This baked goat cheese salad is topped with crispy goat cheese and tarragon patties and is dressed with a sharp Dijon and tarragon vinaigrette. The strong tarragon flavor complements the tangy and creamy cheese, the crispy breadcrumbs add a delicate crunch and pomegranate seeds add a touch of sweetness.
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Recipe ingredients and notes:
For the dressing:
- Fresh tarragon adds a nice freshness to this warm goat cheese salad salad but if you only have dried tarragon on hand, you can easily use that instead. (Use 1.5 teaspoons for the dressing and 2 teaspoons for the patties if you’re using dried tarragon.)
For the goat cheese patties:
- You can use breadcrumbs from the store or you can make your own breadcrumbs by toasting sandwich bread and processing it in the food processor. If you use homemade breadcrumbs, be sure to dry them very well; too much moisture will make it difficult to get the crumbs to stick to the cheese.
For the salad:
- For the salad greens you want to use something that is strong enough in texture and flavor to hold up to the patties, such as baby kale, arugula, spinach or romaine.
How to make the salad:
Step 1. In a bowl, whisk together:
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh tarragon
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 1 minced garlic clove
- 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon red wine vinegar
Step 2. Whisk 1/4 cup olive oil into the mix, then season to taste with salt and pepper. Place the dressing in the fridge until you’re ready to serve the salad.
Step 3. Heat the oven to 400 degrees F., then mash up 6 ounces goat cheese and 1 tablespoon chopped tarragon with a fork.
Step 4. Crack 1 egg into a shallow bowl and beat lightly with a fork. Add 1/2 cup bread crumbs to another bowl or a pie plate.
Step 5. Using a metal scoop or your hands, form the cheese into 4 disks and dip each disk in the egg mix and then into the bread crumbs. Make sure that each disk is coated well on all sides.
Step 6. Place the disks on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and drizzle with a little bit of olive oil.
Step 7. Bake the patties until they are golden brown on the outside and are starting to break open (10 to 15 minutes).
Step 8. While the cheese patties are in the oven, take the seeds out of the pomegranate.
Step 9. To serve the salad, add the salad greens onto plates, place the warm goat cheese patties on top, sprinkle with the pomegranate seeds and drizzle with the dressing.
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Recipe Card
Baked Goat Cheese Salad
Ingredients:
For the dressing:
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh tarragon*
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 1 garlic clove, pressed or minced
- 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon red wine vinegar
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
For the goat cheese patties:
- 6 ounces goat cheese
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon*
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup bread crumbs*
For the salad:
- greens of your choice (baby kale, romaine, spinach, arugula, etc.)
- pomegranate seeds
Instructions:
For the dressing:
- In a small bowl, whisk together the tarragon, Dijon mustard, garlic, Worcestershire sauce and red wine vinegar.
- Whisk in the olive oil and season to taste with salt and pepper.
For the goat cheese patties:
- Heat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- With a fork, mash together the goat cheese and the tarragon. Set aside.
- Beat the egg in a shallow bowl.
- Add the bread crumbs to another shallow bowl.
- Using a metal scoop or your hands, form the cheese into four disks.
- Roll the cheese disks in the egg and then in the breadcrumbs.
- Place the disks on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and drizzle with a little bit of olive oil.
- Bake the patties until they are golden brown on the outside and start to break (10 to 15 minutes).
For the salad:
- Assemble everything on plates, drizzle with dressing and serve immediately.
Ciao Florentina
Well, I was gonna ask about the bowl but then I read the other comments, so Etsy spree it is. But I mostly wanted to say your photos are PERFECT ! It is like looking at a coffee table book of dreamy photos. Impecable !
Nicole B.
That is SO nice of you to say, Florentina! Thank you!! :)
Evi @ greenevi
This salad looks like something for me, I love goat cheese a lot :)
Your photography is beautiful!
Nicole B.
That is so nice to hear, Evi, thank you! :)
Sharon @ savormania
The photo is amazing! Great job! Goat cheese salad is my favorite ever. I love how you turn the cheese into patties rather than simply topping the salad with slices of cheese. Will definitely try this! Pinned :)
Nicole B.
Thank you so much, Sharon! :)
Steffani
Yay! You made this for us once, and I loved it! Now I don’t have to beg you for the recipe :).
I love the photograph! The red of the pomegranate seeds sets off the rest of the composition beautifully. There’s something about the wedge of the goat cheese patty being cut out that I love, too, but I can’t put my finger on why – I just love the way it looks!
Gorgeous – goat cheese is going on the grocery list this week!
Nicole B.
That’s right! I make this all the time in the summer when the garden is pumping out arugula faster than we can eat it. Glad you like the photo (as I know you have a very good eye)!
Kevin | keviniscooking
Now this I saw already on FB this morning and boy it is a beauty. Not only in the photography, the placement of the ingredients in the killer bowl (I want it!), but the ingredients.YUM.
I think the goat cheese and tarragon combo is wonderful and the Worcestershire sauce in the dressing intrigues me.
Nicole B.
Thank you, Kevin! That really is a good bowl, I got it on etsy a while ago and I like the way it looks on this dark wood tray.