Baked Feta Dip (Bouyourdi)

Greek Bouyourdi is a baked feta appetizer so worth trying (If you haven't already)! This warm feta dip is a little bit spicy. Made with both Feta and Kasseri cheese and freshly grated tomato.

Eating a baked feta dip like this will have you fall in love with feta all over again. The flavor gets so much stronger when baked. And especially in this recipe where it pairs so deliciously with the Kasseri cheese and tomato.

Table Of Contents

• Ingredients
• How To Make Baked Feta Dip
• Does Feta Melt When Cooked?
• Ingredient Substitutes
• What To Serve With Baked Feta Dip
• Recipe

Ingredients

You only need a handful of ingredients to make this baked feta dip recipe. Apart from the two types of cheese (will mention subs for Kasseri cheese below), you need a very ripe and sweet tomato grated, a green hot /chili pepper, paprika, oregano, and olive oil.

It's important for the tomato to be really ripe and sweet. If they're not in season and tomatoes are a bit bland, use Roma tomatoes or cherry tomatoes and blend them in a food processor.

How To Make Baked Feta Dip

You just layer all of the ingredients into a small baking dish (I'm using a terra cotta one) and bake. After a few minutes, you take the dish out of the oven and stir everything well. This helps the ingredients to become more uniform this way. And it's how they make this Greek appetizer in Thessaloniki (its place of origin).

How Long To Bake?

This depends on two things mainly. The ripeness of the feta and of the tomato. For example, soft feta cheese will become less thick when baked. While a hard/ripe piece of feta will result in a firmer texture.

The same goes for the tomato. Therefore, the baking time depends on the moisture of the dip. Overall it takes from 45 to 55 minutes. If the dip looks too thin and runny you can bake it a few minutes more until it starts to thicken a little bit.

But don't expect it to get too thick. This dip is pretty saucy-like. And also keep in mind that as it cools it gets firmer.

Does Feta Melt When Cooked?

Feta does not melt when cooked in the same way other cheeses do for example. That's because it has a smaller amount of fat compared to other types of cheese.

When feta cheese is cooked, it softens and becomes more creamy. With a consistency that's something between Riccota and Mozzarella (without getting stringy though).

Again how much feta cheese softens and creams, when baked, will depend on how ripe it is.

Ingredient Substitutes

If you cannot find Greek Kasseri cheese, swap for Gruyere, a sweet one preferably. Or some Provolone cheese. You could add Mozzarella to it as well. Some like to add yellow cheese like Gouda which melts and strings nicely. But it's not very Greek-style plus it's a bit strong in flavor and might cover the flavor of the feta.

You could swap also paprika, for smoked paprika, for a stronger flavor. Or even swap paprika for red pepper flakes, hot or sweet.

What To Serve With Baked Feta Dip

Baked feta dip (Bouyourdi) calls for either some (actually lots!) of bread or pita flatbread for dipping. You can try making this healthier version of pita bread with Greek yogurt. Or you can go for pita chips or even some crispy potato wedges.

Recipe