Phyllo-Wrapped Baked Feta with Honey (Feta me Meli)
This phyllo-wrapped baked feta with honey (Feta me Meli) is a simple baked feta appetizer, perfect for dinner parties and holidays. It combines crispy filo and salty feta with fresh herbs and is topped with a drizzle of honey to balance the saltiness.
You’ll need an entire block of feta for this recipe. Start by removing it from the packaging and draining any brine**. Then slice the feta in half.
Step 2: Prepare the Feta Wrapped in Filo
Spread a phyllo sheet (filo pastry) across a clean, dry workspace and brush it with melted butter, black pepper, and a sprinkle of thyme.Alternatively, you can add all the herbs and pepper beneath where you place the feta and on top of it (for a more concentrated flavor).
Place one of the feta blocks about 2-3 inches up from the bottom edge, in the center of the sheet. Optionally add an extra sprinkle of black pepper and herbs over the feta.
Next, it’s time to fold the parcel. There are two ways to do so - no matter which method you use, make sure to brush the pastry with butter after each fold (so it will become nice and crispy).The first (as photographed in the post) has you fold the bottom 2-3 inches of pastry up and over the feta, then continue to fold it until fully wrapped, then fold in the two edges.Alternatively, fold the bottom 2-3 inches of pastry up and over the feta. Then fold in both sides. Continue to roll the feta forward until it’s entirely wrapped.The first version will leave multiple layers of filo overlapping on one side for a super crunchy section. The latter distributes the pastry more evenly for those who’d prefer that.
Repeat this with another filo sheet and the feta cheese. Then brush the outside of each with melted butter and sprinkle the top with sesame/nigella seeds.
Step 3: Bake the Feta me Meli
In the oven: Place the two feta parcels on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and bake in the oven at 350ºF/180ºC for 15-20 minutes, flipping halfway (or until the phyllo is golden-brown and crispy on both sides).In the Air Fryer: Place the cheese phyllo parcels directly into the bottom of your air fryer basket. Try to avoid them touching, if possible, for the crispiest results. Then cook for about 15 minutes at 350ºF/180ºC.
Once ready, remove the feta parcels from the oven, allow to cool for just a few minutes and then drizzle with honey and serve!By drizzling the honey over the phyllo-wrapped feta while it’s still warm, it will help the pastry absorb the honey, for better flavor!
How to Make Ahead and Store?
Make ahead: you can assemble the phyllo-wrapped feta pastries up to a day in advance and store in covered in the refrigerator until it’s time to bake.You may also be able to assemble and freeze the unbaked pastry (for between 2-3 months wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and within a Ziplock). then bake from frozen, adding a few extra minutes to the baking time (as you can with similar pastries). However, I haven't actually tried this, so I can't guarantee results.Store: once you've drizzled the baked feta parcels with the honey, it will soften as the honey is absorbed. For that reason, I recommend enjoying the pastry immediately. If you have any leftovers, though, then store them in an airtight container for an extra day or two. Reheat them in the microwave for a minute, or until warmed through (they won't re-crisp but still taste lovely).
Notes
**How do you remove salt from feta?
Feta is very salty. If you’d prefer to minimize this, there are a couple of steps you can take.
The first would be to rinse and drain the feta in a colander. Rinse the two feta pieces under running water for a good minute, being careful not to break the feta apart. Then allow it to naturally drain in the colander before patting dry with a kitchen towel.
To remove the salty brine further, you can actually soak the feta in milk for between 3-5 hours (or, even better, overnight) in the fridge. Drain and pat dry (thoroughly) before using.More tips:
Avoid soft feta: as it will be trickier to handle without breaking apart (especially if you plan to rinse/soak it).
For extra crunch: feel free to use two layers of filo pastry per feta cheese appetizer parcel. This is also a good "fix" if you find that your first sheet of filo tears while wrapping the phyllo feta parcels.
If your block of feta is very thick: it's best to slice it in half lengthwise, so it still cooks evenly throughout.
Experiment with shape: baking whole feta is the easiest way to prepare this baked feta appetizer. However, you could also cut the feta into finger-sized strips, individual bites (method in the FAQs), triangles (4 larger or 8 smaller), etc.
Check the blog post for optional add-ins, serving suggestions, and answers to top FAQs!