Roasted Vegetable Panzanella Skewers with Whipped Honey Goat Cheese

Golden ciabatta, eggplant, and tomatoes layered with fresh mozzarella and basil all on a skewer perfect for dipping into a luscious honey whipped goat cheese dip: these Roasted Vegetable Panzanella Skewers with Whipped Goat Cheese are everyone’s favorite appetizer!

So, you’re in charge of bringing an appetizer. It’s summer, and you want to go with something light. Still, a salad is too messy and hard to eat, and a cheese plate can get super expensive. Then there’s always the classic chips and dip option, but that’s been done a million times. If this sounds like your current scenario, or, quite frankly, a scenario you know you will be stuck in sometime in the future, you’ve got to try these Roasted Vegetable Panzanella Skewers with Whipped Honey Goat Cheese. With crispy croutons, eggplant, and tomatoes all roasted up in a sweet and tangy balsamic Italian style dressing, creamy mozzarella balls, and fresh basil leaves all layered up onto a small skewer: this appetizer is truly the best party snack.

The breakdown…

These Roasted Vegetable Panzanella Skewers with Whipped Honey Goat Cheese are super simple. Let’s be real, nobody wants to slave all day over something as simple as a finger food starter. Still, they don’t lack any flavor — mostly thanks to the amazing balsamic Italian dressing. With olive oil and both balsamic and red wine vinegars as a base, this dressing is a little different than your classic roasted-vegetable-coating. Then, with some dried oregano, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper, the dressing truly takes on some serious flavor.

Now, I call this a “dressing,” but it really is simply what I toss the eggplant, tomatoes, and ciabatta croutons in. By tossing all the goods prior to popping them in the oven, the flavors sink into everything so much better than if you simply tossed it on in the end. This is key to making a good skewer… nobody wants to eat boring veggies!! So, after some quick roasting of the veggies, crisping of croutons, and broiling to finish it all off, the bulk of your Roasted Vegetable Panzanella Skewers with Whipped Honey Goat Cheese is complete!

that whipped honey goat cheese dip…

Next up, though, you’ve got to make that whipped honey goat cheese dip! This dip is truly out of this world. With sweetness from the honey and the tanginess from the goat cheese, this dip is the perfect balance of flavors. This whipped honey goat cheese is seriously super simple, as you just throw all the ingredients into a food processor. But, with that garlic and some good olive oil, this dip takes on a deep complexity of flavors that tastes much fancier than it truly is — acting as the ideal companion for these roasted vegetable panzanella skewers. 

Real talk, though, you could seriously use this whipped honey goat cheese recipe for just about anything. It’s delicious as a dip for a simple crudite, cracker, pita, or crusty bread. It also is lovely spread on toast with some apricots, figs, pears, or peaches on top (maybe with a drizzle of balsamic glaze??). Really, you can’t go wrong with this dip. You have to make it!

time to assemble!!

Lastly, it’s time to get assembling. Although layering up skewers may sound like a pain, it’s really quite easy. Simply string your eggplant, mozzarella, ciabatta, cherry tomato, and basil onto each skewer. You could go with a small skewer and just do one of each (I used a 6 inch skewer), or go with a larger skewer and continue until your skewer is about ⅔ way covered. This leaves enough room for everyone to grab the skewer, but still adds a good amount of the goods onto each one. And, voila! You’re skewers are good to go! So easy, yet so delicious. 

when to serve them up…

These Roasted Vegetable Panzanella Skewers with Whipped Honey Goat Cheese are really perfect for any occasion. As mentioned above, they are one of my favorite appetizers to bring to a summer party or potluck. Easy enough for everyone to grab, yet delicious and unique enough to impress. Plus, everybody loves them! And, if you’re worried about having some goat-cheese haters (first of all, they’re crazy), you can simply swap the goat cheese for feta (whipped feta is another fav of mine!). Or, you could even go with a pesto dip, if that’s more your thing. Moreover, these Roasted Vegetable Panzanella Skewers with Whipped Honey Goat Cheese would be a delicious addition to a backyard barbecue or summer dinner party spread. Really, however you serve these up, you can’t go wrong.

I hope you enjoy these Roasted Vegetable Panzanella Skewers with Whipped Honey Goat Cheese as much as I do! Let me know what you think in the comments below:))

Roasted Vegetable Panzanella Skewers with Whipped Honey Goat Cheese

Recipe by Annie PatrickCourse: AppetizerCuisine: American, ItalianDifficulty: Easy

Servings

15

skewers

Prep time

20

minutes

Cooking time

25

minutes

Total time

45

minutes

Golden ciabatta, eggplant, and tomatoes layered with fresh mozzarella and basil all on a skewer perfect for dipping into a luscious honey whipped goat cheese dip: these Roasted Vegetable Panzanella Skewers with Whipped Goat Cheese are everyone’s favorite appetizer!

Ingredients

• materials:

• 15-20 6 inch skewers, soaked in water for 30 minutes before use*

• skewers:

• ⅓ cup olive oil

• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar

• 2 tsp dried oregano

• 2 tsp garlic powder

• Red pepper flakes, to taste

• Salt and pepper, to taste

• ½ a medium eggplant, diced into 1 inch cubes (about 3 cups)

• 1 pint cherry tomatoes

• ½ loaf ciabatta bread, diced into 1 inch cubes (about 3 cups)

• 6 oz fresh mozzarella balls

• 1 cup fresh basil leaves

• whipped goat cheese dip:

• 4 oz goat cheese

• 1/2 cup greek yogurt

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 2 cloves garlic, smashed

• 2 tsp honey

• 1 tsp salt

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, red wine vinegar, oregano, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper.
• In a 9 x 13 baking dish, toss the eggplant and cherry tomatoes with half of the prepared olive oil mixture. On a separate large sheet pan, toss the ciabatta with the remaining olive oil mixture. Roast the eggplant and tomatoes in the oven for about 10-12 minutes. Then, transfer the sheet pan of ciabatta into the oven, just above the dish of tomatoes and eggplant. Roast for another 15 minutes, then switch the oven to the high broiler and broil for 4-5 minutes, or until the vegetables have caramelized and the bread is golden.
• Meanwhile, to make the whipped goat cheese dip, whip the goat cheese, greek yogurt, olive oil, garlic, honey, and salt in a food processor or blender on low speed until fluffy and smooth.
• String a piece of the roasted eggplant, a ball of mozzarella, a piece of ciabatta, a roasted cherry tomato, and piece of basil onto each skewer. Repeat until your skewer is about 2/3 way covered.
• Serve your skewers with a side of the whipped goat cheese for dipping, and enjoy!

Notes

• I use 6 inch skewers for this recipe, but any size works. Simple continue to string on your ingredients until the skewer is about 2/3 way covered. Regardless of size, make sure you soak your skewers in water for about 30 minutes prior to use, as this prevents the wood from fringing off into your food.