
I can only find crumbled feta at my grocery store! Any chance this could work by piling up the crumbled pieces in the middle?
For that, I might just crumble it on for the last few minutes.
I made this with crumbled feta and followed the recipe as written. It turned out wonderful and delicious. I did as you mentioned and piled up in a big mound in the middle.
Making this for Super Bowl Sunday- and thank you for the soft chèvre nod, as I have that in my fridge and need to use it up. A perfect excuse to toast up all the naan that I have!
I’ve been making a version of this from a 2008 Bon Appetit recipe and just usually change out the protein or leave it out all together, but I’ve never thought of cheese.
it’s this recipe: https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/roast-chicken-breasts-with-garbanzo-beans-tomatoes-and-paprika-242113
Me too! That is my go-to recipe that never fails to please my family and/or houseguests. The crunchy, roasted garbanzo beans are probably my favorite food ever.
Just made this for lunch. No fresh herbs but dried dill and parsley did the trick. Along with flatbread this was delicious! Great recipe.
Talk about low effort/high reward! I only had jalapeños and no chiles; I also added about 1.5” of chopped fresh ginger, and used half the salt (as we are cutting back). The result was fantastic Monday-night comfort. We’ll definitely make again soon!
This is a great recipe! I’ve made a chickpea cooked in a tomato sauce, topped with slabs of feta, then baked dish several times, so this is totally up my alley.
Hi there. I save many of your recipes thru the somewhat laborious process of going to the link, opening, then sending to my email where I am finally able to save it. Is there a like and save option I’m missing out on as in NYT recipes for subscribers? That would be soooo much easier
Thanks and keep em coming;)
You can save it to Pinterest easily with the pin button provided here on the website. Pinterest is a great resource for saving and organizing your recipes, ideas, etc.
I make the Cook90 version frequently because my teen requests it! This one does look a little easier—a little less saucy which perhaps means less acidic. However, I recommend the kale!
Use a recipe app. I have been using Paprika. You can download recipes from almost any source and then it’s on your phone and tablet. My daughter and I share one database since we plan meals and cook together. Your cooking life will be changed forever. For only $4 you really can’t go wrong. I even manually entered family recipes…
I second this suggestion for the Paprika app! Super easy to use, it just “slurps” up recipes from most online sources! I categorize recipes as I add them, which makes retrieval and meal planning simpler——like “beans,” “bread,” “dressing,” “slow cooker,” etc. There are built-in categories and you can add your own. You can also view recipes in terms of “recency” of when you added them—-so I can look back to see what-the-heck I was thinking about when I ordered some weird ingredient last week. You can also search on a particular ingredient.
Easy to send recipes on to others as well.
If you have a NY Cooking account you can save non-NYT recipes there. Either copy the link and paste into your box or if you are on an iPhone you can click on the link and your send options, text, Instagram, FB might include your NYT Cooking box.
The original recipe has been a staple at my house for a long time. Your version sounds very tasty!
When I saw all the fuss over the Tik Tok pasta I remembered a recipe from your site I have made many times, usually as an appetizer. Your Mediterranean baked feta with tomatoes is great (and includes Klamata olives already) and basically the same recipe idea without the pasta which you said you prefer anyway. I will try with the chickpeas, but just saying your 2012 recipe should get some Tik Tok credit here too.
This looks so good. I’m thinking a few kalamata olives wouldn’t be a bad addition for an olive lover?
I think adding olives is a wonderful idea! Love your recipes, Deb!
Oh! Maybe I *should* let my teenager hang out on tik-tok?! The pasta and also this recipe look delish.
I have a block of halloumi I need to use up (it seems criminal to have halloumi just…sitting around, but here we are). Since it’s not going to really melt , would you think I should slice or cube it first before roasting here? Or would the texture be very off and I should stick with feta?
Try hasselbacking the halloumi!
I absolutely love halloumi in a saucy vegetable roast — check the Sheet Pan Halloumi Roast in Smitten Kitchen Every Day if you have it, awith Eggplant, Zucchini, and Tomatoes and/or this Warm Winter Vegetable Salad with Halloumi that I developed for Bon Appetit last year — I vote for cubing it. The best part is the halloumi stays soft, unlike most grilled and then salady preparations.
I added sliced shallots to the first roast of the tomatoes. Oooooh yum!
Love reading everyone’s comments. What a great community. I’m going to make this tonight with shallots and olivex
Resident Greek here! I will tell you that baked feta has been around in Greece for a very, very long time, but I’m glad Tiktok has finally caught on :)
This looks delicious, I can’t wait to try it! Would a block of halloumi cheese work, in place of the feta?
Oooops, just read your suggestion for halloumi above! I’ll give that a try. Thanks! 👍
My teenage Tik-Tokker asked for a variety of this tonight – when I went to the internet to look for some guidance, Deb to the rescue! We skipped the chickpeas, smooshed the roasted tomatoes and feta together with loads of basil, and ate it with linguine. Holy deliciousness!
lol that’s actually the original recipe
Can I cut the oil by half? Would it still work? Silly aging = reflux from too much oil
It will work but might be less rich, which of course sounds like your goal.
This is so funny because just last night I saw a TikTok video for feta and tomatoes and immediately thought of your Mediterranean Baked Feta with Tomatoes. This looks like a great way to move it from appetizer to main course!
Okay, I’d been resisting bc, cherry tomatoes in winter? But you may have convinced me it’ll be okay.
I have a few cans of cherry tomatoes? Would that work in place of fresh?
Thank you!
so looking forward to lunch tomorrow….getting tired of my same old recipes… this will shake things up! thank you
This made for such an easy lunch. This recipe popped up on my insta feed just before I left for the grocery store: serendipity! It took me ten minutes in prep time tops, and went beautifully with the leftover naan I had. I made hummus the night before, so I left out the chickpeas and just served a little of this and a little hummus for a multi-dip plate. I topped with some mint and basil and it added a summery, herb-y lightness.
A couple changes: I could only find jalapenos at my store, so I used those. As mentioned before, I left out the chickpeas. And lastly, I was worried about my garlic slices burning, so I put them in first and layered the tomatoes on top. They got wonderfully sweet and soft, like a semi-confit. They still imbued a garlic flavor to the whole thing. The changes had no wild effect, the recipe came out excellently.
As for Tik Tok- my husband and I can’t stop watching! We don’t get it, but we can’t look away!
this is a dream! thanks for lightening up our wfh day!
Deb, I think this would be better with your slow roasted tomato recipe—at least partial slow roast the tomatoes and then continue with the recipe—the winter tomatoes are just not going to sweeten up without a slow roasting.
Love this recipe Deb. I am not a fan of feta with pasta either.
Hi Deb – I did see Jenni’s posting (not on TikTok – I’m not that cool) and the first thing I thought was “Hey, that’s almost like Deb’s Mediterranean baked feta with tomatoes.” Which I make on the regular, but with the feta cut into large-ish chunks and which I thought would make an even better pasta dish if, on the rare chance, there was any left for the next day. Thanks for the great recipes!!
I made this but more “cupboard challenge” style. I used pasta (I’m sorry but I need carbs, it’s farfalle if you are wondering), I found a freezer burnt block of feta from pre-pandemic and thawed it out, I don’t have fresh tomatoes but I have sun dried tomatoes (dry, in the pouch) and threw a big handful of those in along with a can of diced tomatoes. Added chopped onion (basically a cupboard food) and a big scoop of Costco pesto (fridge staple). Roasted it for longer because I suddenly realized I had a single fresh item that would be good—a red bell pepper—so I threw that in. Needs no salt. Served it with a ton of fresh ground pepper. This is good!!! May eat enough to give myself heartburn.
I made this for dinner last night and it was delicious! I had everything on hand and made the focaccia to go along with it. Will be making again soon!
Made this tonight. OMG – so delicious!!! Some mods: used 1 can of chickpeas; halved the cherry tomatoes; “marinated” the cherry toms with the spices and oil prior to pouring onto the feta. I am swooning – this recipe is the bomb!
Wow was this delicious. I didn’t add the chili pepper because I am, apparently, the last person on earth to embrace the burn. I stirred in some dried oregano and forgot to add the parsley at the end. No matter – it was absolutely fantastic. Definitely greater than the sum of its parts.
Man, was this good! Easy to make. Love recipes that I can change to use ingredients on hand. $6.49 for 8 oz. feta cheese.
Made this last night, an easy, satisfying dinner. No fresh herbs in these parts, but a sprinkling of herbs de Provence did the trick. Added lots of onion and used cubed pecorino instead of feta to avoid a trip to the store. Delicious!
If I use goat cheese should I firm it up by putting it in the freezer or do something else? I’m worried that it will get too melted before the tomatoes are cooked.
I‘d put the cheese in later/last, roast it for maybe 10-15 min. only?
Since this was 3/4 the way to the Mediterranean, I went all the way with lemon juice and chopped kalamatas. I also had to use canned whole tomatoes that I ripped up by hand. And then served it with tortilla chips, because I wasn’t making a grocery run. I would prefer pita or some sort of bread, but it was great! I look forward to making it in summer with real tomatoes.
I made this for dinner and it was just delicious. Will make again. I also roasted sweet potato which went really well with it. Very filling!
Could you make this with Cannellini beans instead of chick peas?
Absolutely.
I think cannellini beans would be delicious! I made this as a “cupboard challenge” recipe last night with thinly sliced shallots instead of garlic, a log of goat cheese instead of feta, and dried rosemary and thyme (stirred into and baked with the tomatoes) for the herbs. It was amazing. Cannellini beans instead of chickpeas would have suited this flavor combo very well, I suspect.
I did, and I loved it. Plus lemon juice and chopped rosemary at the end.
This recipe looks so great. And I feel the exact same way about feta and pasta. Any advice on subbing canned tomatoes? Quantities etc
I am making this today, and adding a couple spoonfuls of capers! I’m super excited for briny, salty, roasty-toasty lunch.
Oh my gosh! This was absolutely delicious. Made it last night for dinner. I didn’t have flatbread or pita so I made orzo and mixed the pan of roasted/broiled goodness with it. So easy and perfect to use up lingering tomatoes. Thank you!
Yum! I will definitely make this again. Mine turned out just as gorgeous after a run under the broiler as Deb’s did. I doubled the feta and used a 1 lb brick from Whole Foods because I had it on hand, and I have zero regrets about that (although the result is super cheesy). Used red pepper flakes instead of red pepper since that’s all I had. I thought there was too much oil and too much garlic — would do half the recommended of each. And I added about 3.5 cups of cooked farro at the end instead of chickpeas and I think this will taste positively delicious cold for lunch the next day.
Must admit I was skeptical, but I had some questionable cherry tomatoes to use up. I made this and it knocked my socks off! Key for me is to peel the chickpeas; while tedious, it really improves texture. Didn’t have a pepper, so used Aleppo pepper. Will definitely make again. Thank you!
Ann the RV’er here. Haven’t posted in a while, but read your blog all the time! Made this for dinner last night with a salad! Delicious! Will make again. Thanks for all your hard work
Do you have a particular type of feta or brand in mind? I tend to use feta in water, the dry feta tends to be, well, dry. Would love to know what you prefer.
This looks great. I’m looking for some good lunch recipes for our socially distancing family. Thanks for posting.
I buy feta in water. My personal favorite is Bulgarian.
I second Deb’s choice. Hubs and I went through several different feta cheeses (intentionally) and Bulgarian is hands down our favorite.
This reminded me so much of Ottolenghi’s Charred Cherry Tomatoes w/ Cold Yoghurt, so I threw in some of the flavors from that recipe (the recipe is in his cookbook Simple) – lemon peel, cumin seeds, sprigs of thyme and oregano, teensy bit of brown sugar… I loved this version with the warm feta in the middle, it’s like a cozy winter version of that!
I only have two medium sized tomatoes (and too snowy to go out anymore, making this evening). Can I add some zucchini spears instead? Don’t want to go the canned route.
This was delicious! So easy and tasty. I added onions and a squirt of lemon and served with roasted pita.
Quick question: there was tons of liquid in the pan, which was a bit messy when serving with pita. I don’t think it was caused by my addition of 1/2 lemon.. I think it was from the tomatoes.
I searched the comments for thoughts on how to deal with this but didn’t see any. And I didn’t want to drain it since the presentation was so lovely with the feta in the middle! Any tips? Many thanks!
So crazy delicious!!
I made this today and it was delicious. I didn’t have chickpeas so used little white beans instead. And added a goodly handful of pitted Kalamata olives and sliced garlic. I will definitely make this again. It was a huge success. I love your recipes. Many thanks.
I made this last night as a Superbowl and it was absolutely fantastic!!!!! My guests loved it. Thanks Deb!!
going to put it on some rosemary sourdough with a fried egg for a late breakfast this morning ;)
Deb, if you ever do launch merch, I hope that chickpeas are a central motif to them! This looks like a really tasty spin on the hit :)
Wow! Just wow!
Super easy to assemble and the result is so much more than the sum of its parts! I halved one pint of tomatoes and kept the second whole, used the entire fresno chili (it was small), used only one can of chickpeas, baked for slightly longer than ten minutes the second time in the oven (winter tomatoes) and sprinkled the dish with mint when I pulled it out of the oven. My SO and I ate every last bite with a homemade baguette and it was amazing! Will definitely make again.
This was outstanding! Thanks again for providing great meal options!
I’ve made the pasta version of this and the sauce created by the feta and tomatoes is addictive. If you really want to go trendy, add some TJs pan fried cauli gnocchi. Oh, it also works with some grilled shrimp as a topper.
Hi Deb –
Thanks for sharing your take on this recipe. I love the idea of chickpeas instead of pasta. Do you think I could do this with crumbled feta?
Thank you!
I didn’t have fresh peppers or fresh herbs on hand, so I used crushed red pepper flakes on the feta and dried basil and oregano in place of the fresh herbs (added them in with the chickpeas). It was so easy to prepare and came out stupid good. Even my meat-and-potatoes spouse was clamoring to get his share! I had literally two spoonfuls leftover, which I warmed and put on toast with a runny egg this morning. Also divine. Thanks for the great recipe, Deb!
Made this for lunch. Absolutely delicious! The feta gets a lovely chewy texture like halloumi cheese.
I wanted more veggies than beans so upped the tomato quantity, and only used one can of garbanzos and fresh basil. Highly recommended.
Hi! Made this and loved it, although have a question for other people who also made it. The cheese was perfectly soft at first, but then cooled down and hardened back up – almost to a squeaky cheese texture. It was still delicious but not the same as those first few bites. The only block feta I could find was just wrapped/sealed in a plastic wrap. There was a small amount of water in the package and it was moist, but not the same as the feta that sits in a tub of water. Think that could make the difference? Or, is it just as simple as warm cheese is soft and cooler cheese isn’t?
Also funny my chickpeas keep exploding. Both in the oven originally and when I’ve reheated a portion for left overs. haha. Exciting.
We made this with tofu instead of feta and served with some crumbled goat cheese to make up for the lost tang. SO GOOD WOWOW!!! We also served it over arugula instead of bread (ran out of time to make bread) and it was one of the most epic salads we’ve had. THANK YOU, YOU GENIUS!
I served this as a Superbowl app with Italian Bread. It baked beautifully and easily. I had the leftovers for lunch over crispy kale and added more chickpeas on top. This recipe is stocked full of flavor from the blistered tomatoes, olive oil, soft chickpeas and salty cheese. Thanks Deb! You continue to outdo yourself.
I am having 8 VEGANS for dinner in a few weeks. Could I make this recipe with a block of firm Tofu?
I definitely think so. Does not need to be firm, either.
I just made this with vegan feta. I do not recommend this unless you remove the feta early in the roasting process as it dissolved after the chick peas were added.
Ugh. Did the same. Tasted great, looked nasty. I’m going to try it again but I’m not going to put the feta in until after the broiler. The downside is the vegan cheese won’t have that same roasted texture, but I think it’ll still get gooey from the heat of the tomatoes without dissolving.
My vegan stepdaughter introduced us to this recipe using vegan feta cheese. They actually make it, she purchased hers at Whole Foods. It was delicious and we aren’t even vegan.
I saw this late morning and had it for lunch— easy and terrific. Afterwards, I read comments about the recipe and found the peacemaking that went on among the fans of our beloved Deb and it made me as happy as the wonderful meal I enjoyed. Thank you readers who gave the “corrector” the benefit of the doubt. I think you were right and kind.
I love your take on this recipe! I tried the original one with pasta last week, and it was yum when it was fresh, but the feta then dried out and was a bit unappetising on the pasta.
I can’t wait to try your version with some homemade pita bread.
Made this for dinner tonight and it was delicious. I ended up changing it up a bit, due to what we had at home. No chickpeas, but we did have asparagus – I just cut the bunch into 2-inch pieces and threw in with the tomatoes. Served it on bowtie pasta with spicy Italian sausage. Delicious!
Made this tonight and it was as delicious as everyone has been saying in the comments. I halved the recipe and used great northern beans instead of chickpeas. Served it with rustic wheat bread. Burned the roof of my mouth and don’t care. Next time I will use the whole block of feta but maintain the half recipe for other ingredients, maybe with an extra glug of olive oil. It would also work great as a party appetizer (if we can ever have parties again). This recipe is definitely going into the permanent rotation.
I made this for lunch today and it was amazing. Took about 10 minutes of prep time, and I think it was one of the best things I’ve ever made. Made it as written except halved all my tomatoes, used Aleppo pepper flakes on the feta, and used fresh rosemary at the end. Had it with a piece of naan – delicious! Thank you, Deb!
This was so good! I made your layered yogurt flatbreads to go with it. Yum! I’m going to make it again this week adding shallots and more tomatoes so that it becomes a little bit saucy. Maybe a splash of broth. I want to get it almost like a stew that I can soak bread into. So many possibilities! The next day I sandwiched it between two of the leftover flatbreads and grilled it like a quesadilla. I just want to have this in every way shape and form!
So little work for such a flavourful payoff. I did with farro and halved tomatoes and chickpeas (all we had on hand). A little too much feta proportionally, but nobody complained.
I made this last night. The smell was amazing. I topped it with chopped fresh dill and served with warmed naan and broiled Chilean sea bass. It was very well received. But i wanted the chickpeas to be softer, especially when trying to scoop up with the flatbread. Next time I will serve it over hummus, instead of adding the chickpeas to the dish.
This is the best tasting thing I’ve ever made in 5 minutes.
There were leftovers so I transformed the remainder by using my braun hand mixer to puree into some yummy homemade hummus! Sooo goood…..
this was so delicious and so easy. I definitely recommend the full two pints of cherry tomatoes. Each one was so delicious. I can’t shake the feeling that the feta should have been halloumi.
This made for a very nice lunch and I can’t wait to try it in summer when the tomatoes are fresh and sweet. I followed the recipe this time but I think next time I do it, I will use two blocks of feta. I also think this could be good with mozarella and topped with lots of fresh basil (again, in summer) so I might try that as well!
Yay, one of my favourite dishes with excellent modification. I usually cook my feta and tomatoes with broccolini. There’s almost always feta and cherry tomatoes in my kitchen.
This is a perfect “ clean out the veggie drawer” meal! My friend and I had a pint of cherry tomatoes between us. I had a leek, a few green onions and a half of a yellow pepper that needed to be used. One can of chickpeas, garlic, Bulgarian feta and chopped basil at the end before broiling. We ate it with locally made Josey the baker whole grain “wonder bread”toasted and rubbed with garlic. OMG! We could not stop eating it! It was truly one of my favorite meals ever. I agree with you Deb, I didn’t want the pasta, bread was the perfect vehicle. I also think throwing in the leek was a great addition. This is a keeper!
I forgot to say I added a bit of baby kale, also a leftover and we loved it with the addition of some greens
I was not able to find blocks of feta. I added a tub of chunks to the middle of the pan with the chickpeas. Served it with naan bread last night and just had some with pita chips for lunch. Easy & delicious!
Hi Deb,
Trying this tonight! BTW, almost last sentence, “intact” not “intact”
Bobbie
Simple and delicious. I can see adapting this a lot of different ways.
I swapped half the tomatoes for a bunch of chopped rapini, served the dish with spaghetti noodles. Would make again.
We devoured this tonight! I modified by also folding in fresh spinach just before finishing under the broiler, and topped with chopped calabrese chillis, loads of fresh mint, cilantro and Italian parsley, and it was a delight. Served with grilled pita, it was a quick, easy and delicious weeknight dinner! I’m with you on the this feta pasta debate. Chick peas for the win!
Absolutely exactly what I like to eat for dinner, always been a “mezze” sort of person. My husband and I devoured it, using mostly our fingers, while huddled over the sizzling cast iron skillet. Used 1/2 red grape tomatoes and 1/2 orange for color. I did not have a chili, so I just used a few pinches of crushed red chili flakes. Still great. Kept thinking “I wish I had halloumi for this”!
I made it twice already since published! It is such a great and easy recipe. I just made a simplified version based on what I had (no chickpeas, no garlic, no chili and no fresh herbs), and it tasted so good that my husband went to buy more feta the following day so that we could make it again. I also used only 1/4 cup of olive oil and found it was ok.
I checked two markets in town for a block of feta, the gal at Trader Joe’s informed me that there was “some recipe” going around! I settled on a block of Halloumi instead. I do think it was more to my taste than the feta would have been.
Delicious and cozy dinner! We have an amazing, James Beard nominated bakery in my small town of Louisville, CO. It’s named Moxie Bread Co if anyone is close by. I picked up a loaf of ciabbata. We have a tangle of herbs growing in our new Aerogarden. What a luxury to have green fresh herbs in abundance on this cold winters day.
This dish was a welcome little project, and a delicious dinner!
Baked Feta with Tomatoes and Chickpeas
This was amazing!! Thank you.
This was delicious! I was goat cheese and served with naan and I ate it all in two settings. This will be part of my regular lunch rotation for sure. This will also make a great appetizer for future parties.
I absolutely loved this! Had to go to three stores to find a block of feta, but the two of us enjoyed this for two dinners. I served it with mini naans and it worked perfectly.
Tried this meal a couple of nights ago. So easy and pretty tasty. Thanks Smitten Kitchen/TikTok
Perhaps an alternative to the oil would be broth?
We made this last night. Delicious! Another triumph from Smitten Kitten. Thank you!
Amped it up at the end with a quick addition of prosciutto, egg, and pecorino (and lots of black pepper) for a carbonara spin.
Made this for lunch today and absolutely loved it! Easy to put together, quick, and unique. Used parsley and mint for herbs and served it with warmed baguette that soaked up the juices so nicely. Will make this again and again I am sure. Thanks for this fab recipe!
So delicious – I used too much salt, but even so, it was just warm, gooey goodness!
Great weeknight dinner idea.
I made this as written but with only one can of chick peas and added a package of store-bought gnocchi. It was fantastic!
Wow, this was delicious, and so little work! I coudn’t find hot red pepppers at the grocery store, so I went with red chili flakes sprinkled liberally on the feta. We put it on top of a bed of arugula to try to stay on the healthy side (as much as you can with that much cheese and olive oil), and it was perfect — there was just enough oily-tomato-y goodness in the pan that it worked as a salad dressing, and the arugula wilted nicely under the warm topping. This one is definitely going into my regular rotation!
I made this tonight and wow! Even my Officially Picky Kid said it was “actually pretty good”. So making this again & I’m already thinking of variations: maybe halloumi next time, maybe chickpeas and pasta together, so many options!
This was a great dish which we’ll repeat often. We added, because we had some, partly cooked eggplant pieces and slivers of red/orange peppers, around and among the tomatoes. The melty feta was just great stirred into everything else.
I have only found this fabulous page
And oh how happy I am , fabulous looking dish’s which I will definitely be trying👏👏👏👏👏🙂
This was excellent and so easy! I served with toast. I also put some over lettuce like a salad. The flavors, so simple and gorgeous together. This is a keeper! Thank you.
I made the Tik Tok recipe and I enjoyed it. But adding chickpeas is a great idea! I’ll try that next time. Thanks for the tip!
Oooh this looks like a gorgeous recipe to try – thank you! My son has recently become vegetarian so this could be a good one…
This dish was fantastic! We loved it so much I made it twice in one week. I did half chickpeas and half cannellini beans and crushed red pepper for spice. For next day leftovers I ate the tomatoes and beans over chopped romaine and fresh parmesan since the feta was all gone. Love the versatility and think I will add in onions as well next time. Thanks for posting a yummy meatless dish!
Absolutely delicious!!!!! It took me several weeks to find a block of feta. In fact, during my second or third trip to look, there were three of us circling the cheese section in the local Kroger looking for block feta. All out that day, so the next week, I went and shopped at 10:30 a.m. I snagged the ONLY block of Feta in the store, and I think I nabbed it just before the person next to me saw it. This dish was worth the hunt and wait. Went together in no time. I actually don’t even like tomatoes unless they are roasted, so I used the full amount of feta with half the amount of tomatoes and one can of beans. I also couldn’t find fresh herbs, so I just sprinkled some dried parsley, oregano, and rosemary around the top with some red pepper flakes. I did end up roasting the whole dish (before the broiler part) about 10 minutes longer. I ate it for dinner tonight on one of those La Brea loaves of bread that you just have to pop in the oven. Will make this again and again. I agree with another reviewer, will be great as a party appetizer…..whenever that time comes again.
Tried it with halloumi instead of feta (it’s what I had) and it was sooo good. The cherry tomatoes really become juicy and sweet. We had with farro prepared on the side (in the pressure cooker).
I had a version of this every day of my holiday in Greece where the feta is so delicious. Instead of chickpeas, they used olives and dried oregano. It makes such a good appetizer with a loaf of crunchy country bread or baquette.
I like the idea of the chickpeas and will try this next time.
This was amazing. I had everything on hand to make this but I only half of the listed amount of cherry tomatoes so I subbed half with a can of drained diced tomatoes. I’ll try it again with just the cherry tomatoes but I wanted to share that canned tomatoes are a good sub in a pinch!
Just an update that I made this with canned artichokes and cranberry (borlotti) beans and it was EVEN BETTER!
I made this with chunks of halloumi, sprinkling some Aleppo pepper on top instead of using a sliced chili pepper, served with orzo. Very good and easy way to make a family-friendly vegetarian dinner. Next time would go heavier on the Aleppo pepper though, and for non-picky eaters I think it would be great with smoked paprika.
Yummy! I used crumbled feta because I HAD to eat this immediately, and though I didn’t get the gooey block it was still awesome. Threw in some oregano, which worked well. Anything with feta and chickpeas, please. I make a raw version of this as a chopped salad in summer, adding in cukes and avocado (no garlic). I’ll be picking up a block of feta soon so I can make it again.
Could I potentially slow or pressure cook this? I’m dealing with some construction in the kitchen and have all of the ingredients, but am left to the trusty InstantPot for the week…
I definitely think so re: slow-cooking. Re, pressure cooking, I just have less practice with it for whole tomatoes and cheese and I’m not as sure how it will work.
I think it would work but ultimately will create a different version entirely. The flavour in the tomatoes comes from the roasting and blistering of the skin. The browning of the feta, etc. it will still likely taste lovely but be more stew like than the oven version which likely has more complex flavour due to the roasting process which caramelizes the sugars.
Made this tonight as a side dish to go along with roast chicken. It was easy and delicious!
I made this for dinner last night- made the following additions: 1/2 cup of chopped kalamata olives, 1 thinly sliced shallot, 1/2 lemon zested, 1/2 tsp dried thyme and dried oregano. I only used 1/3 cup of olive oil. It was SO GOOD. The broiling at the end really gives it a wonderful roasted flavor. Served it over orzo.
Amazing! Simple to make!
I am having trouble printing anything from Smitten Kitchen website. Does anyone else have this trouble? Driving me crazy? Nothing appears when I select the printer icon and I cannot even print out the entire page. Help and thank you!!
What I love is this is a perfect “ clean out your vegetable drawer”. I had a leek, have a yellow pepper and a few green onions, that needed to be cooked. I used basil as my herb. We toasted great local bread rubbed with garlic. Fantastic! I think the leek was a great addition. The chick peas made it a meal. Yum!
Used this base recipe to riff a bit, using what I had on hand (left garlic whole for subtlety, used red pepper flakes, and some parmesan instead of feta). Delicious! After dinner my husband suggested blending it up to make the leftovers into a type of hummus. Soooooo goooood! That “hummus” would also be awesome as a pasta sauce. Thank you for this recipe base! I need to try it as written too…
I don’t understand all the fuss about this recipe. It’s was okay, not great. So much better stuff to cook and eat on this blog (which is my fave cooking blog, BTW)
Wow – is this good. Made it as written but with one can of chickpeas and one can or cannellini beans. The fresh herbs elevate the whole dish. Will definitely be making this one again (and again.)
Delicious, and so easy- I used arugula for herbs.
I made this last night for dinner, and we devoured it. I’ll be making it again for sure. The sliced garlic was heavenly, and I used Italian parsley for the fresh herbs. I have a weird “allergy” to fresh peppers, but I’m usually okay with dried, so I used crushed red pepper. The SO likes things spicy, so I used more of it on his side (!) of the feta. He was more than happy with it. The feta wasn’t quite as gooey as yours, Deb, even though the tomatoes were done. I think I’ll cook it longer next time. We would have liked to have even more tomatoes even though I used close to 2 pints. Next time, I’ll reduce the amount of chickpeas a bit and increase the tomatoes.
I made this without the chick peas as I wanted to have it on top of sourdough bread and wanted it a bit lighter with the bread. It’s delicious as a topping for lightly toasted sourdough. I threw a bunch of thyme sprigs in right from the beginning and that worked fine. I didn’t find it needed the broiler, just a few more minutes at 425 did the trick for me.
Another fellow non hip tiktok lover here! Made this and swapped the chickpeas for farro and it was perfect! Next time I’ll do chickpeas and farro tho!
Curious if there’s a specific kind of block feta I should use? There were so many varieties at the store – I picked a ‘traditional Greek’ feta, not the kind floating in water. This feta did soften, but the second the temp dropped, hardened up immediately and became ‘squeaky’ and a bit dry overall. I think a creamier consistency would make this a more regular dish as the flavor profile was amazing!
I love Bulgarian feta, if you can find it, or French feta. French is a little softer and slightly more mild. Bulgarian’s softness is somewhere between grocery store Greek and French, but fully flavorful.
Delicious and easy to make! I’ve made it 3 times in the last month and a half, using goat cheese (but will eventually make it with feta). Make mine in a cast iron skillet, and at the end, I add a grate of lemon peel on the top…delish!
I made this with fresh spinach the second time and recommend this addition. It added a layer of complexity (not to mention nutritional value).
I made this for dinner tonight and it was a perfect delicious, simple meal. I added shallots & olives, per the comments, and added the garbanzos from the beginning, which then absorbed some of the juices and got soft & flavorful. I put a bed of baby spinach in the bottom of the roasting pan. It ended up getting very cooked, but still a nice way to get a few more veggies. Great recipe!
Thank you! I’ve seen the tik Tok one, but didn’t need MORE cheesy carbs in my life. I can pretend this is healthy because of the beans. I had some no kneed dough already in the fridge that needed to be used up, so fresh bread and a simple salad rounded it out.
I made this with regular tomatoes cut into chunks mixed with bagged dried tomatoes from Trader Joe’s. I used 1 TJ flat can of spiced chickpeas- because they are packed in their own oil, I adjusted the oil amounts in the recipe accordingly. Served over pasta. It was excellent.
Hey Deb,
We just made this recipe and loved it! It was so easy to make. Couldn’t find flat bread at the store, so we chose naan. Worked great.
Delish!!! Even my kiddos gobbled it up! My partner said ‘I love it when you cook Mediterranean’. I said ‘you love it when I cook from the smitten kitchen’. so many delicious things you invite us to do with the seemingly lowly yet magical chick pea!! Thank you for sharing your cooking magic with us!! My family eats better for it.
Oops – I used fresh Rosemary, chives, and cilantro for herbs, and Bulgarian sheep feta which mellowed nicely with cooking – and served it with warmed flatbread the size of a large tea towel – the name of it escapes me!!
Such a simple yet delicious and satisfying recipe! Perfect for quick, healthy meal that you just need to whip up on a whim. I had some leftover steamed cauliflower from the night before and threw it into the pan at the same time as the chickpeas and it soaked up all the delicious juices and flavors. I also didn’t have feta on hand so I threw in a handful of mozzarella balls during the last few minutes to heat them up and it was delicious. Thanks so much for another wonderful recipe!!
This is so easy and sooo good! I left out the chili and the chickpeas (didn’t have any), and just ate it with Ciabatta.
Reeally yummy, the tomatoes get sweet and juicy, and I put in lots of garlic, and a small onion. Was great even without any herbs.
Will do this a lot in the summer for an easy supper .
I find red chile to be a pretty broad category, and wonder if it’s a “choose your own level of heat” prompt.
Also, I often see “red chiles” in recipes, but not in grocery stores, unless dried, here in southern California. The closest I see is habanero, which seems out of step with this recipe. I do have a variety of greens to choose from! Would jalapeno be a good substitute, or something milder, like Anaheim?
Yes, you can use jalapeno and this is very much a choose-your-own-heat type ingredient. You can make it very spicy or just use less… or even none.
Very tasty and super easy. The only problem I had is that it was very watery. I followed the recipe exactly and the dish had at least a centimetre of liquid at the bottom. We ended up sopping it up with bread, but I was surprised at how watery it turned out! Thanks for the recipe!
Loved it! I made this last night for me and my boyfriend, along with the focaccia you suggested, which I made “rustically” in a 9 inch stainless steel pan because I only have one 9 by 13 baking dish. Next time I might increase the amount of feta to 12 ounces because he was greedy and took enough of it to ruin my leftover plans!
Thank you for the inspiration! I’ve seen the TikTok recipe but was never motivated to try it, but with chickpeas… brilliant! I made it last night and my eyes involuntarily rolled into the back of my head with every bite. Delicious recipe.
We love this recipe! A neighbor made this for us and we immediately went out and got all the ingredients. I wanted a little more color, so added fresh spinach leaves at the very end (after it comes out of the oven), gently folded them into the hot tomato/chickpea parts of the pan and it looked gorgeous! Great recipe! It’s addictive :-)
My California cherry tomatoes (mostly Sungold) are still producing by the shovel-full so this recipe was perfect. I made a skillet bread for the juices and it was the perfect dinner at the end of a hot day. I plan to serve it on cold days too as I’m freezing my cherry tomatoes roasted in olive oil for those cold days when the only tomatoes available at the store are the hard tasteless variety that have been flown from warmer climes to the south.
We love this and have made it multiple times. Much better as a dip than over pasta for sure. This may be in the comments already, but FYI that ricotta and goat cheese logs both sub in well for the feta.
We are enjoying lots of summer tomatoes, Juliet, cherry and San Marzano that we will make marinara sauce with. I absolutely love your ideas, your notes, your skill in sharing how we can make each recipe… thank you! Have both your cookbooks and look for your posts here and on Instagram daily. Quick question… could I use Halloumi in this? It seems like I could, but let me know if it won’t work, please. Thank you again!
This looks so amazing!! If I wanted to bring this to a potluck, how would I do this…could I made it ahead of time, refrigerate it, and then reheat the next day? Or should I make part of it at home and then part of it at my friend’s house?
I came looking for thoughts on this same question! Have made this and it is great. I would love to drop this off as a dinner for a friend – should I assemble and just let her roast? Or roast myself and have her warm up?
How would this turn out with cut-up regular-sized tomatoes (which I have a bunch to use up)? Obviously, no bursting, so is it going to be lackluster?
Okay, I am DROOLING over this with a garden full of cherries! The only thing I would add is some OLIVES!
Made this tonight with our cherry tomato haul from our farmshare. Just the most perfect combination! Thank you!
Wow, this was soooo good and super easy! I’ve never had anything like it before. Yum!!!
AMAZING! I have made the Tik Tok pasta a couple of times and amped it up with various vegetables but your addition of chickpeas is something I never considered and makes this EVEN better and adds some really wonderful texture and bite. Thank you!!
I love this and make it often. I simplify Deb’s recipe even further by putting the feta in the center of the dish, sprinkling a mix of dried chilis all over the feta (ancho, red chili, jalapeño— found this at the grocery store once) that adds a smokey flavour. Then I mix the chickpeas, tomatoes, oil, salt and garlic in a big bowl and spoon that around the feta. Pop in the oven until the tomatoes burst and the top is starting to brown. Mix it all up, add a handful of julienned mint and basil, serve with bread.
Am making it now. I almost used my glass baking dishes (Pyrex or Anchor),, but I seem to remember that I should not put that under a broiler. So I switched to metal. Does anyone know if that is true?
OK I made it! Wonderful! 4 servings turned into a little more than 2. We dropped the pepper because one of us is a wimp. I added sliced shallots to the tomatoes.
Was wonderful and simple. Thanks.
This was amazing and so simple. Served with warmed naan bread. Will be on repeat!
I always seem to have feta in my fridge and no plans to use it, so this was a perfect recipe to try. And oh my goodness, it definitely exceeded expectations! I used great northern beans and red pepper flakes (because it’s what I had) and served over pan-fried gnocchi. I already want to make more.
Deb, this is da bomb. Made it and a side of naan for a friend last night…we were both smitten ❤️
Incredible. Everyone loved it. I added shallots. I’ve made in twice this week. I’m going to double the recipe next time.
Wow, what a fantastic recipe, what an amazing dish. I really love the idea of swapping the pasta for chickpeas.
When tomatoes were out of season, I used tinned tomatoes – which works equally well and is even easier.
(I hope you don’t mind that I published a version of your recipe on my food blog in German, including an estimation of its carbon footprint.)
As someone who grew up on macaroni with feta cheese and butter for breakfast, I happen to think that pasta and feta are a match made in heaven but chickpeas aren’t bad either!
This is a keeper – so delicious and so easy! Thanks, Deb!!
Oh man, I don’t particularly love feta but I made this for my feta-loving husband and… I can’t stay away from it. I repeatedly burned my mouth shoveling it in. Next time I will have a bottle of rosé chilled and it will be *mwah* for a Friday night. I only had 1 pint of tomatoes, I added the chickpeas with everything else at the beginning and I didn’t slice any tomatoes and this was perfect dip texture with the feta lightly mashed into it. Deliciousness
I’ve made this a bunch of times and bow down to Deb every dang time. Tonight I sautéed a little onion, mushrooms and sliced garlic. Splashed a little red wine, and let it cook down a little. Threw it over the tomates and sprinkled Italian seasoning over it all. I am telling you. Everything you do to it makes it better…
I have made this recipe many times, just as written. Well loved by everyone. I was wondering if there would be a place to add a green, like spinach?
Made it again…sooo good. I added thinly sliced shallots with the garlic (used more garlic) and left out chili pepper. Was wondering this recipe seems freezeable? If so, after what point?
Thanks!!!!
I am trying this on the next cool evening here in the desert….
Made this tonight and loved it! I added additional spices (Za’atar and onion powder), I didn’t have a chili pepper so I substituted chili flakes. It was absolutely delicious. Even my husband liked it and he isn’t usually one to go for chick peas or roasted tomatoes. I only had fresh basil and of course it went well with the tomatoes and cheese. Thanks for the recipe!
I really want to make this in a 450 oven, which will also have your schmaltzy chicken on cabbage and the roasted mushroom recipe that we love. (i know this will all compromise the crispiness of the chicken that I have been so carefully drying overnight) Think I can do it?!
So easy and delicious! My boyfriend said it’s the best thing I’ve ever made!?! (I have mixed feelings about this comment, after spending hours on some meals;)
So this recipe has become a weekly staple in our home! And I’ve always said that the best thing you can do to a recipe is make it your own**. Having said this – I “bump” up your recipe with some sauteed diced eggplant & mushrooms. Oh who am I kidding – I use gobs & gobs of eggplant, mushrooms & olives and maybe a bit too much evoo. Sometimes I may also sprinkle some grated cheese on top. ** Some years ago I took a recipe that a friend gave me and I added to it. I told her about my changes & how much my company loved them. “That is NOT my recipe anymore! You can’t make it that way”! For some silly reason she stopped talking to me shortly afterwards.
Anybody tried adding tuna?
Yum! Will make this again! Served with garlic bread
What a simply great, quick, healthy, meal!
I had a pepper going funny & leftover pesto so added a few blobs!
Thanks Debra.. I am still working my way through Keepers!
I never leave comments on blogs, but this recipe was just delicious. I didn’t have enough feta so I used half a wheel of camembert as well and it worked great — the camembert melted into the oil and sauce which was delicious. Topped it with dill and ate it last night on top of a mashed sweet potato, this morning for breakfast on toast with leftover sauteed mushrooms. Something about the combination of the tomaotoes, chickpeas, cheese and oil creates this umami-rich and super comforting broth. Soooo good!!
Do you think you could add some leftover rotisserie chicken to this recipe at the end?
Tried this once a month or two ago and have made it several time since because it’s so outrageously yummy and it’s such an easy meal to put together. Since the oven is on, it’s easy to roast some veggies for a side. I’ve also made it with lemon pasta or just salad and bread. This is entering the forever rotation in my house.
My husband prep’ed this & I cooked it when I got home and it was Super Yummy! (and super easy) We made it exactly as written and ate it with pita bread. We’ll definitely make it again.
Everyone, this recipe is great, but I decided once to try replacing the feta with halloumi (a greek grilling cheese) — it’s somehow even better. You are all welcome.
Made this for lunch on one of our rare cool summer days. I added some garlic chives (which are threatening to take over the garden) and extra tomatoes with the chickpeas, so some were broken down and some were intact. Mixed my husband’s with pasta to look more lunch- like, and we both enjoyed a sophisticated feeling lunch.
Over-thinker here! What kind of pan is everyone making this in? I don’t like to roast tomatoes in aluminum because they pick up some a metallic taste, but glass obviously can’t go under the broiler. I made this once and transferred pans before broiling, and it was amazing…but curious if there’s an option I’m not thinking about that would cut out that awkward step.
I use a Pyrex deep 9×13. Contains all the juices and lets you stir without worrying about spilling. I’ve probably made this dish a dozen times.
Love this as is. Buuut…also delicious with diced string eggplant thrown in when the beans would be. Have never eaten it with pasta—usually just a huge spoon and pita. Have another batch in the oven right now!
Absolutely delicious and easy peasy. Love this recipe and it’s adaptability.
For tonight’s dinner I’d been thinking of Greek salad to go with some lamb meatballs from the freezer. With the first snow of the year, salad didn’t sound appealing.
Pivoted to this recipe for our side dish, minus the chickpeas. It was great! Festive, delicious, easy for the work week; and warming on a chilly night. My spouse said, We have to remember this one.
Added some extra garlic and one thinly sliced shallot, used two 12 oz packages of cherry tomatoes, and used red pepper flakes since my grocery store was out of red chilis. Added half a box of bow tie pasta and it served 4 people for dinner. Delicious!
I’ve made this so many times, & I’ve changed it up here & there, depending on my mood & what the grocery store has to offer. My favorite version is roasting the chickpeas in the oven first. Coat them with olive oil & whatever spices you like. I use smoked paprika, cumin, chili powder & coriander. Then I add them to the feta and tomatoes, which I heat in the oven. Once they’re done, I garnish with dill & lemon juice and serve them with whatever bread I have handy. For lunch the next day, I pile the mixture into half of a pita with tzatziki. It is so good!
Have made this many times and love it with a whole wheat penne instead of the pita. I added a thinly sliced red onion, and I had a couple cups of parboiled broccoli florets in my fridge that I tossed in at the last minute. It was so yummy