What to do with feta?

wandajune6

I hate feta. I like cheese but don't have the love that many knotties feel. Feta is an exception. It's too bitter, the texture is wrong- now hard or spreadable, and it's far too salty.

So, of course, I bought a ton of it. DH mentioned a Greek salad so I bought feta the other day to make him one. It was on sale so I bought a huge chunk. A 2 lb block goes much further than I thought. He ate ~ 3 TBS and is now done with Greek salads.

What should I do with the rest of it? Does anyone have any great recipes? Better yet, recipes that hide it?

Thanks!

SmileDamnit

Send it to me

mikenberger

We just got done with a round of gyros. Mmmm homemade tzatziki sauce is not hard to make and even gyro meat is pretty easy to make as well. And we just did store bought flatbread. Just put it in a skillet to warm it up.

novella1186

I like to put feta in couscous with sliced green onion and cherry tomatoes. 

I also like to saute red onion and serve it with tilapia with feta sprinkled on top when it's a lazy dinner kind of night. 

It's good in pitas with grilled chicken, cucumber, hummus, garlic, red onion, tomato, and lettuce. 

You don't taste it too much in any of these things unless you're like me and pile ALL THE FETA in there. 

Maggie0829

Here ya go...http://www.foodnetwork.com/topics/feta.html

banana468

Shrimp saganaki!  

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/shrimps-saganaki-greek-recipe/  

I LOVE the flavor of the feta once it's melty and carmelized.  OMG! 

cupcait927

I never know what to do with leftover feta. I bought some recently for stuffed chicken (spinich and feta) and had almost a whole container left. H used some to mix in with ground beef for burgers and then he put the rest on salads.

 

@novella1186 I hadn't thought to put it in couscous but I'm definitely going to try that now.

mrsdee15

I LOVE feta.  I've always wanted to try whipped feta on crostini. clicky  But, it looks like you're not into it.  Maybe if you have friends coming over you can make some for them to try so eating the feta becomes a group effort.

If you want to hide it, you can stuff foods with it, like this chicken.  clicky   I think it makes a good pizza topping with pesto, chicken, tomatoes, artichokes, and arugula, cooking it makes it taste pretty mellow to me.  If you cut it by mixing it with mozzarella that may also get rid of the saltiness and help hide the flavor generally.

onefootinthebayou

How about a lemony baked orzo with spinach and feta?  Melting feta actually mellows it out quite a bit.

I'd boil up a box of orzo or other short cut of pasta, saute some onions or leeks and spinach in olive oil, add a bunch of fresh lemon juice, mix in some crumbled feta and stick the whole thing in the oven at like 375 for 10-20 mins.  You could add chopped tomatoes, too but they may make it too juicy.  

Or, you could do baked eggs with tomato sauce and feta (just google the recipe, you'll find one).  

I make a cold orzo salad with chopped fresh parsley, tomatoes, and feta (evoo & salt/pepper).  I got sick of eating it cold so I heated it up once in the microwave and it turned into a cream Greek-style mac & cheese.  

Also, quinoa with chick peas, tomatoes, mint, basil, spinach, and feta is good.  I've also served this hot.  

mrsdee15

Agree with @onefootinthebayou on the orzo bake, Martha Stewart has this recipe that I've loved for years.  Click

NowIamMrsKlein

Oh goodness I love feta! I mainly use it in salads but I also make wraps with cucumber riata, red onion, red peppers.

It's also pretty good in an omlette.

Kahlyla

I love it crumbled over fruit salad! It's especially awesome with watermelon, strawberry, pineapple, and grapes, imo. The perfect mix of sweet and salty.

amelisha

I like to put little cubes of it all over the top of homemade pizza (especially one I make with chicken and roasted garlic with a basil sauce base) and then sprinkle just a tiny bit of mozzarella over that so you get some stretchy melted stuff too. The same flavours make a great sandwich too (especially if you add a roasted red pepper or two.)

Steak topped with feta and balsamic glaze is delicious too.

kaitlynmichelle

I use feta all the time. Mix it in veggies or wraps, put it on pulled pork sandwiches, in stirfry, etc.

I don't get the blocks though. The Kraft shredded cheese bags (not sure if they are in the USA) are awesome. It is crumbled and has some spices added to it. H and I love it and use it frequently.

redheadbride15

Fastest yummy pasta dish in the world. FI's favorite:

Boil pasta (bow-ties, penne, mini shells all work well)
In a skillet saute very quickly (like 1-2 min): a few tablespoons of olive oil, 2-4 cloves of garlic (chopped), and a pint-sized package of cherry tomatoes (chopped in half).
Toss in pasta and crumbled feta and mix until cheese has melted.
Add fresh ground pepper.

Also very good with any combination of mushrooms, spinach, and/or tomatoes. We eat this at least once a week during the warmer months.

ETA: when the feta is melted it doesn't have that weird crumbly texture that it has in salads. Also, to minimize saltiness don't add any additional salt to the dish (or the pasta water) and alter the amount of feta you add to your taste.

TrixieJess

Spanakopita - it takes about a lb of feta (lb and a half the way I make it). So good!

emmaaa

It can mix in a lasagna really well and you won't notice the flavor. 

southernbelle0915

It can mix in a lasagna really well and you won't notice the flavor. 

This.

Or another good way to disguise it is in dips. You can use it in just about any dip, but this one is really good:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/avocado-feta-dip-recipe.html

I also make a good one with crab and feta. I don't have the recipe on hand, but you could probably google one.

littlepep

FI and I were on a goat feta kick for a while. 

My favorite recipe is roasted sweet potato slices topped with goat feta and Italian seasoning. Roast the slices and then top with feta/seasoning and broil for a few minutes until the top gets melty and slightly brown. It is the THE JAM. 

Not sure how much goat feta and regular feta taste alike but I can only eat goat cheese. Lactose and all. 

novella1186

amelisha said:

I like to put little cubes of it all over the top of homemade pizza (especially one I make with chicken and roasted garlic with a basil sauce base) and then sprinkle just a tiny bit of mozzarella over that so you get some stretchy melted stuff too. The same flavours make a great sandwich too (especially if you add a roasted red pepper or two.)

Steak topped with feta and balsamic glaze is delicious too.

Yes! We love putting feta on pizza! It's so good. We mix it with fresh mozzarella and Parmesan. It doesn't taste very feta-y but it's gooey and delicious.  Last time we made pizza, we did these cheeses with olive oil and sauteed garlic as the "sauce," some veggies, pancetta, and then topped it with fresh basil. So good! 

lurkergirl

Kahlyla said:

I love it crumbled over fruit salad! It's especially awesome with watermelon, strawberry, pineapple, and grapes, imo. The perfect mix of sweet and salty.

Yes!  I am having a watermelon feta skewer at my wedding.  It's drizzled in a serrano mint syrup.  Yummm.

TrixieJess

@novella1186 - pancetta and feta is my favourite! Especially with fresh basil and balsamic vinegar.

littlepep

lurkergirl said:

Kahlyla said:

I love it crumbled over fruit salad! It's especially awesome with watermelon, strawberry, pineapple, and grapes, imo. The perfect mix of sweet and salty.

Yes!  I am having a watermelon feta skewer at my wedding.  It's drizzled in a serrano mint syrup.  Yummm.

novella1186

TrixieJess said:

@novella1186 - pancetta and feta is my favourite! Especially with fresh basil and balsamic vinegar.

That just reminded me of another thing I like to do! Sometimes our grocery store has variety packs of all different kinds/colors of tomatoes. I like to chop them up, put some salt and pepper on them, sprinkle in some feta, and drizzle balsamic on top. So easy, but so delicious! Now I'm thinking I need to toss some fresh basil in there next time... 

littlepep

novella1186 said:

TrixieJess said:

@novella1186 - pancetta and feta is my favourite! Especially with fresh basil and balsamic vinegar.

That just reminded me of another thing I like to do! Sometimes our grocery store has variety packs of all different kinds/colors of tomatoes. I like to chop them up, put some salt and pepper on them, sprinkle in some feta, and drizzle balsamic on top. So easy, but so delicious! Now I'm thinking I need to toss some fresh basil in there next time... 

Basil is always the answer. The other day I had a pesto chicken sandwich and they put basil leaves on it. FI was like but isn't pesto made from basil. I was like ALL THE BASIL. 

hellohkb

I love it with chopped fresh veggies. It's also amazing with a cold pasta.

mrsdee15

I am now starving and battling an intense feta craving.  Looks like feta will be on the menu for next week's cooking with all these ideas.

onefootinthebayou

@Kahlyla & @lurkergirl - if you like the feta fruit combo a real easy salad is:

Either cubed watermelon or sliced green grapes (or both)

Cubed Feta

Chopped basil or mint (or both)

Dress with juice of a lime and lime zest whisked with about a Tbs olive oil, a few grindings of sea salt & cracked pepper, and a touch of honey.  

I can't wait for watermelon season!

AprilH81

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/374502525239970944/

I'm trying this out for dinner one night this week as a side dish.

Kahlyla

^ Sounds awesome, thanks!

wandajune6

Sorry for the unintentional post and run! I appreciate all of the suggestions.

Tonight, I made an Israeli couscous salad that had feta. I also included some olives, carrots, and chopped roasted veggies from yesterday. It was pretty delicious though I have a lot of feta left.

I'm seeing additional salads this week as well as all sorts of yummy things with melted feta. I can't wait!

Thank you all!