Marinated Olives and Feta

These Marinated Olives and Feta are a delicious appetizer or a great addition to any salad! They're salty, savory, and a little spicy. You only need a few simple ingredients, the recipe can be made ahead, and it takes just a few minutes to make! Serve it with toasted bread or crackers, in a salad, or with pasta. It makes a great everyday starter and it's perfect as a part of an appetizer spread at any party.

Jump to:

• Why You'll Love These Marinated Olives and Feta
• Ingredients
• Variations and Substitutions
• Step-by-Step Instructions
• Expert Tips
• Serving Suggestions
• Storing and Make Ahead Options
• FAQs
• Similar Appetizers
• 📖 Recipe

Why You'll Love These Marinated Olives and Feta

Easy and simple appetizer - The recipe takes less than 10 minutes to make and calls for only a few simple ingredients. It's best to let the feta and olives marinate for at least 15-30 minutes. I like to make this first, and let it marinate while I prep any other appetizers or dishes. It can even be made the night before!

Packed with flavor - The marinade is made with olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic, red pepper flakes, and lots of dried herbs. It's savory, salty, and packed with flavor. You can give it an even bigger flavor boost by using fresh herbs if you have them! Similarly to these Marinated Mozzarella Balls.

More than just an appetizer - Besides serving it as an appetizer with toasted bread, I like adding it to salads or pasta. It's delicious in a Greek salad, pasta salads, or any simple light pasta dishes, especially anything with tomatoes.

Ingredients

• Olives - You can pick practically any olives here. I went with Kalamata olives and Green Castel Vertrano olives. I like buying pitted olives so I don't have to pit them at home. I don't recommend marinating whole unpitted olives because they won't soak up any of the flavor. I accidentally bought those for the photos of this recipe which is why the Kalamata olives are cut in half (it makes it easier to remove the pits).
• Feta cheese - Always use block feta, not pre-crumbled feta (for anything, it has unnecessary additives). I like using feta made with sheep or goat cheese or a mix of both.
• Extra virgin olive oil - Any good extra virgin olive oil works here. You can use the leftover marinade as salad dressing after you eat the olives and feta so you don't waste it!
• Red wine vinegar - I find this gives the marinade the best flavor. Other vinegars like white wine vinegar or champagne vinegar also work if you don't have red wine vinegar.
• Herbs - The recipe calls for dried herbs because they're more readily available and everyone has the basic ones in their kitchen. If you prefer, you can use fresh herbs instead. I recommend adding 3x the amount when using fresh herbs.
• Crushed red pepper flakes - This one is optional but highly recommended for a little added heat. Add as much or as little as you like.
• Garlic - I recommend grating 1-2 cloves of garlic into the marinade. It gives it a garlicky flavor without overpowering all the other flavors.

Variations and Substitutions

• Different cheese - You can do this with a variation of hard cheeses. I like using mini mozzarella when I don't have feta. It would be similar to these Marinated Mozzarella Balls but with added olives.
• Not enough olives - If you don't have enough olives or none at all and still want to give your feta that savory umami flavor, add ¼ cup of capers to the marinade. They're salty and savory, and give the feta a similar flavor.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Add olive oil, red wine vinegar, dried thyme, dried oregano, dried parsley, and red pepper flakes to a medium bowl.
2. Whisk everything together until well-mixed and emulsified.
3. Add kalamata olives and green olives.
4. Crumble the feta into bite-sized chunks on top.

5. Mix everything until combined, careful not to break the feta apart too much.
6. Enjoy immediately or store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. It tastes the best after the feta and olives sit in the marinade for at least 30 minutes.

Serving Suggestions

There are many ways you can serve this marinated feta and olives but here are a few ideas to get you started!

• As an appetizer - Serve it as an appetizer or a starter with toasted bread or crackers. I like serving it with small forks, bamboo skewers, or toothpicks and small plates so everyone can help themselves.
• Salads - You can add both the feta and the olives to practically any salad and even use the marinade as salad dressing. Some great ones would be Asparagus Quinoa Salad, Greek Orzo Salad, or even this Roasted Cauliflower Salad.
• Pasta - It would make a great addition to any pasta dish, both hot and cold. Especially simple ones without any heavy sauces. You can even just toss some spaghetti with the olive oil from the marinade, add the feta and olives, and finish it with some freshly grated parmesan. Try it in this Spaghetti Aglio Olio e Peperoncino, this Pesto Tortellini Salad, or this Sheet Pan Asparagus Gnocchi.

Storing and Make Ahead Options

You can easily prepare this appetizer ahead of time. I like making it the night before to save time. Keep in mind that olive oil will naturally harden in the fridge so you want to take it out of the fridge 15-30 minutes before you plan to serve it to give it time to loosen up.

Store any leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days. It tastes the best on the first and second day. I don't recommend keeping it longer than 4 days because the feta becomes a little slimy after that and it could go bad. I don't recommend freezing it.

You can also use the leftover marinade as a salad dressing or add it to pasta dishes. Keep in mind it will still stay fresh for only 3-4 days.

FAQs

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📖 Recipe