Roasted Red Pepper and Goat Cheese Salad
This salad is so simple, but really tasty! I mean, roasted red pepper is amazing. Goat cheese is amazing. And they go amazingly together, so you can’t really go wrong. I make this salad often as a side when my boyfriend and I have a pasta dinner or wine and cheese night. It’s great when we have wine and cheese night especially, because it’s easy to just take a bite here and there without needing to worry about stuffing a bulky forkful of lettuce into your mouth. With that said, you could absolutely put it on a bed of greens and eat it that way if you want something more veg-heavy.
Notes on the ingredients:
Roasted red pepper: Back in the States, I used to buy the jarred roasted red peppers pretty frequently, since they’re easy and relatively cheap. However, since I’ve moved to Morocco, I always buy fresh red peppers and roast them myself. Fresh bell peppers are MUCH cheaper here than in the US so it just makes sense. You can definitely use the jarred stuff here, but if you’re roasting them yourself, I’ve detailed my easy method below.
Goat cheese: I always use plain, but it would be good with a garlic herb variety, too! In fact, I’m not really sure why I don’t always do that, since I love garlic herb goat cheese…hmm….
Shallot: Since this salad is so simple, you really need shallot and shouldn’t try to replace it with anything. You CANNOT use onion in place of shallot. It will taste like…well, onion. And little else.
Balsamic vinegar and olive oil: Good quality oil and vinegar is of course better, but it’s hardly going to be terrible if you just use what you have on hand.
Notes on the method:
I like to soak the chopped shallot in the vinegar for a half hour or so, as it takes some of the sharp edge off. Also, I DO NOT understand why vinaigrettes are supposed to have such a high oil-to-vinegar ratio in general. With balsamic, I often use a one-to-one ratio, but I also love sour stuff, so if it’s too much for you, you can add more olive oil. I really don’t think this dressing is tart at all, though, considering both balsamic and shallots are sweet.
That’s it! My boyfriend and I usually share one salad made from a single bell pepper as a side, but when I was taking pictures for this article I sat down and ate it all myself, sooo…depending on your situation, this recipe is good for one or two servings.
Roasting red bell peppers:
I roast peppers a couple times a week and use them on salads, sandwiches, in pasta sauces, soups…having access to cheap bell peppers is really one of my favorite things about cooking in Morocco, because I looooove roasted red peppers. Sure, roasting from fresh takes longer than draining a jar, but it’s still really easy!
All I do is cut a red pepper in half, pull out the seeds, stem, and spongy white bits, and then whack it onto a tray in the oven at 200 degrees celsius. Set skin-side down and roast for about 45 minutes or until really soft and wilted. Take them out and stack them up on a cutting board while they cool so steam gets trapped around the skin and makes them easier to peel. Peel the skin off when they’re cool enough to handle.
Once everything is ready, cut the roasted red peppers into bite-sized chunks and assemble on a plate. Pour the dressing over them and then crumble the goat cheese on top. It’s ready to eat!
Recipe:
Roasted Red Pepper and Goat Cheese Salad
Ingredients
Instructions
- Place the chopped shallot in a small dish and add the balsamic vinegar. Let sit for about half an hour.
- Chop the roasted red pepper into bite-sized pieces and arrange on a plate.
- When the vinegar/shallot mixture is ready, add the olive oil, salt, and pepper. Mix well to create the dressing.
- Pour the dressing evenly over the red pepper.
- Crumble the goat cheese evenly over the salad.
