Feta cheese is a well-liked ingredient that you just may discover in salads, appetizers, and plenty of Mediterranean meals. It’s a singular cheese and one among my favorites. Right here we’ll be taught all about feta cheese + discover 16 simple methods to cook dinner with feta!
When you’re something like me, then you definitely love cheese. And feta cheese is totally one among my go-to’s as a result of that’s what I grew up with. I all the time have some feta in my fridge as a result of it has such a incredible taste and is inexpensive.
However not everyone seems to be conversant in feta cheese and the way good it’s for cooking and consuming. I get a whole lot of questions on what it’s and the best way to cook dinner with it. So it appeared like a good suggestion to reply the entire urgent questions on feta and share a few of my favourite recipes to make with this briny cheese. When you’re not already cooking with feta, then hopefully, you’ll begin now!
Is Feta Goat Cheese?
No, feta isn’t a kind of goat cheese. Feta cheese is historically made out of sheep’s milk, although some creameries use a mix of sheep’s, cow’s, and goat’s milk. Feta does have a whole lot of similarities to goat cheese, and so they can usually be used interchangeably in recipes.
What’s Feta Cheese?
Feta is a kind of cheese that has been brined. It’s very crumbly, so it’s generally used as a topping for salads. But it surely additionally is a reasonably tender cheese. Feta is normally bought in squares and is usually bought within the brine.
How is it Made?
The method of constructing feta is similar to different cheeses. Rennet is added to take advantage of, which causes the milk to separate into solids and liquids. The milk solids are then hung by material or positioned in a mildew in order that extra liquid could be drained from them. As soon as the liquid has been drained, the cheese is seasoned with salt. What makes feta distinctive is what occurs subsequent. The cheese is then positioned in a brine, the place it normally stays for a number of months earlier than being packaged and bought.
Is Feta Cheese Good For You?
Feta is without doubt one of the healthiest cheeses that you could purchase. It’s loaded with essential nutritional vitamins and minerals, similar to calcium, phosphorous, nutritional vitamins B12 and B6, and zinc. And it has a decrease quantity of fats and much fewer energy than most cheeses. Nonetheless, feta can also be one of many saltiest cheeses, so you must watch your sodium consumption in the event you’re consuming a whole lot of feta.
What Does it Style Like?
As a result of feta is brined for therefore lengthy, it has a really salty taste. It’s additionally very tangy, and it nearly tastes a bit of bit bitter. It’s a really smooth-tasting cheese, and it’s loads lighter than many different forms of cheese.
Learn how to Retailer Feta Cheese
It’s essential to retailer feta the suitable method. When you’re going to eat it shortly after opening it, you’ll be able to merely retailer it in an hermetic container or bag within the fridge for as much as per week. However in the event you’re going to retailer the cheese for longer than that, you’ll wish to hold it in a brine within the fridge. Place the feta in an hermetic container, cowl it in water, and add a whole lot of salt, and the feta will final within the fridge for 1 month.
16 Feta Cheese Recipes to Strive
Now that all about feta, let’s get to creating some recipes. All of those dishes are wholesome, simple to make, and tremendous scrumptious.
This super-rich pasta dish has all your favourite buffalo rooster elements. It’s filled with rotisserie rooster, wing sauce, and even ranch dressing. And it’s additionally full of whipping cream and mozzarella cheese, so it’s very wealthy. However the star simply is perhaps the crumbled feta cheese on high, which actually ties the dish collectively and offers it a tangy zing.
One in every of my favourite meals to eat with feta is spinach. The 2 elements simply go collectively completely. This decadent rooster bake is filled with cheese, because it additionally has mozzarella and cream cheese. The cheeses soften collectively within the oven, and the tip result’s magical.
This recipe appears like one thing you’d order at a elaborate Italian restaurant. Slices of eggplant are crammed with garlic and 4 forms of cheese: feta, parmesan, mozzarella, and ricotta. They’re positioned on high of marinara sauce and baked till the cheese is melty. What’s to not love?
I like cooking rooster within the air fryer. It’s a hassle-free technique to have perfectly-cooked rooster each single time. This rooster is full of three elements that go completely collectively: feta cheese, basil, and garlic. It’s pretty much as good because it sounds!
You don’t normally consider fish and cheese going collectively, however it works so nicely on this recipe. Feta is so briny that it pairs completely with the buttery cod, whereas different sturdy flavors like white wine, apple cider vinegar, garlic, and oregano make the seafood shine.
I nearly all the time put feta cheese in my frittatas. The tangy taste of the cheese cuts proper by way of the richness of the eggs. This recipe additionally has a whole lot of bacon, so the brine from the cheese is additional essential. It’s one among my go-to breakfast recipes as a result of it has a lot taste in it.
My favourite method to make use of feta cheese is to place it on high of a salad. And this steak salad is without doubt one of the greatest salads I’ve ever made. The salad is filled with flavorful elements like tomatoes, onions, and cucumbers, however the star is the French dressing. It’s full of herbs, lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, and dijon mustard, and the flavors actually pop.
This recipe has a whole lot of earthy flavors in it, like bulgur, chickpeas, and pistachios. The intense tanginess from the feta actually balances these flavors out and makes this dish style gentle and refreshing. Plus, it’s really easy to make!
That is such a easy and easy-to-make salad, however the flavors are dynamic. The salad is simply garbanzo beans, feta cheese, and some contemporary veggies, and the dressing is lemon juice, parsley, cumin, pepper, and oil. Recipes don’t get rather more easy than that, however I guess you’ll make this salad on a regular basis.
Exhausting-boiled eggs and feta cheese is one other mixture that I actually love. One thing concerning the richness of the egg and the tanginess of the cheese simply works brilliantly. However the secret to this recipe is a bit of little bit of contemporary jalapeño, which takes the salad to the subsequent stage. It really works nice as a facet salad, or as an entire meal.
Tomatoes with cheese is without doubt one of the most basic meals pairings ever and for good cause. It simply works so nicely. This recipe is similar to a caprese salad, besides with feta as an alternative of contemporary mozzarella. The result’s a salad that’s tangier, lighter, and I believe loads higher.
Feta is a staple ingredient within the Mediterranean, so it’s no shock that it’s an enormous a part of this recipe. This salad is bursting with Mediterranean flavors, like olives, tomatoes, and an excellent tangy salad dressing. It’s excellent for a sizzling summer time day.
This recipe is the definition of tacky. The spicy peppers are full of not one, not two, however three forms of cheese: cream cheese, cheddar, and naturally, feta. However the factor that actually makes this recipe particular is that it makes use of pork rinds rather than bread crumbs for breading and frying the poppers. It’s scrumptious!
Normally, after we consider peppers full of cheese, we consider jalapeños. However banana and cubanelle peppers are simply pretty much as good! They’re full of feta, parmesan, and ricotta, which makes for a creamy however tangy filling. The peppers are additionally loaded with herbs and aromatics, which go so nicely with the feta.
In most of those recipes, the feta is a garnish or a comparatively small ingredient. But it surely’s the star of the present on this recipe. The feta is roofed utterly in tomato sauce and garlic, after which with two extra sorts of cheese for some additional richness and meltiness. Then it’s baked and served as a dip for chips and flatbreads. How good does that sound?
This can be a connoisseur recipe, however it’s surprisingly simple to make. Tomatoes, peppers, and feta are layered on a do-it-yourself pie crust, and the outcomes are superb. The flavors work extremely nicely collectively, and it tastes prefer it got here out of a elaborate restaurant. You’ve undoubtedly obtained to do this one.
Want Extra Straightforward Recipes?
When you want extra recipes to attempt after making these feta dishes, then try my recipe finder. You’ll have the ability to discover no matter you’re craving there!
