For me, salad must have some cheese involved. Doesn’t everything taste better with cheese anyway? Goat cheese is one of my favorite salad cheeses, whether its crumbled, sliced or in this case, baked. Crispy coated disks of goat cheese are warmed until soft and served on top of crisp greens. The surprise comes when you slice into the cheese and an explosion of fresh herbs like basil and parsley come through. Baked goat cheese is so versatile that you can use any herbs you prefer but these Baked Basil Goat Cheese Rounds went especially well with the spinach and fresh strawberry salad I prepared…
These Baked Basil Goat Cheese Rounds couldn’t be easier to make and even better is that you can make these in advance and keep them in your freezer. Just pull out however many you need and bake for a few minutes before adding them to a salad. These have come in handy for dressing up a salad and makes a plain salad more elegant for guests.
recipe inspired by David Lebovitz
8 oz goat cheese, softened
2-3 tablespoons fresh basil, finely minced
1 tablespoon fresh Italian parsley, finely minced
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1 egg
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
Combine the goat cheese, herbs, garlic powder and onion powder in a bowl. Cream all the ingredients until fully incorporated. Using a scoop or spoon, form a golf ball sized ball of the cheese in your hands and then firmly flatten to form a disk; set aside. Continue forming disks until all goat cheese is used.
Whisk the egg in a small bowl and dip each goat cheese disk into the egg and dredge into the breadcrumbs.
Place the coated disks of goat cheese into the freezer to firm up, at least an hour.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Bake the disks on a non stick or lightly greased cookie sheet for 5 to 8 minutes, or until warmed through and soft when you press gently in the center. Serve on top of your favorite salad.
I love goat cheese, and this looks like such an amazing use for it! I bookmarked it and will be trying it ASAP! 🙂
I definitely agree with you 100%. A salad without cheese is just NOT satisfying. I love making baked goat cheese rounds for salad but i have to admit I've never tried putting herbs inside. This makes me think that there are all kinds of tasty things that could be incorporated into such a filling. Yum!
Yum yum! This would be perfect for a dinner party!
congrats on top 9! looks amazing!
Wow these look incredible! I always order salads with goat cheese rounds from restaurants bc its so delicious and I'd never made it at home. I had no idea it was so easy. Can't wait to try this!
Seriously an awesome recipe! How can you go wrong with David? Beautiful pics too!
TOP 9!!! AWESOME!! ♥- Katrina
I love the hot cheese, garlic & herb combination. Then coating it in breadcrumbs is just heaven. Looks beautiful, kind of like a veggie kiev!!
Mmmmm – sounds and looks delicious! I love goat cheese. Congrats on the Top 9!
I LOVE goat cheese. It's my absolutely favorite. Congrats on the top 9!!
These look HEAVENLY! I adore goat cheese and put it on everything; salads, fruit, bread, veggies, you name it. These are at the top of my list of what to make next. Thank you!