The Easy Creamy Feta Beans I Love To Make

When I’m craving a creamy, satisfying dinner, I make these baked feta beans. They’re made using a similar method to baked feta pasta, but with creamy white beans taking center stage.

Sep 19, 2024 - 16:00
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The Easy Creamy Feta Beans I Love To Make
Overhead view of a white baking dish with garlic, tomatoes, cannellini beans and a block of feta covered in olive oil and red pepper flakes next to a plate of buttered french bread slices and a napkin
Simply Recipes / Ciara Kehoe

Remember way back when baked feta pasta took the world by storm? It wasn’t that long ago, but things move fast on social media. I haven’t forgotten that genius dish, and I hope you haven’t either.

In my quest to eat creamy beans as much as possible, I decided to combine two worthwhile trends into one and make creamy baked feta beans. I can’t believe I didn’t think of it sooner, because, frankly, it's genius. A whole block of feta cheese is nestled into the middle of cannellini beans, cherry tomatoes, garlic, and canned crushed tomatoes, along with a good drizzle of olive oil.

Close up view of a baking dish of garlic, tomatoes, cannellini beans and a block of feta covered in olive oil and red pepper flakes with a slice of french bread dipped into the mixture
Simply Recipes / Ciara Kehoe

The whole thing bakes until the flavors are concentrated and the cheese is ultra-creamy. Admire its beauty before you stir the whole thing together and serve in shallow bowls with crusty bread for dipping. Or toss with hot pasta for a hearty and flavorful main. It’ll look and feel like it took so much more time and effort than it did.

Choosing the Right Beans

I prefer canned cannellini beans for this recipe. If you have time to make homemade, even better (and good for you!). I’ve learned over the years that not all canned beans are created equally. I like to use O Organics (Kroger’s organic brand) or Whole Food’s 365 brand.

If you can’t find cannellini, another white bean will work in a pinch, such as Great Northern.

Overhead view of a white baking dish with a garlic, tomato, cannellini bean and feta mixture next to a plate of french bread slices
Simply Recipes / Ciara Kehoe

Choosing the Right Feta

In all honesty, any block feta will work here. That being said, there is a real divide between good feta and fine feta. If you have the luxury, look for sheep’s milk feta, preferably packed in brine. Trader Joe’s has a good one that’s affordable. Avoid crumbled feta, since it won’t melt the same way in the oven.

Fun With Feta

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Arrange the ingredients:

Drizzled a little over half of the oil all over the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish. Place the block of feta in the center of the pan.

Add the beans in an even layer all around the feta, then top just the beans (avoiding the cheese) with the crushed tomatoes. Sprinkle with the garlic and pepper flakes. Add the cherry tomatoes all around the feta, then drizzle all over the top of everything with the rest of the olive oil.

Roast:

Add the baking dish to the oven and bake until the feta is melty and the tomato sauce has cooked down a bit and is bubbling, 35 to 40 minutes.

Stir and serve:

For a fun presentation, transfer immediately to the table so everyone can see the dish before stirring everything up. Some cherry tomatoes will stay whole and some with burst—you can crush the whole ones as you mix up the beans if you like. Serve with crusty bread for dunking.

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