Happy Super Bowl Sunday to you, happy snack day to me, and happy birthday to Sonja of A Couple Cooks! Today, I’m popping in to share a delicious appetizer from Sonja and her husband Alex’s new cookbook, Pretty Simple Cooking.
This baked goat cheese dip features a simple, marinara-like tomato sauce with goat cheese on top. Fresh basil and crusty whole grain bread take it to the next level. This recipe is easy to make and definitely a crowd pleaser.
If you don’t have a chance to make this appetizer today, it also makes a lovely light dinner for two. Sonja and Alex recommend serving it with red wine and marinated olives, and that sounds like a good idea to me. Sonja and Alex are full of good ideas!
I think you’ll really enjoy their new book, Pretty Simple Cooking, too. It’s bursting with 100 simple, delicious, vegetarian recipes, and each recipe has its own photo.
Between the chapters, they offer 10 life lessons for a sustainably healthy approach to cooking, artfully illustrated with custom watercolors. The book will be officially released on Tuesday. Pre-order now or keep an eye out for it on bookshelves near you!
Baked Goat Cheese with Tomato Sauce
- Author:
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
Enjoy this goat cheese and tomato sauce dip as an appetizer or light meal. It’s creamy, saucy and easy to make. This recipe doubles easily; use a 28-ounce can of tomatoes and double the remaining ingredients. Recipe as written yields 4 appetizer servings, or a light dinner for 2.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for garnish
- ½ cup finely chopped white onion
- 2 medium garlic cloves, pressed or minced
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon chopped fresh basil or ¼ teaspoon dried basil
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes (omit if sensitive to spice)
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 ½ teaspoons white wine vinegar
- 1 can (15 ounces) crushed tomatoes, preferably fire-roasted or San Marzano, if possible
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt or ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 4 ounces goat cheese
- Whole grain baguette or crusty bread or crostini or naan, for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
- In a medium saucepan, warm the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté for 3 minutes, then add the garlic, red pepper flakes, 1 tablespoon of the fresh basil (or ¼ teaspoon dried), and oregano, and sauté for 1 minute.
- Add the white wine vinegar and sauté for 1 minute, then carefully add the tomatoes, salt, and several grinds of black pepper. Reduce the heat, cover, and allow the mixture to simmer, lightly bubbling, for 10 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired (if you want a spicier dip, add more red pepper flakes!).
- Spoon the tomato sauce into shallow baking dishes or ramekins, then add dollops of goat cheese. Bake until the cheese is warmed through, about 15 minutes. If desired, broil for a minute or two to brown the top of the cheese.
- Let the dip cool for a few minutes, then top with the remaining 1 teaspoon fresh basil (optional) and a light drizzle of olive oil. Serve warm, with crusty bread on the side.
Notes
Recipe Excerpted from A Couple Cooks | Pretty Simple Cooking: 100 Delicious Vegetarian Recipes to Make You Fall in Love with Real Food by Sonja Overhiser and Alex Overhiser. Copyright © 2018. Available from Da Capo Lifelong Books, an imprint of Perseus Books, LLC, a subsidiary of Hachette Book Group, Inc.
Make it gluten free: The dip is gluten free. Just serve it with gluten-free bread or sturdy gluten-free crackers.
Recommended equipment: I baked this dip in two onion soup bowls from CB2 (affiliate link).
Vegetable enthusiast. Dog lover. I'm probably making a big mess in my Kansas City kitchen right now. 
eating brownies
this sounds absolutely delicious, just perfect for a chilly night.
Kate
It is perfect for a chilly night!
Gaby Dalkin
Oh my gosh…I need this ASAP!
Kate
It’s delicious!
Amber Hagan
This looks so yummy! I love the bowls as well :) Cheese and tomato sauce always make a great meal!
Kate
Let me know what you think, Amber!
Jordan McGregor
This looks so delicious! I have to agree with the comment from “Eating Brownies” that this is perfect for a cold night or just wintertime in general! Thanks so much Kate!
Kate
You’re welcome, Jordan!
Sonja Overhiser
Kathryne, thank you so much for this very kind feature of our book and recipe! Your support along the way has been incredible and it’s been amazing to watch you rock it with Love Real Food. We love seeing it on the bookshelf next to Pretty Simple Cooking here in our kitchen! Sending big love (and Luna says Hi to Cookie)!
Kate
You’re very welcome, Sonja! Happy to do so. I’m enjoying going through the book! This is just one of many great recipes. Best of luck to you. (hi to Lunda as well!)
Emily
Quick question because I am a goat cheese fanatic: Does it matter what type of goat cheese you use? There is a large variety of goat cheeses out there. I know you are using a soft goat cheese for this recipe but have you tried using other types?
Kate
I’m not quite sure what you mean, Emily? Are you referring to log goat cheese vs pre-crumbled?
Emily
You can buy goat cheese Brie and/or a dense hard cheese goat cheese like Garrotxa. I was just wondering if you have tried the recipe with any different types of options. I know of at least 10ish different types of goat milk cheese. I’m just a crazy cheese loving gal.
Nora
Katie, this recipe sounds so lovely! I just love goats cheese. I can’t wait to make it and dig in some fresh bread. Yumm!!
★★★★★
Kate
Let me know what you think, Nora!
LT
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! I ended up making this AND using your next post of roasting a spaghetti squash. Followed both exactly. I was going to just use the goat cheese tomato sauce as a side with sliced baguette, but it was all so good I ended up dumping it right on top of the perfectly roasted squash. I mixed in some spinach so I could say I had my greens too. Wonderful dinner!
★★★★★
Kate
Great combination! Thanks for sharing and for the review, LT.
Shannon
This looks utterly delicious! Definitely planning to scoop this up with some crusty homemade rosemary bread for a great, easy meal :)
One quick question though: do you think I could substitute passata for the crushed tomatoes? I just prefer the smooth texture of passata, but sometimes I find it needs extra flavoring added, so I’d appreciate any suggestions or recommendations you may have :)
rahul
thank you
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome!
Greg
Bought some ramekins to give this recipe a go. Very pleased I did as it was excellent. Delicious and surprisingly substantial for what was intended as a light dinner for two.
A new regular. Thank you.
★★★★★
Kate
Great to hear! Thank you for your review, Greg.
NB
Kate, could canned diced tomatoes work instead of crushed? Just trying to clean out my pantry..! Thanks!
Kate
Hi! Crushed work the best for this. You could try it and then mash them up some in the cooking process. Let me know how it turns out!
Jenny
This was wonderful!!! We received a box of crostini for Christmas so I was looking for a goat cheese/tomato dip. I used a can of diced San Marzano tomatoes. It worked out fine but I think crushed would have been better. Thanks for sharing this!
★★★★★
Kate
This would be perfect! You’re welcome, Jenny. I’m glad you loved it.
Annie
Can you use fresh cherry tomatoes from garden?
Kate
Hi Annie, I haven’t tried it with fresh. This recipe was really meant for canned tomatoes.
Robyn Renee Ulibarri
Great recipe!! My family LOOVES IT!
★★★★★
Kate
That’s great!
Sarah
Wow – this might just be the best dip I’ve ever had! To feed a group of ten, I tripled the recipe and baked it in a 9×9 ceramic casserole dish. Everybody gobbled it up and I’ve been asked to make it again for the upcoming holiday. Thank you for such a quick, fabulous recipe!
★★★★★
Kate
Hooray! I’m glad you loved it, Sarah.
Andrea
I used to love this as a kid. My parents would take me with them to their favorite upscale restaurant every now and then, and I would always eat this for dinner. It tasted almost exactly like the one I used to order. Brought back good memories.
Yet another reason I cook recipes from your site so often. Sorry it took so long to say hi, and thanks!!
★★★★★
Kate
Thanks for taking time to comment, Andrea! I’m glad you enjoyed it.