Mixed Green Salad with Warm Goat Cheese
This mixed green salad is served with a warm disk of goat cheese that you pan sear and then top the salad with. It is the perfect combination of warm and cold, crunchy and creamy that just takes this salad to the next level.
Mixed Green Salad with Warm Goat Cheese
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This salad is substantial enough on its own to be a meal in itself. Another options is to use it as a starter and serve it with other goat cheese-infused dishes, such as foccacia with goat cheese and dates or pair with your soup course. Or you can change up the flavor profile entirely by adding strawberries to the top like our strawberry balsamic spinach salad. Then you’ll have a sweet-and-savory salad to enjoy.
This recipe calls for pan searing the goat cheese disk. However, as I’ve discovered with all of the air fryer recipes on this blog, anything you can bake or pan sear, you can also make in an air fryer. So if you’ve got a lot going on and don’t want to be juggling multiple pans on your stove top, I would try to make the goat cheese portion of this recipe in your air fryer.
Ingredients
- 8 ounces goat cheese log, at room temperature
- 2 large egg whites lightly beaten
- 1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 4 cups mixed salad greens
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- sea salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
To prepare the goat cheese disks, divide the goat cheese into four 2-ounce portions. Lightly pound each two-ounce piece of goat cheese between 2 sheets of wax paper or parchment paper with a meat mallet or rolling pin until they are about one-half inch thick. Place goat cheese rounds in the freezer for about 30 minutes or until firm.
Next, you’ll want to create a dredging station like you might set up when flouring a protein or other ingredients. In this case you’ll be flouring the goat-cheese disks. Add whisked egg white to a shallow dish and the Panko breadcrumbs to another.
Remove the goat cheese rounds from the freezer and dip, one at a time, into the egg whites until coated on both sides before pressing into the Panko breadcrumbs. Press firmly to ensure each goat cheese round is thoroughly coated with crumbs on both sides. Transfer the coated goat cheese rounds back to the wax paper and set aside.
In a small skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat until it starts to shimmer. Carefully add each coated goat cheese round, one at a time, to the skillet with a slotted spatula and cook until the first side becomes golden brown, approximately 30 seconds to one minute. Flip and repeat until the other side is equally browned. Remove from the skillet and transfer to a plate. Don’t allow croutons to stay in the hot oil too long or the goat cheese will become too melted to hold its shape.
Divide salad greens among four serving dishes or bowls and drizzle with olive oil and aged balsamic vinegar. Season with salt and black pepper, to taste. Top each salad with a warm goat cheese crouton right before serving. Enjoy!
Notes
You can top the salad with sliced strawberries or sliced or chopped beets if you’d like to add some color to it.
The recipe calls for a mixed salad greens, which you can buy bagged at the grocery store. However, you can also create your own mixed greens by combining arugula, baby spinach plus another kind of lettuce or just the arugula and baby spinach alone. I say baby spinach because the leaves will be smaller and won’t overwhelm the arugula.
Mixed Green Salad with Warm Goat Cheese
Ingredients
- 8 ounces goat cheese log at room temperature
- 2 large egg whites lightly beaten
- 1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 4 cups mixed salad greens
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- Sea salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- To prepare the goat cheese disks, divide the goat cheese into four 2-ounce portions. Lightly pound each two-ounce piece of goat cheese between 2 sheets of wax paper with a meat mallet or rolling pin until they are about one-half inch thick. Place goat cheese rounds in the freezer for about 30 minutes or until firm.
- Add whisked egg white to a shallow dish and the Panko breadcrumbs to another.
- Remove the goat cheese rounds from the freezer and dip, one at a time, into the egg whites until coated on both sides before pressing into the Panko breadcrumbs. Press firmly to ensure each goat cheese round is thoroughly coated with crumbs on both sides. Transfer the coated goat cheese rounds back to the wax paper and set aside.
- In a small skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat until it starts to shimmer. Carefully add each coated goat cheese round, one at a time, to the skillet with a slotted spatula and cook until the first side becomes golden brown, approximately 30 seconds to one minute. Flip and repeat until the other side is equally browned. Remove from skillet and transfer to a plate. Don’t allow croutons to stay in the hot oil too long or the goat cheese will become too melted to hold its shape.
- Divide salad greens among four serving dishes or bowls and drizzle with olive oil and aged balsamic vinegar. Season with salt and black pepper, to taste. Top each salad with a warm goat cheese crouton right before serving. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Disclaimer
Please note that nutrient values, if included with the recipe, are estimates only. Variations can occur due to product availability/substitution and manner of food preparation. Nutrition may vary based on methods of origin, preparation, freshness of ingredients, and other factors.