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Vegetarian, South and mountains

Escalivada with goat cheese toasts

Escalivada with goat cheese toasts is a Catalan dish for 4 people, ready in 1 hour, easy to make, for €2.40 per serving. Whole summer vegetables roast until charred, then get peeled and turned soft and smoky, served alongside garlic rubbed toasts topped with melted goat cheese. The trick is letting the vegetables rest under a plate, which loosens the skins without any effort.

Tonight we're going Catalan with melting roasted vegetables and golden goat cheese toasts, a sunny dish that practically makes itself.

Escalivada with goat cheese toasts
Total time
1 h
Difficulty
Easy
Cost per person
€2.40
Calories per person
730 kcalcalculated by Kiloach, your weight coach
Season
Summer

Escalivada is Catalan summer on a plate. Eggplants, peppers, onions, and tomatoes roast whole until they blister in spots, then peel themselves once they've cooled a bit. What's left is soft, faintly smoky, and dressed with nothing more than raw garlic, olive oil, and salt. The vegetables get to shine here, nothing hides their flavor.

Serve it with slices of country bread rubbed with garlic and topped with goat cheese that turns golden under the broiler. It's an easy Sunday dish, great for guests on a terrace or a light weeknight dinner when the oven does most of the work. Mon Chou brings this one out as soon as summer vegetables hit their peak.

The ingredients

4 people

Fruits and vegetables

  • Eggplants 2
  • Red bell peppers 2
  • Onions 2
  • Tomatoes 2
  • Garlic 2 cloves

Bakery

  • Country bread 8 slices

Dairy

  • Goat cheese log 200 g

Pantry

  • Olive oiloften in the pantry 5 tbsp
  • Thymeoften in the pantry 1 tsp
  • Saltoften in the pantry 1 pinch
  • Pepperoften in the pantry 1 pinch

Allergens Gluten, Lactose

The step by step recipe

  1. Roast the whole eggplants, peppers, onions, and tomatoes on a baking sheet at 220°C. 45 min

    Turn the vegetables halfway through so they blacken a bit all over, that's where the smoky flavor comes from.

  2. Take the vegetables out, seal them in a bowl covered with a plate, and let them cool slightly. 10 min

    The trapped steam loosens the skins, making peeling easy.

  3. Peel the vegetables, slice them into strips, and toss with the chopped garlic, olive oil, salt, and pepper.

    Scoop up the juices left in the bottom of the bowl, they make a great addition to the dressing.

  4. Rub the bread slices with garlic, top with rounds of goat cheese and a bit of thyme.

    A drizzle of honey over the goat cheese makes a contrast everyone loves.

  5. Broil the toasts until the goat cheese turns golden, then serve with the escalivada. 5 min

    Watch the broiler closely, the cheese goes from golden to burnt in under a minute.

Our tips to get it right

  • Pick vegetables that are roughly the same size so they finish cooking together, or pull out the smaller ones early.
  • Don't try to peel the vegetables while they're still hot, wait until they're just warm so you don't burn your fingers.
  • Make the escalivada the day before, it actually tastes better once the flavors have had time to settle.

The variations

  • Swap the goat cheese for crumbled feta for a saltier, more Mediterranean touch.
  • Add anchovies or flaked tuna on top of the escalivada for a heartier, non vegetarian version.
  • For kids, blend the vegetables into a spread for the toasts instead of serving them in strips, they tend to prefer that.

What to serve it with

  • A glass of chilled rosé
  • Black olives as a starter
  • An arugula salad on the side

Storage

Escalivada keeps for 3 days in the fridge in a sealed container, and tastes good cold or at room temperature. The goat cheese toasts are best fresh, so broil them again right before serving. Escalivada freezes well, but the bread and cheese don't.

Questions about this dish

Can you cook the vegetables in a pan instead of the oven?

The oven works best here since it cooks the vegetables whole without any watching. In a pan, you'd need to cut them first, which changes the texture and loses the soft, melting quality that defines escalivada.

Do you really need to peel the vegetables?

Yes, the skins of eggplant and peppers turn bitter and unpleasant after this kind of roasting. Resting them in a covered bowl makes peeling quick and easy.

Can you make escalivada ahead of time?

It's actually recommended, since it tastes better after resting overnight in the fridge. Just take it out a bit before serving so it's not too cold.

What bread works best for the toasts?

A country loaf with a fairly dense crumb holds up better under melted cheese without going soggy. Avoid soft breads, which can get soggy under the broiler.

How long does it take to make an escalivada with grilled goat cheese toasts?

Count 1 h in total, prep and cooking included. The recipe is rated “easy”.

How many calories are in an escalivada with grilled goat cheese toasts?

About 730 kcal per serving, for a recipe meant for 4 people. Calories are calculated by Kiloach, your weight coach, the app that partners with Mon Chou.

How much does an escalivada with grilled goat cheese toasts cost?

About €2.40 per serving, or €9.60 for 4 people, based on average supermarket prices.

What allergens does this recipe contain?

This recipe contains gluten, lactose. Always check the labels of the products you buy.

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