My zucchini and summer squash tart shows up on my menu every spring and makes multiple appearances during the summer when those veggies are everywhere. This is an easy tart to pull together and uses store-bought, puff pastry as the base. I’ll have this as a light lunch and will often serve it with a side salad. It is also perfect as an appetizer when cut into squares.
Start my rolling out your puff pastry. Take one sheet of the thawed pastry out of the box and wrapper. Put it on a lightly floured kitchen counter or cutting board. Roll it out with a floured rolling pin so it it flat and about one inch longer and/or wider on each side. Using a knife, cut a border about 1/2 inch from the edge all around the dough. Don’t cut all the way through the dough. This will rise during baking to create a nice border.
Carefully, place the pastry onto a baking sheet to finish assembling.
Next, you’ll want to make the cheese filling for the tart. In a small bowl, mix the Boursin and ricotta cheeses, garlic powder and salt and pepper. Spread the cheese over the pastry staying within the box you created. Leave the edges bare so they will rise during the bake.
Next, you want to prep your vegetables. Using a mandoline, slice the zucchini and summer squash into thin slices. Alternatively, you can use a sharp knife and cut thin slices.
You’ll want to chop your leeks and then cook them in a sprayed skillet for a couple of minutes until soft and fragrant. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and put to the side.
You are now ready to finish assembling the tart. Layer the zucchini and summer squash over the cheese on the tart. Slightly overlap the vegetables. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and then top with the sauteed leeks. Brush the edges of the crust with an egg beaten with a little water. This will allow the tart to get golden brown.
Place the tart in the preheated 400 degree F oven and bake for about 15-20 minutes until the exposed crust is golden brown and the cheese and vegetables are warm and cooked through. There will be brown spots on top of the tart which is perfect.
You can use these same basic steps to create a tart using the cheeses and veggies you have on hand.
No need to stress over what you have in the house or measuring exactly. The principal is the same: use a soft creamy cheese (goat cheese, whipped feta and whipped cream cheese all work), top with your favorite thinly sliced veggies (think tomatoes, eggplant, onions, etc.) and bake until golden brown. I’ve made this so many ways but the formula is the same.
I used zucchini and squash here because they are always so plentiful and really an inexpensive and an under utilized vegetable. On their own, they aren’t always that exciting. Add cheese and puff pastry and tah dah, you have something special.
This tart is fast and easy and really delicious. I serve it with a nice side salad for the perfect meatless meal on Mondays but it tends to show up for lunches and brunches too! Enjoy.
Looking for other similar recipes? Try some of these:
Zucchini & Summer Squash Tart
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1 Sheet of frozen puff pastry, thawed
- 1 Medium zucchini, thinly sliced
- 1 Medium yellow summer squash, thinly sliced
- 1 Cup Ricotta Cheese
- 3 Tbsp. Boursin Cheese, room temperature
- 2 Tsp. Garlic Powder
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- 1 Tbsp. Fresh Thyme, chopped
- 2 Leeks, white and light green only, thinly sliced and washed
- Cooking spray
- 1 Egg
- Flaky Sea Salt to finish
- Balsamic Vinegar Glaze, to drizzle on top
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Roll out the pastry dough until it is approximately 1 inch larger on each side. Score a ½ inch border around the perimeter of the tart dough. This will rise and create a nice border to your tart. Using a fork, prick holes in the bottom of the crust to keep it from rising too much.
- Mix the two cheeses, garlic powder and salt and pepper in a small bowl. Spread the cheese mixture on the dough and stay within the border you created.
- You can thinly sliced the vegetables using a mandolin or a sharp knife. Lay them in an attractive pattern on the cheese leaving the border exposed.
- Saute the leeks in a small skillet sprayed with cooking spray for a couple of minutes to soften them. Add salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle the cooked and cool leeks on top of the tart. Sprinkle the chopped thyme on the tart as well.
- Beat the egg with a little water in a small bowl and then brush on the frame of the tart. This will allow the border to get a golden brown when baked.
- Bake for approximately 15 minutes until crust is cooked and brown and the zucchini are soft on the warm cheese. Remove from the oven and drizzle with the balsamic vinegar glaze. Sprinkle with the flaky sea salt. Cut into 4 squares and enjoy!
