This baked goat cheese appetizer is one of the best party appetizers out there! Creamy goat cheese and tangy fire roasted tomatoes make magic together.
This post was created in partnership with Muir Glen. All opinions are our own.
If you’re looking to distract party guests with a finger food they can’t resist, this is it. In all honesty, this baked goat cheese appetizer disappeared within about 5 minutes of shooting these photographs! Although, we did have help from a few friends who were along for the ride to hand-model and taste test. Something about this sweet, garlic-y roasted tomato sauce and gooey healthy appetizer kept everyone coming back for more!
Related:Best Goat Cheese Recipes
How to make this baked goat cheese appetizer
We were inspired to make this baked goat cheese appetizer by a similar dish from one of our favorite local restaurants called Napolese. We played with the concept of their recipe, and ended up creating our own version that we make all the time. And every time we make it, it’s a huge hit! It’s perfect for entertaining, like the holidays or New Years, or just a dinner party with friends.
The main concept is to cook your own tomato sauce with fire roasted tomatoes, then place goat cheese right into the sauce and bake it until it’s creamy and melty. If you’d like, you can broil the top of the baked goat cheese appetizer to get some golden char marks. Typically we just eat it right away and don’t worry about broiling! Another nice addition would be a sprinkle of chopped basil over the top of the baked goat cheese appetizer.
Why use fire roasted tomatoes?
What are fire roasted tomatoes, and why use them in this recipe? Fire roasted tomatoes are canned tomatoes that have been roasted over an open flame to accentuate their sweet flavor. The reason we love fire roasted tomatoes is that you can absolutely taste the difference. Where tomatoes straight out of the can are typically a little bitter and acidic, fire roasted tomatoes are sweet and juicy straight out of the can. This means you don’t have to cook them as long. Shorter cook times are always better, right?
With canned tomatoes, quality is key (low quality can be borderline catastrophic in some recipes, like pizza!). We usually go with imported Italian tomatoes, or organic Muir Glen tomatoes. Muir Glen asked us to try some of their new jarred tomatoes, and we were happy to create this baked goat cheese appetizer recipe with them to share with you.
The tomatoes are organic, and the new glass jars are BPA-free and easily recyclable. And the taste: sweet and juicy, perfect for pizzas, red sauce, and goat cheese smothered in tomatoes. We are literally obsessed with fire roasted tomatoes, and use them all the time. Use fire roasted tomatoes for the baked goat cheese appetizer if you can; you’ll taste the difference!
Looking for party appetizers?
This baked goat cheese appetizer recipe is perfect as a game day recipe or a party appetizer! (Though really, we’ve been known to eat it by ourselves for dinner for the two of us!) A few of our top party appetizers:
- Skillet Mexican Cheese Dip
- Pesto Grilled Cheese Dippers with Marinara
- Vegetable Hummus Tortilla Rollups
- Loaded Tater Tot Nachos
- Easy Mango Salsa & Homemade Tortilla Chips
This baked goat cheese appetizer recipe is…
Vegetarian and gluten-free.
Baked Goat Cheese (Party Appetizer!)
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 8 1x
Description
This baked goat cheese appetizer is one of the best party appetizers out there! Creamy goat cheese and tangy fire roasted tomatoes make magic together.
Ingredients
- 3 garlic cloves
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 28-ounce can fire roasted tomatoes (we used Muir Glen diced fire-roasted tomatoes)
- 8 ounces goat cheese
- 1 baguette
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Mince the garlic. In a medium skillet, combine the olive oil, garlic, red pepper flakes, dried basil, dried oregano, and kosher salt. Over medium high heat, stir and sauté for around 45 seconds until the garlic sizzles but before it starts to brown. Stir in the tomatoes and heat at a gentle simmer for 5 to 10 minutes, until the sauce starts to thicken. Remove from the heat.
- Pour the tomato mixture into an oven-proof baking dish, then add goat cheese mounds on top. Bake for 15 minutes.
- If desired, broil on high for 3 to 5 minutes, watching carefully, until the goat cheese is golden brown. Serve with baguette slices (or to make crostini, toast baguette slices at 375°F for 15 minutes).
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Italian
Keywords: Baked Goat Cheese Recipe, Baked Goat Cheese Appetizer, Fire Roasted Tomatoes, Party Appetizers, Party Recipe
15 Comments
Sam @ PancakeWarriors
November 24, 2014 at 1:16 amOh The pictures alone Make me drool. What an awesome combo
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November 24, 2014 at 6:05 amMMMmmmm! This looks delicious! Great idea for an appetizer this year.
Tempie @ The Texas Peach
November 24, 2014 at 9:14 amThis looks amazing! I didn’t know that Muir Glen was coming out with jarred products! I’ve been buying the Bionaturae brand because they come in glass jars. Glad to know that I can get the Muir Glen fire roasted tomatoes that I love in glass jars now!
Amy @ Parsley In My Teeth
November 24, 2014 at 10:40 amBeautiful and delicious! I first had something similar at a tapas restaurant and it’s been one of my favorite appetizers ever since. Always a crowd pleaser!
Katie @ Whole Nourishment
November 24, 2014 at 10:50 amIt’s so nice to have more glass jar options now so ensure BPA-free packages! And I am in love with this dip. Fire roasted tomatoes are the best.
Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar
November 24, 2014 at 4:20 pmNot only does this sound delicious, but it looks FAB! Gah! Definitely need to try.
Meg @ Noming thru Life
November 24, 2014 at 6:43 pmJust stop. Seriously. I want to bury my face in this!
Malia @ Small Town Girl
November 24, 2014 at 8:58 pmOh my! This sounds incredible! I don’t think I would share this at all! I’d make it just for me so I could hoard the whole darn thing! Totally making this then next time I’m feeling peckish.
Sarah @ Rocket Girl Cooks
November 25, 2014 at 8:01 amMy favorite tapas restaurant makes a dish very similar to this one. I can’t wait to try and make this!
sara
November 26, 2014 at 11:28 amThis looks SO GOOD! Yum. :)
dani | theloveofvanilla
November 27, 2014 at 2:25 amThis looks so rich and delicious! Would be so good on a cold night to have a hot rich dip with crusty bread… hmm sounds like I could maybe even eat that for dinner… all by myself :) yum!
Hannah @ eating with alice
December 7, 2014 at 6:50 amThis looks delish! I love goat cheese! Can’t wait to try :-)
Suzanne
January 24, 2015 at 2:43 pmWhat kind of goat cheese should be used?
Anonymous
April 13, 2018 at 1:46 pmSo simple, but one of the best things I’ve ever had. Loved it!
Joe Carey
May 13, 2019 at 10:29 pmI couldn’t find fire roasted tomatoes, so I substituted a can of peeled plum tomatoes from Tuttorosso and it turned out delicious. I also added some red onion and fresh cherry tomatoes. I cooked everything in an iron skillet.