15-Minute Tomato Goat Cheese Salad with Crispy Garlic Breadc

• servings: 4 servings
• active time: 10 minutes
• total time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

2 pounds heirloom tomatoes, sliced (see Recipe Notes)

kosher salt

2 ounces goat cheese, crumbled

balsamic honey (below)

crispy garlic breadcrumbs (below)

for serving, as desired: extra virgin olive oil, fresh thyme, ground black pepper, etc.

3 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar (see Recipe Notes)

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves (about 8-10 sprigs)

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 clove garlic, finely chopped or grated

½ cup panko breadcrumbs

kosher salt & ground black pepper, to season

Directions

Season the tomatoes: Arrange the heirloom tomatoes in a single layer on a paper towel-lined plate or small baking sheet. Season well with ½ teaspoon kosher salt. Cover with paper towel, patting down so the paper towel comes into contact with the tomatoes, then set aside while you prepare the honey balsamic & crispy garlic breadcrumbs.

Prepare the honey balsamic

In a small bowl, combine the white balsamic vinegar, honey, & fresh thyme leaves. Whisk to combine well. Set aside.

Prepare the crispy garlic breadrumbs: Melt the butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Once melted, stir in the garlic. Cook just until fragrant, about 30 seconds – 1 minute. As soon as the garlic becomes fragrant, stir in the panko breadcrumbs. Cook, stirring often, until toasted & golden, 2-3 minutes. Remove from the heat & transfer to a small bowl for serving.

Assemble the tomato goat cheese salad:

Pat any excess moisture off of the tomatoes, then arrange them on a large plate or serving platter. Sprinkle the crumbled goat cheese over top. Drizzle the honey balsamic all over the tomatoes & goat cheese, followed by a generous sprinkling of toasted breadcrumbs. Finish the salad with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, fresh thyme leaves, & ground black pepper as desired. Serve immediately alongside any of your favorite summer main dishes. Enjoy!

Notes

•Heirloom tomatoes: I like to use a combination of larger heirloom tomatoes & bite-sized cherry heirloom tomatoes for a particularly pretty presentation. Slice the larger tomatoes into planks or wedges & halve or quarter the bite-sized tomatoes as desired.

•White balsamic vinegar is a variety of balsamic vinegar that’s a little less caramelly & syrupy than traditional balsamic vinegar – its flavor is a little milder & its color is significantly lighter. I use it here to avoid giving the tomato goat cheese salad a murky appearance, but you can certainly use whatever balsamic vinegar you already have on hand.

•Serving: As written, this recipe yields a large tomato goat cheese salad, suitable for feeding a crowd of 4-6 as an appetizer/side dish or 2-3 as a light lunch or dinner. You can easily halve or double the recipe to feed a smaller or larger crowd, as needed.

Nutrition

• Calories: 185
• Total Fat: 7.1 g
• Saturated Fat: 4.1 g
• Trans Fat: 0 g
• Cholesterol: 14.2 mg
• Sodium: 333.9 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 25.3 g
• Dietary Fiber: 3.4 g
• Total Sugars: 12.9 g
• Protein: 6.6 g