baked goat cheese bites + fire roasted sauce

Baked goat cheese and this fire roasted sauce are such a good combination.  Both parts of the recipe are easy to make, too!  And both can be made ahead of time, which is always a plus.

These are coming at you just in time for the holidays because they’re an awesome appetizer to share.  This recipe makes eight goat cheese bites and plenty of sauce, but you can make as much as you want!  I like having ample sauce in case some people just devour it.  It’s always better to be safe than sorry. 🙂

how do I bake goat cheese

Baking goat cheese is super easy!  Since we want these goat cheese bites to be crunchy, there’s a couple of steps to take.  First, set up a bowl for egg and seasoning.  Then, set up a separate bowl for the pistachio mixture.

Portion out half ounce servings of goat cheese, and roll each portion into a bite-size ball.  Working one at a time, totally coat each ball in the egg mixture first.  Then gently press it into the pistachio mixture, rolling it around until it’s fully coated.  Lay the coated ball out on a baking sheet that has been lined with parchment paper, and repeat for remaining goat cheese balls.  Freeze them for about 30 minutes so they set completely before baking.

what about sauce for goat cheese

Fire roasted peppers, fire roasted tomatoes, a little garlic, and some seasoning and olive oil make this perfect sauce.  I also add a little bit of the pistachio mixture to thicken it up!  And I blend this sauce in the same container I blended the pistachios in, so there’s a little less cleanup involved. 🙂

Heating the sauce before serving it is the key!  Warming this sauce lets the flavors blend really well together, and makes it so good for dipping.

I like to serve the sauce in a bowl next to the goat cheese balls.  I put them all on a platter, and poke a toothpick (or cute serving stick) in the goat cheese bites so people can pick them up easily.  This way, people can grab a couple of them, spoon as much or as little sauce as they like onto their plate, and enjoy them.  Definitely serve slices of grilled baguette alongside of them, too!  Grilled bread is a perfect vessel for eating these little gems.

This recipe can be doubled, tripled, or quadrupled depending on your party needs.  I made eight bites to start, because I can’t eat many more than that on my own. 🙂 (And Mark hates goat cheese.  It makes me sad.)

what type of goat cheese to use

I recommend using a simple, pre-packaged log of goat cheese from any grocery store.  The plain goat cheese is what I used, but you could probably use a flavored goat cheese, too!  There’s honey or herbed goat cheese that would work really well with this recipe!  Just use what you like, and it will work.

If you make this recipe – be sure to tag me on Instagram!  And don’t forget to hashtag it :: #aflavorjournal

Happy goat cheese baking!  

<3 Sara

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baked goat cheese bites + fire roasted sauce

Author sara a.

Course Appetizer

Cuisine American

Servings 8 goat cheese balls

soft, melty goat cheese baked inside a crunchy pistachio crust then served with a fire roasted tomato and pepper sauce. a perfect appetizer for sharing!

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

freeze time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 55 minutes mins

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Ingredients

 

for goat cheese bites ::

• ▢ 1/4 cup pistachios
• ▢ 1/4 cup Panko bread crumbs
• ▢ 1/2 tsp. garlic powder divided
• ▢ 1/2 tsp. oregano divided
• ▢ salt + pepper
• ▢ 4 ounces plain goat cheese
• ▢ 1 egg
• ▢ baking spray

for fire roasted sauce ::

• ▢ 1/4 cup coarsely chopped fire roasted red peppers I use the jar from Trader Joe's
• ▢ 1/4 cup fire roasted tomatoes
• ▢ 1 clove garlic roughly chopped
• ▢ 1 tablespoon pistachio / panko mix
• ▢ 1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• ▢ salt + pepper

Instructions

for goat cheese bites ::

• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and set aside.
• Pulse the pistachios in a small food processor until finely ground. Transfer the ground pistachios to a large bowl, then add the panko bread crumbs, 1/4 tsp. garlic powder, 1/4 tsp. oregano, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Use a fork to mix everything together, and set aside.
• In a separate large bowl, whisk the egg with the remaining 1/4 tsp. garlic powder, 1/4 tsp. oregano, and another pinch of salt and pepper. Set near the pistachio mixture.
• Cut the goat cheese into 1/2 ounce pieces. Roll each portion into a ball. Working one at a time, coat each ball in the egg mixture, then the pistachio mixture. Gently press the pistachio mixture into the goat cheese, so each ball is completely and evenly coated.
• Place the pistachio-encrusted goat cheese balls onto the baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and freeze for 30 minutes.

for fire roasted sauce ::

• While the goat cheese balls are freezing, make the sauce. Using the same small food processor, blend the fire roasted red peppers, fire roasted tomatoes, garlic, pistachio mixture, olive oil, and another pinch of salt and pepper until smooth and creamy.
• Heat a small sauce pan over medium, and add the sauce to it. Stir, bring to a light simmer, then turn the heat down to low. Keep the sauce warm as the goat cheese balls freeze and bake, about 15 total minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 400 F.
• Spray the frozen goat cheese balls with baking spray. Bake for about 6-8 minutes
• Serve goat cheese balls on a platter, with optional toothpicks or decorative sticks for easy handling. Spoon the warm sauce into a bowl, and serve alongside the goat cheese balls and grilled slices of baguette (optional).

Nutrition

Serving: 1goat cheese bite | Calories: 69kcal

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