Baked Goat Cheese Marinara

I love cheese. Always have. And with my recent move to the state of Wisconsin, America’s Dairyland, exploring new cheese was inevitable. My favorite grocery store here, Metcalfe’s, is a local establishment that has been around since 1917. As soon as you walk in, you are led to the amazing cheese, artisan crackers and cured sausage and meats section. They always have samples and you can bet there will be a fabulous cheese sample of something you have never tried before. It was here at Metcalfe’s that I tried a 10-year aged cheddar cheese and a fabulous goat milk cheddar cheese. Needless to say, both were amazingly delicious.

I’m thrilled to tell you guys about this More to Make challenge from KitchenAid.  First off, I got to familiarize myself with so many different kinds of goat cheese, hard and soft. And secondly, I got to perfect my homemade marinara sauce recipe. And let me tell you, this spicy, bubbly marinara does not disappoint.  . and I even have some secret ingredients in there. .

Print Recipe

Baked Goat Cheese with Homemade Marinara

Course: Appetizer

Author: Hip Foodie Mom

Ingredients

For the homemade marinara

• 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 cloves fresh garlic minced
• 2-3 fresh sprigs oregano
• 1-2 fresh sprigs of thyme
• 1 28- ounce can of crushed tomato sauce
• 1 28- ounce can diced tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon red chili pepper flakes
• Salt and pepper to taste

For the baked goat cheese dish

• 3-4 cups of homemade marinara sauce above
• 1/2 small eggplant; thinly sliced
• 1 small zucchini; thinly sliced
• 3 1/2 ounces soft goat cheese; sliced

For the crostini

• French Bread Baguette
• Butter
• Roasted garlic optional

Special equipment suggested

• Mandolin slicer
• 2- quart baking dish
• Dental floss

Instructions

For the homemade marinara

• Heat the olive oil in a medium to large sized saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the garlic, oregano and thyme sprigs and allow everything to cook in the olive oil for about 2-3 minutes.
• Pour in the crushed tomato sauce and diced tomatoes and mix well. Bring to a slight boil, turn the heat down to medium-low and let simmer for about 10-15 minutes. Stirring occasionally.
• Visit The Kitchenthusiast for the rest of this recipe card and the full instructions.

To read the rest of this post and to get this fabulous recipe, please visit, The Kitchenthusiast.

Thank you!

Disclosure: I am a regular contributor to KitchenAid’s blog, The Kitchenthusiast, and was compensated for this post. Thank you for reading and for all the support and allowing me to work with brands and products that I truly love and support.