Crispy goat’s cheese smothered in a rich marinara sauce, all wedged in a warm toasty baguette!
In my opinion goat’s cheese is one of the most underrated cheeses out there, so today we’re taking one delicious step in changing that. Follow me…
Simple Marinara Sauce
Goat’s cheese pairs nicely with a number of different things – beetroot, honey and roasted red peppers to name a few. One of my personal favourite pairings is tomato. As such, to drizzle over the goats cheese we’re going to whip up an easy marinara sauce.
Tomato Passata
Tomato passata is essentially pureed/strained tomatoes. It makes a great base for a sauce because it’s quite thick. As this sauce is going in a sandwich we want it to be fairly thick, otherwise it’ll cause the sandwich to go soggy. Alongside the passata, we’re using a flavour base of garlic & onion, throwing in some chilli flakes for a little heat and adding some basil and oregano for a kick of flavour.
Can I make this ahead of time?
To get ahead of the game you can absolutely make this ahead of time! Just completely cool then tightly store in the fridge or freezer, then heat just before needed.
Process shots: fry onion (photo 1), fry garlic (photo 2), fry chilli flakes (photo 3), pour in passata (photo 4), add herbs and seasoning (photo 5), stir then simmer and reduce (photo 6).
Preparing Goat’s Cheese
What kind of Goat’s Cheese should I use?
Because we’re going to be frying the cheese, you’ll want to find a fairly firm/ripened goat’s cheese, otherwise you run the risk of it melting into oblivion. You want one with a rind too, just so the cheese keeps it’s shape. Finally, you preferably want the cheese in a log shape, just so you can slice perfect wedges to fry. Chavroux La Buche Goats Cheese is perfect and readily available in most UK stores (not sponsored).
How do you bread Goat’s Cheese?
To make crispy goat’s cheese you’ll want to coat it in breadcrumbs. To do that it’s a simple job of flour, egg and breadcrumbs. I always use Panko breadcrumbs because they’re big and airy, but regular dried breadcrumbs will work just fine. I recommend assigning a ‘wet’ hand and ‘dry’ hand to reduce mess as you dredge the cheese!
Process shots: add goats cheese to chopping board (photo 1), dice into wedges (photo 2), coat in flour (photo 3), coat in egg (photo 4), coat in breadcrumbs (photo 5).
Fried Goat’s Cheese
To get the most irresistible crust on the goat’s cheese wedges they are going to need to be fried.
What kind of Oil to use?
Because you’re only shallow frying and the heat doesn’t need to be super high, you can get away with olive oil. Other neutral flavoured oils with high smoking points will also work well, just less flavour (vegetable, canola, sunflower).
Can these be baked instead?
I have actually tried this and they’re pretty tricky to make in the oven. By the time the outside crisps up the inside usually leaks out. As such, I recommend frying.
Process shots: add goat’s cheese to hot oil (photo 1), fry both sides until golden (photo 2).
Goat’s Cheese Sandwich
For the sandwich itself, you really don’t much else. Let the goat’s cheese do the talking!
What Bread to use?
I use mini Artisan Rolls, but small baguettes work just as well. You’ll want 3 goat’s cheese wedges per sandwich (4 sandwiches total).
Process shots: slice roll (photo 1), add goat’s cheese (photo 2), add marinara (photo 3), sprinkle fresh basil (photo 4).
Serving Goat’s Cheese Sandwiches
These are great by themselves for lunch, or you could add a Side and make it a dinner! My favourite additions are either Garlic Parmesan Fries or a Roasted Vegetable Salad.
Alrighty, let’s tuck into the full recipe for these goat’s cheese sandwiches shall we?!
How to make a Goat’s Cheese Sandwich (Full Recipe & Video)
Fried Goat's Cheese Sandwich
Equipment
- Large Frying Pan & Wooden Spoon
- 3 Large Shallow Bowls (for dredging goat's cheese)
- Spatula/Turner (for frying goat's cheese)
- Sharp Knife & Chopping Board
- Wire Rack & Paper Towels
Ingredients
Marinara Sauce
- 2 cups / 500ml Tomato Passata (pureed/strained tomatoes in US)
- 1 small White Onion, finely diced
- 2 cloves of Garlic, finely diced
- 2 tbsp finely diced Fresh Basil, plus more to serve
- 1 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1/2 tsp Dried Oregano
- 1/4 tsp Chilli Flakes, or to spice preference
- Sugar, Salt & Pepper, to taste
Fried Goat's Cheese Sandwiches
- 4 small Baguettes/Artisan Style Rolls, warmed in the oven & sliced through the centre
- 2x 5oz/150g logs of Goat's Cheese (see notes)
- 3/4 cup / 45g Panko Breadcrumbs, (see notes)
- 1/4 cup / 40g Flour
- 1 large Egg, beaten
- 1/2 cup / 120ml Olive Oil, or as needed to fry (see notes)
- Salt & Pepper, as needed
Instructions
- In a large pan over medium heat add 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil and the diced onion. Fry until soft and very lightly brown, then add in garlic and fry for another couple of mins. Add in chilli flakes and fry for a min then pour in passata. Add in basil & oregano and a pinch of sugar, salt and pepper (can adjust seasoning later).
- Simmer on low for around 25mins, or until nice and thick. Taste test and adjust with sugar, salt and pepper as needed. You can either pour this out and clean out the pan for frying goats cheese or leave it there and use a separate pan.
- Meanwhile, slice each log of goat's cheese into 6 wedges (around 1/2" thick). Line up 3 bowls: first with flour and a pinch of salt and pepper, 2nd with a beaten egg, and 3rd with breadcrumbs and a pinch of salt and pepper. One by one coat the wedges in the flour, then into the egg and finish in the breadcrumbs.
- Heat up enough oil to comfortably cover the base of your frying pan over medium high heat (around 1/2cup/120ml in a 10" pan works great). Once sizzling (drop in a breadcrumb to check), add in the goat's cheese and fry both sides for a few mins or until golden. Rest on a wire rack with paper towels underneath. The goat's cheese will begins seeping out fairly quickly when they're done so just be vigilant. If the batter starts browning too quickly before the cheese has softened/melted just lower the heat slightly. Work in batches if you need to.
- Add 3 wedges per sandwich and top with a few spoonfuls of marinara sauce. Sprinkle with fresh basil then fold over and serve up!
Quick Demo
Notes
Your Private Notes:
Nutrition:
For more similar sandwiches check out these beauties:
If you loved this Goat Cheese Sandwich Recipe be sure to Pin it for later! Already made it or got a burning question? Give me a shout in the comments below!
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