Now that the holidays are over, you’re probably tired of cooking. But then some of us love to do more cooking during the winter when many of us spend more time indoors.
Here’s an easy vegetarian appetizer, lunch, dinner, or side dish that’s a cinch to make. It’s great for company, to bring to a pot luck or your book club meeting or for your family even on a weeknight. Roasted tomato tart.
The first time I made this was in late September when Jeff had a ton of red cherry tomatoes from his garden. What to do with them all before they got mushy? Roasted tomato tart was the answer! I got to use the herbs from my herb garden too. But even without Jeff’s homegrown tomatoes and my fresh garden herbs, I’ve still enjoyed making it for late fall and winter occasions.
Because the tart uses commercial frozen puff pastry, it is easy to make but so impressive looking. The other ingredients may be things that you have in your fridge and your pantry: cheese and herbs.
I found a recipe online, and I have altered it a bit for my taste and what I had in my fridge.
Pepperidge Farm Frozen Puff Pastry is what I used. You only need one sheet thawed. I take it out of the freezer either the night before and let it thaw in the refrigerator, or I take it out of the freezer in the morning and let it thaw on the counter for about an hour. Once it is thawed and pliable, I rolled it out to measure about 10-11 inches square. Then I pricked the pastry with a fork so it wouldn’t puff up while baking, leaving a 1/2 inch border around the edges untouched.
I grated 1 cup of cheese with the large holes on a block grater. Make sure you use your own grated cheese rather than buying pre-grated cheese that often has cellulose and other additives in it. The recipe called for fontina. The first time I made it, I used gruyere because the store was out of fontina. The next time I used fontina. I can’t say that I have a preference. They were both delicious. Gouda would also work. Scatter the cup of grated cheese on top of the rolled out puff pastry leaving the 1/2 inch border clean.
As I mentioned earlier, I used Jeff’s red cherry tomatoes the first time I made it. And the next time, I used a combo of red and yellow pear-shaped little tomatoes alternated by color to create a pattern. You can actually use any fresh tomatoes you like: heirlooms, regular tomatoes, plum tomatoes. I cut the small tomatoes in half. With larger tomatoes, slice them. Toss the tomatoes in a large bowl with olive oil, salt, pepper, and herbs of your choosing: I use thyme, rosemary (chopped), and a little bit of oregano (chopped).
Arrange the tomatoes on top of the grated cheese in rows, making sure you leave the half inch border. If you use sliced tomatoes, you can overlap them a little bit.
I changed up the recipe the second time I made it, and I prefer it that way. I slice half an onion (either yellow, red or white) into slim half rounds and caramelize the onion slices in olive oil. To me, the onions add a nice sweetness and more dimension to the flavor. I scattered the onions over the tomatoes.
Next, I grate Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and sprinkle it over the top. The first time I made it below, I used shredded Parmesan. Subsequently, I grated Parmigiano-Reggiano with the tiny holes on the grater for a finer grate. Finally, I added a bit more salt and pepper.
Bake till it’s deep golden brown.
As you can see in the photo below, the second tart with the red and yellow tomatoes wasn’t quite as golden as I like. I was in a hurry, and I should have left it in a few minutes longer. Also, I used the finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano rather than the coarsely ground. Not sure which way I prefer it. You can see the tomatoes better with the finely ground cheese. What do you think?
Let it cool for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with fresh basil, if you like, or leave it as is. Cut it into squares with a pizza cutter or a very sharp knife. In addition to being a delicious and impressive appetizer, it is also yummy for lunch or even dinner with a salad.
Two times, I made the roasted tomato tart to bring to someone’s home about an hour or so away. The first time I served it at room temperature. The second time, someone tried to warm it up in the oven and the crispiness disappeared, so I don’t recommend doing that. Frankly, I think it’s at its best served at home after coming out of the oven.
Here’s my version of the recipe:
Ingredients
- one sheet of puff pastry such as Pepperidge Farm, thawed
- 1 cup of coarsely grated fontina, gruyere or Gouda cheese
- 1 1/2 pounds of tomatoes: I used about 1 1/2 containers of pear-shaped little tomatoes, cut in half; or plum, heirloom or regular tomatoes thin sliced (1/4 inch slices)
- half an onion, thinly sliced in half rounds
- 2 tablespoon olive oil: 1 for the tomatoes, 1 to sauté the onions
- chopped fresh or dried herbs such as thyme, rosemary and oregano to taste (about a teaspoon or so total)
- salt and pepper
- 1/4 cup of freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Parmesan, if that’s what you have
- optional: a handful of fresh basil leaves, shredded
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Roll out the puff pastry so it is about an inch larger all around to measure about 11 inches square. It does not need to be exact.
- Transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Use a fork to prick the puff pastry all over, leaving a half inch border untouched all around.
- Scatter the grated fontina or other cheese on the puff pastry, leaving the border empty. Set aside.
- Saute the onions till golden. Set aside.
- Cut the tomatoes and chop the herbs. In a large bowl, mix the tomatoes with olive oil, herbs, salt and pepper. Arrange the tomatoes in a single layer, again leaving the 1/2 inch border empty. Scatter sautéed onions on top.
- Sprinkle grated Parmesan evenly over the top. Add a little more salt and pepper to taste.
- Bake till the tart is deep golden brown and crispy, about 25 minutes. Take it out of the oven, and let it rest for about 5 minutes.
- Scatter shredded basil on top, if you like. Cut it into squares. Serve and enjoy!
So what do you think? Is this a recipe you think you’d try? Have you made it already?
Sounds delicious. Will have to give it a try.
I hope you do try it, Liz. It’ll be especially good with your own tomatoes (do you grow veggies, too?), but even with store bought winter tomatoes, it’s still delicious! Thanks for taking the time to comment. Happy New Year!
Wow, this looks beautiful AND delicious. Going to add it to my rotation! Thanks for sharing.
Thank you, Kim! I hope you do try it. It’s so easy and so good!
That looks amazing! I wish cheese and tomatoes didn’t hate me so much!
Oh, I’m sorry. I knew you didn’t eat dairy, but I didn’t know tomatoes were offenders as well
I can veganize this, it looks so easy to make!
I was wondering if you would have a vegan substitution for the cheese. We have a friend who is vegan, who we would like to have to dinner but cooking for her can be a little difficult. What is the cheese substitution that you would make?
There are several vegan cheese brands or if DIY, I have simple recipe on the blog.
Thank you!
Yum! I bet my husband would love this!
Definitely a dish for tomato and cheese lovers
This would be great for my book club!
I agree – perfect appetizer for a book club get together!
I’ve made something similar with an Ina Garten recipe. Love easy tarts like this but they look so impressive.
Yum yum! Thanks for sharing this recipe, looks delicious.
This looks absolutely delicious! Thank you for the recipe!
Roasted tomato tart really is delicious and so quick to make!
Oh Allison, I love this simple recipe. Wish I had the puff pastry so I could make it now! There are so many recipes that I don’t make now with Dick not here. But this one I will make for sure.
It’s such a good recipe, Sandy. If you cut it in 4 pieces and serve with side salad, it would make a nice lunch or dinner for you for several days! Or invite a friend over? I know what you mean. It’s not easy to cook for yourself alone. But I try to make myself do it especially during the winter when I’m stuck in the house. If you do make it at some point, LMK what you think! Also, check your mail on Friday 😉
My favorite thing is to make something like this. I have not used the onions but I will be adding them to my next one. I make about twice a month.
If you want to try something else beside Pepperidge Farm try Wewalka http://wewalka.us/ it is in the section where can biscuit etc are located. It is rolled up on parchment paper and you just unroll on the cookie sheet. They make pizza, puff, pie and flat bread. I have tried them all and they are good. Check their recipes out the picture make me so hungry.
Gloria, thank you so much for that recommendation about Wewalka. Sadly, the supermarket that I shop in does not carry it, but I may make a trip to Wegman’s and see if they have it. I went to the Wewalka website that you provided, and it definitely looks like a superior product in terms of ingredients, and I love that it comes with parchment paper already! I’ll let you know if I find it.
Yummy! love puff pastry anything!
I like using garden tomatoes to make home-made sauce – you can cook it down until it is almost spicy!