• Skip to main content
  • Skip to header left navigation
  • Skip to header right navigation
  • Skip to site footer
  • About
    • Meet Tracy!
    • Contact Me
    • Disclaimers & Disclosures
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Cookie Policy
    • Privacy Policy
  • Holidays
    • New Years Eve
    • Valentine’s Day
    • St. Patrick’s Day
    • Easter
    • Fourth of July
    • Halloween
    • Thanksgiving
    • Christmas
  • es_ES
Oh, The Things We'll Make!

Oh, The Things We'll Make!

Make it yourself so that you control the ingredients!

  • Recipes
    • Appetizers & Snacks
    • Soups & Salads
    • Breakfast
    • Lunch & Dinner
    • Desserts & Sweets
    • Breads & Wraps
    • MIY Pantry Basics
    • Condiments & Sauces
    • Beverages & Smoothies
    • Story Archives
  • Make it Yourself
    • Arts & Crafts
    • Face & Body
      • cleansers, soaps, & gels
      • Deodorants
      • Hair
      • Skin Care
      • Oral Care
      • Baby & Toddler Care
    • Home & Garden
      • Cleaning & Laundry
      • Garden & Hens
    • Soap Making
    • Upcycling
  • search
This easy, caramelized goat cheese salad with walnuts is elegant enough for festive get togethers, yet simple enough to make as an every day meal or side.

Easy, Festive Caramelized Goat Cheese Salad with Walnuts

You are here: Home / Recipes / Easy, Festive Caramelized Goat Cheese Salad with Walnuts
Last Modified: January 12, 2019 // by Tracy Ariza, DDS // January 20, 2017 I may receive a commission if you purchase through links in this post. Learn more here.

es_ES Español

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

This easy, caramelized goat cheese salad with walnuts is elegant enough for festive get togethers, yet simple enough to make as an every day meal or side.

This easy, caramelized goat cheese salad with walnuts is elegant enough for festive get togethers, yet simple enough to make as an every day meal or side.

The beginning of the year often brings New Years resolutions to be healthier. While some people are more than happy to eat healthier after having overdone it with holiday eating, others have a hard time giving up their holiday sweets and treats.

I absolutely love this salad because it’s easy to whip up at the last minute, it’s festive and elegant enough for serving at a holiday get together, yet simple enough to make for yourself for dinner. You can leave it vegetarian, adding in fruits and other nuts and seeds as desired to customize it to suit your taste, or you can add in some slices of cooked chicken breast or tuna fish to make it more of a complete meal.

Watch how to make the caramelized goat cheese salad:

How to Caramelize the Goat Cheese

You can caramelize the cheese by frying it in a skillet, or broiling it in your oven, but I find the simplest way to do it without having the cheese fall apart or stick to a pan is to use a kitchen torch. I bought one for making things like creme brulee and Crema Catalana, but I have to admit that I really pretty much only use it for making this salad, something that I do several times a week since it’s my favorite salad!

I’ll warn you that this salad does use a bit of sugar to caramelize the goat cheese into something spectacular. That’s why I think it’s a great transition salad that doesn’t make you feel sad or deprived. It’s sweet, and fun, and makes you feel like you are eating something very special; because you are.

Do I need to use sugar to caramelize the goat cheese?

While you do need some sort of sweetener to get the cheese to caramelize the way mine did, you don’t need to use a refined white sugar. You can use whatever sugar or real food sweetener that you prefer, including organic demerara or coconut palm sugar. You can also use honey or maple syrup, but the caramelization won’t turn out exactly the same way. (I’m pretty sure stevia isn’t going to cut it in this recipe.)

What salad dressing should be used?

To add to the subtle sweetness of the salad, I like to drizzle it with a balsamic reduction and often add a few slices of fruit to it. The balsamic reduction adds a slightly sweet, slightly sour touch that when paired with olive oil, needs nothing more. I don’t miss sweet, thick, salad dressings when using it. Many balsamic reductions that you buy in the store have added sugar, but I find it’s sweet enough on its own. That’s why I make it myself whenever I run out again. It’s really simple to make, and adds the perfect touch to any salad. You can find my balsamic reduction recipe here.

With Valentine’s Day coming up, I think it would be fun to add some bacon roses and strawberry hearts to make this salad perfect to suit the occasion. Don’t you?

This easy, caramelized goat cheese salad with walnuts is elegant enough for festive get togethers, yet simple enough to make as an every day meal or side.

Are you Ready to learn how to make a Caramelized Goat Cheese Salad?

Craving more?Subscribe to my newsletter for the latest recipes and tutorials!
This easy, caramelized goat cheese salad with walnuts is elegant enough for festive get togethers, yet simple enough to make as an every day meal or side.

Easy, Festive Caramelized Goat Cheese Salad with Walnuts

This easy, caramelized goat cheese salad with walnuts is elegant enough for festive get togethers, yet simple enough to make as an every day meal or side.
4.84 from 6 votes
Print Rate
Prep Time: 12 minutes
Cook Time: 3 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 1 Salad
Calories: 377kcal
Author: Tracy Ariza, DDS

Ingredients

  • 4 cups lettuce
  • 2 slices goat cheese log or 1 slice of a larger log - around 30g
  • 1/2 oz walnuts
  • 1 tsp balsamic reduction Make your own
  • 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp. coconut sugar
Switch units back - Convert units

Instructions

  • Fill individual bowls with a mix of your favorite lettuce types. Drizzle it with the balsamic reduction and some olive oil.
  • Slice the goat cheese log into slices and cover the tops with a thin layer of olive oil. Sprinkle the sugar of your choice in a thin layer over the oil, covering the top of each round of cheese.
  • Using a kitchen torch, caramelize the sugar on the cheese slices. I keep the torch at a medium flame and hold it a couple of inches away from the cheese, waving the flame over it until the sugar melts and forms a thin, golden brown layer of candy coating. If you work very quickly, the cheese will stay more solid and cold. If you work slowly, you'll also slightly melt the cheese. I like going slow and melting the cheese, but that's a matter of preference.
  • Sprinkle some walnuts over the top of the salad, and serve as is, or add slices of fruit, slices of chicken breast, and/or a mix of other seeds and nuts.
  • Enjoy!
Course Appetizers, Salads
Cuisine Mediterranean
Other Diets Gluten free
Tried this recipe? Tag me today!Mention @thethingswellmake or tag #thethingswellmake!
Calories: 377kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 31g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Sodium: 35mg | Potassium: 476mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 1445IU | Vitamin C: 8.1mg | Calcium: 66mg | Iron: 1.6mg
Category: Recipes, Soups & Salads

About Tracy Ariza, DDS

Tracy Ariza, B.A., D.D.S., left dentistry and the United States to found Oh, The Things We'll Make!, writing to you from the Spanish Riviera. She loves making things herself in order to keep control of what goes in them. While far from perfect, she strives each day to live a healthier, more sustainable lifestyle.

Previous Post: « Dressing Your Truth Type 1 closet Starting the Year off Right: Living my Truth and Dressing My Truth®
Next Post: Paleo Granola Bars Recipe (Crunchy Energy Nut Bars) These crunchy energy nut bars are easy to make and store well for when you need a quick, healthy snack on-the-go. I call them paleo granola bars, and the recipe is grain free and highly customizable to suit your taste. »

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Sidebar

Search

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Hello, I’m Tracy!

I love making my own natural products like soaps and lotions and my own pantry items like yogurt and salad dressings.
Why do I do it? Sometimes to save money, sometimes because it's healthier, but I always love having control of the ingredients!​
Oh, the things we'll make!...

More about Tracy

Read in Spanish

es_ES Español

I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Featured on Buzzfeed, Lifehacker, Fitness, Shape, Country Living, Healthline, Redbook, Redfin

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
Closeup of 4 bars of homemade soap. Two of them have been wrapped in brown paper, which is secured with ribbons.

Making an Easy, Basic Beginner Soap, and Then Making it Fun!!

Homemade prawn crackers on a plate in front of uncooked homemade prawn crackers and a roll of prawn crackers dough.

Prawn Crackers from Scratch

Impress your friends and save money by making your own soy sauce from scratch. Today we'll learn how to make a homemade shoyu, a fermented Japanese soy sauce made from soybeans and wheat berries. #shoyu #soysauce

How to Make Soy Sauce (Homemade Shoyu)

Take control of the ingredients that go into your hair products by making them at home. This easy, DIY hair conditioner uses natural ingredients to leave your hair feeling soft and tangle free, and is light enough to use as a leave-in conditioner too. #DIY #Conditioner #haircare #natural #essentialoils

Easy DIY Hair Conditioner for Natural Hair

Unlike sugar scrubs made with only oils and sugar, emulsified sugar scrubs become a creamy exfoliating lotion upon contact with water, leaving no oily residue, but only soft, supple skin behind.  #sugar #scrub #sugarscrub

Easy Emulsified Sugar Scrub

Making a homemade tomato paste from scratch is easier than you may think. It's the perfect way to conserve excess tomatoes from your garden. It can be made on the stove top, in your oven, or in a slow cooker. Learn how to make it, and how to conserve it for later. #thethingswellmake #miy #tomatopaste #tomatosauce #tomatorecipes #tomatoes #freezing #canning #preservingfood #homesteading #homesteadingskills #pantrybasics

Easy Homemade Tomato Paste Recipe

Featured on Buzzfeed, Lifehacker, Fitness, Shape, Country Living, Healthline, Redbook, Redfin
White logo for Oh, The Things Well Make! website

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Copyright © 2021 Tracy Ariza · Disclaimers and Disclosures · Privacy Policy · Cookie Policy

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.Ok