Flaky Ricotta and Fresh Tomato Tart

Thanks for sharing!

Fresh slices of vine ripened tomatoes, a basil and ricotta cheese filling and golden puff pastry crust come together to make this delicious flaky tomato tart. It is a perfect summer appetizer, lunch or light dinner when paired with a salad.

Highlight the flavor of fresh summer tomatoes with this simple tart. The flaky puff pastry crust is topped with a creamy basil and ricotta filling.

Top that all with beautiful slices of tomato and bake it to perfection. It’s a fantastic way to highlight those fresh flavors!

This time of year tomatoes are always at their best. They are also quite plentiful right now.

Our CSA is supplying us with gorgeous heirloom tomatoes each week. Plus we have our own garden to stay on top of.

 We only plant a few in our little raised beds, but they always go nuts. By the end of summer our freezers are full of sauce and we’re giving them away by the bagful.

But that’s not to say we don’t enjoy them, because we absolutely do! My husband loves putting a big thick slice of tomato on his sandwiches for lunch.

Little Dude and I eat the cherry tomatoes as fast as we can pick them and we enjoy them sliced and diced on almost anything. Plus I have been having fun baking with them as well.

Some folks on Facebook said they would like more savory puff pastry recipes to try. So I thought I’d make a fun puff pastry tart.

This is partially inspired by the flaky chanterelle mushroom tart I made a few years ago. Though this recipe is easier to make with store bought puff pastry instead of layers of phyllo dough.

Plus tomatoes are a lot easier to come by than chanterelles!

I knew we’d like the tomatoes baked into a tart after the success of the savory tomato pie last year. The flavors in that are more reminiscent of a classic southern style tomato sandwich and this has more of an Italian vibe.

I have to say it was absolutely fabulous. Luckily I have all of the ingredients to make another one this weekend!

Steps and Tips for Making a Delicious Tomato Tart

You are of course welcome to make your own puff pastry. I have never tried it, though I would like to some day.

You can get premade puff pastry in the freezer aisle by the frozen pie crusts or in the refrigerator section by the cinnamon rolls and pizza dough.

Puff pastry gets the most puff if it is cold. So work quickly to prepare it or stick it back in the refrigerator or freezer for a few minutes after it’s formed and docked. That will help you get the maximum number of flaky layers.

Be sure to drain your tomatoes on paper towels before you use them. Tomatoes have a lot of water in them, and you don’t want a soggy tart.

Feel free to play with the herbs. If you aren’t a huge basil fan, some thyme, parsley, chives and/or rosemary would be good. Mix and match to get your own custom flavor.

Garnish with the same herbs you use in the ricotta for an extra fresh flavor and appearance.

Serving suggestions

Cut into smaller squares for a fabulous summer appetizer.

You could even cut the puff pastry into smaller squares before baking and layering. Then you could have single serve tarts.

Serve a larger slice alongside a salad for a fun lunch or dinner option.

Thanks for sharing!