Summer Vegetable Tart
A few weeks ago I was asked to submit a recipe to a local online community blog. I had a few ideas in mind but I went with this new favorite of ours– a puff pastry layered with fresh basil pesto, thinly sliced summer veggies and a sprinkling of cheese. I’m now sharing the recipe here and this Summer Vegetable Tart is something you’ll definitely want to make soon 🙂
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Reasons You’ll Love this Summer Vegetable Tart
It has so many things to love–it’s pretty, it’s easy to make, it’s delicious, and it’s super easy to adapt to suit your crowd.
- Add a meat (try grilled chicken or balsamic steak)
- Add different veggies or use whatever you have on hand
- Cut it into smaller squares for appetizer bites or leave the cuts larger for an easy entree.
- Swap in pizza sauce for a more pizza-like tart
The trick to this tart is in the process:
- It’s a super simple dish to make–but taking time to thoroughly salt and denature the veggies is critical. Removing the moisture from the tomatoes, summer squash and zucchini ensures a tart that’s crispy, not soggy.
- Thin slices help keep the tart from being weighed down. A mandoline slicer or very sharp knife will help.
Summer Vegetable Tart
Puff pastry layered with pesto and thin-sliced summer veggies. Finished with a sprinkle of aged cheddar and baked to golden brown. Easily customized and a perfect way to use extra veggies. This makes a great appetizer or entree. Best enjoyed the day it's made. 6 entree servings (~365 cal) or 12-18 appetizer servings (~121 cal to 182 cal).
Servings 6
Calories 365kcal
Ingredients
- 1 sheet puff pastry approx. 10" x 15"
- 1/2 cup basil pesto store bought or homemade
- 2 medium heirloom tomatoes mix of colors/varieties or any tomato can be used
- ½ medium zucchini
- â…“ medium yellow squash
- ½ medium shallot
- 5-6 asparagus tips
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- â…“ cup aged hard cheese (cheddar, Parmesan, Asiago, etc.) crumbled
- enough salt (to liberally cover veggies)
- pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Thaw puff pastry according to package directions (if frozen). You'll need a mandoline slicer or very sharp knife to prep the veggies. You'll need a large sheet pan to cook on and smaller sheet pans to prep.
Prep the veggies:
- Using a mandoline or very sharp knife, thinly slice tomatoes, squash, zucchini, and shallot. If squash and zucchini are larger, cut into half moons. Slice asparagus tips in half, lengthwise.
- Lay slices of tomatoes, squash and zucchini in a single layer on sheet pans. Salt slices liberally then cover with paper towels. Let sit for 20 minutes to draw out moisture. Meanwhile,
- Preheat oven according to package directions. Place shallots in a small bowl and soak in 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar while other veggies are sitting. Stir shallots 1-2 times during the 20 minutes.
- After 20 minutes, remove paper towels from salted veggies and use clean paper towels to absorb as much liquid as possible.
Assemble the tart:
- Unroll puff pastry onto a large sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Roll edges and pinch corners to form the 'crust'. Spread pesto evenly over puff pastry, going up to but not on the edges.
- Beginning with the sliced tomatoes, arrange veggies (tomatoes, squash, zucchini, soaked shallots, and asparagus) in a single layer, barely overlapping. You may not use all of the veggies (save leftovers for later).
- Finish the tart by sprinkling the crumbled cheese and some black pepper over the veggies.
Bake the tart:
- Bake according to package directions, rotating once halfway through. (Most would be 18-20 minutes for a non-dessert pastry).
- Let stand for a few minutes before slicing. Serve warm or at room temperature. Enjoy!
Notes
Helpful Tips for Summer Vegetable Tart:
- We use the Wewalka brand refrigerated puff pastry (found in the refrigerated section of Kroger). It doesn’t require thawing and comes on parchment, ready to go.
- It is 9″x 14″ and bakes on 425*F for 15-20 minutes (this recipe takes 18 minutes for us).
- Use whatever veggies you have on hand! Or even add grilled chicken, etc. This recipe is very easy to customize and substitute.
- Salting the veggies to let the moisture out is the trick, though–otherwise tomatoes, squash, zucchini, etc would give off too much liquid while baking.
Nutrition
Calories: 365kcal
For more summer dishes, check out these recipes:
Hope you are having a great start to June, friends! I am excited about our local farm CSA starting (we got our first bag yesterday and I’m thinking of ways to use up the produce!) and we are going to be traveling soon so June is a good month here. Let me know if there’s anything you’d like to see 🙂
-Emma