Baked Goat Cheese in Tomato Sauce

A crowd-pleasing appetizer made with baked goat cheese in a warm and smoky tomato sauce.

There are few meals I find more gratifying and fun than those made up entirely of appetizers. I love a table filled with a medley of delicious apps – hot, cold, crunchy, creamy, melty, spicy, cheesy and everything in between. For a curious foodie, there’s just nothing better.

I came across this recipe in a recent issue of Cook’s Country magazine and it immediately piqued my interest. Tangy goat cheese baked under a broiler surrounded by flavorful tomato sauce and served over crusty bread – what’s not to love?

The flavors in this tomato sauce immediately reminded me of the flavors in some of my favorite Spanish tapas. Undoubtedly, this is from the smoked paprika, or pimentón, which is used in a variety of delicious Spanish apps. The deep, smoky flavor, which distinguishes pimentón from regular paprika, is derived from the slow drying of red peppers. This is done gradually over an oak-burning fire before being ground to a fine powder. It’s the underlying flavor in this sauce and goes really well with creamy, tangy goat cheese.

Goat cheese has gained popularity in the U.S. in recent years. It’s easier to digest than cow’s milk cheese, is a good source of calcium and protein, and supplies the body with beneficial probiotics. It’s also lower in fat and calories than many other cheeses. Oh yeah, and it’s delicious.

This appetizer is easy to throw together and has easy to find ingredients – goat cheese, a can of crushed tomatoes, olive oil, onion, garlic, paprika, cumin, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. I also added a small amount of sugar to offset some of the acidity in the tomatoes. It’s not included in the original recipe, but I preferred it after tasting it both ways.

The one thing to make sure of before making this is to have a broiler-safe dish. Most glass baking dishes are not broiler-safe, even though they are oven-safe. This is because broiler temperatures range between 500-550 degrees F, which can crack some glass dishes. Ceramic dishes are usually more capable of withstanding that sort of heat, as are enamel-coated cast iron pans. The bottom line – check your pan or just use disposable foil pans. Once you’ve scoped out the right pan, it’s time to start cooking.

This is a simple two-step process: making the tomato sauce and shaping the cheese into a round shape. The tomato sauce is made by first sautéing the onion in the olive oil for about 10 minutes, until it begins to caramelize and brown. Garlic is added in, followed by the spices and the crushed tomatoes. Then, the sauce simmers for 15 minutes. While the sauce simmers, the goat cheese is shaped into a round disk. Most goat cheese is sold in log shapes. However, it is easy to mold into any shape you need.

Once the sauce is done simmering, it is placed into the broiler-safe dish. The cheese round is place in the center of the sauce and it is broiled for about 10 minutes, until it has browned a bit on the top. The result – perfectly browned, creamy, tangy goat cheese and flavorful, smoky tomato sauce to spread on your favorite crunchy bread or cracker.

For even easier prep, make the tomato sauce a day or two ahead and keep it in the fridge. Then, just bake it off with the cheese on party day. This Baked Goat Cheese appetizer is warm & delicious, easy enough for a casual gathering, or fancy enough for a special occasion. It’s a nice change from the usual dips we see at parties and is sure to be a crowd favorite.