Quick Puff Pastry Tomato Tart
on May 23, 2024
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This 30-minute puff pastry tomato tart is no fuss, but colorful, tasty, and impressive. All you need is store-bought puff pastry, creamy ricotta cheese, pesto, and a few other simple ingredients. Add prosciutto for a delicious extra burst of flavor.
Reasons to love it
If you’ve never made a puff pastry savory tart, you’re missing out on one of life’s easy entertaining secrets.
As well as being cute, they’re:
- super quick and easy to make. And virtually impossible to mess up. Along with an ‘impossible’ quiche, they’re my favorite choice for a simple but impressive brunch or lunch for guests.
- made with store-bought puff pastry. So convenient!
- a crowd pleaser. The mixture of creamy, subtly lemony ricotta, juicy tomatoes, fragrant pesto and tasty prosciutto is a winner with most people.
- quite versatile. Serve squares of puff pastry tomato tart as an easy appetizer, pack them cold in lunch boxes, or serve them as a simple meal for yourselves or guests.
- easy to vary depending on what you have or what you like. Don’t have ricotta? Just spread with cream cheese or pesto. Vegetarian? Just leave off the prosciutto!
About the ingredients
You’ll find a full list of ingredients with amounts in the recipe card below. But here’s a summary of what you need to know.
The secret to the success of this tomato puff pastry tart is just a few very fresh, very basic, but very tasty ingredients.
Puff pastry: Use a sheet of frozen (or fresh – it doesn’t matter!) store-bought puff pastry. If available, I recommend pastry made with butter.
Ricotta cheese: I usually get ‘smooth’ ricotta cheese, but really any type of ricotta that’s spreadable will be fine. It’s usually in a tub in the cheese aisle.
If you can’t find ricotta, it’s possible to use cream cheese or even a soft, creamy feta cheese instead.
Lemon zest: To stir into the ricotta for a subtle lemony flavor.
Salt and pepper: To season the ricotta cheese. Personally, I don’t go overboard on the salt, since the prosciutto is already quite salty, but I like plenty of pepper.
Pesto: Either regular or tomato pesto works very well (choose nut free if necessary).
Cherry tomatoes: Or any small tomatoes. I like the multi-colored ones, sometimes called heirloom tomatoes or rainbow tomatoes.
You can even use sundried tomatoes instead of fresh, but add them at the same time as the prosciutto – otherwise they’ll burn.
Prosciutto: This is Italian dry-cured ham. It’s rich, delicate and very tasty. Good substitutes would be serrano ham, which is the Spanish equivalent, or even a good quality regular ham.
Or you can easily make the tart vegetarian by just skipping the meat altogether.
Olive oil: I like to drizzle just a little over the prosciutto and the rest of the tomato tart for extra moisture and flavor while it finishes cooking.
Fresh basil: This is the cherry on the cake, as much for the way it looks as for the fresh flavor! We all know tomatoes and basil are a match made in heaven, but if you don’t have it, feel free to use parsley or another fresh herb instead.
So that’s just 7 ingredients, if you don’t count the olive oil and salt and pepper 😉
Got leftover ricotta? Use it to make this delicious 20-minute prosciutto pasta! How about pesto? Make 15-minute stove top chicken with pesto parmesan sauce or this amazing Italian toasted veggie sandwich.
How to make a puff pastry tomato tart
Firstly, pre-heat the oven. Then lay the pastry on a lined baking sheet.
Score a border around the edges with a knife and bake for 5 to 10 minutes, until the pastry is part-baked and it’s started to ‘puff up’.
Then push down the part inside the area you scored with the back of a spoon! It may not be as puffed up as in the photo below, which is fine.
Like this …
Then spread the mixture of ricotta and lemon zest over the middle part of the pastry that you’ve pushed down.
Spoon the pesto evenly on top, and scatter over the halved tomatoes.
Then bake for another 10 minutes.
Finally, add the prosciutto and drizzle over a little olive oil. Bake for a final 5 minutes.
The final touch is to scatter over fresh basil and drizzle over more extra virgin olive oil, if you like. Look how beautiful it is!
Helen’s Top Tips
- Use chilled pastry. Defrost the pastry sheet in the fridge, if using frozen, to keep it cool. If the pastry gets too warm, it can stop it from ‘puffing up’ as much.
- Just lightly score the pastry. Be careful not to score all the way through.
- Cover leftovers and store in the fridge for up to a day. Reheat for 8 to 10 minutes at 180C/350F in the oven or around half that time in an air fryer until hot again. Or enjoy cold (works great in lunch boxes!).
Serving ideas
For a light brunch or lunch, serve up to 4 people with a salad of your choice. Greek lettuce salad (maroulosalata) is a good choice since it’s fresh, simple and tasty.
To serve as part of a bigger meal, I would add diced potatoes or cold Greek potato salad with its delicious herby lemon dressing. The cherry on top would be a serving of this 5-minute Greek yogurt dip.
You can even serve a savory puff pastry tart such as this as an appetizer or side dish.
Recipe FAQs
It’s best to assemble and bake the tart just before serving, but to get ahead I suggest preparing all the ingredients and storing them in the fridge. You can prepare the ricotta mixture, for example, wash the basil, and chop the tomatoes.
I find it really is best to pre-bake the crust for 5 to 10 minutes before adding the toppings. It just makes sure the pastry is properly cooked through by the time everything else is cooked, and doesn’t get soggy.
Yes, of course, although it’s best to stick to either quick-cooking vegetables or use ready-cooked. For example, you could add cooked roasted vegetables, chopped asparagus (no need to pre-cook this), cooked mushrooms, caramelized onions, and even leftover cooked meats that can stand 10 minutes in the oven, such as chorizo or leftover sausage.
More puff pastry recipes
- This creamy chicken leek pie is a lighter version of a comfort food classic. Everyone will love it!
- Supermarket copycat pesto and cheese twists – so easy, and perfect for afternoon snacks.
- Asparagus brunch tart with parmesan and basil. Weekend brunch, anyone?
- Sundried tomato, parmesan and rosemary palmiers. Party food central!
- Pear, feta and walnut puff pastry tarts (this one is a bit of a wildcard recipe, but some readers love it!)
Quick Puff Pastry Tomato Tart
Ingredients
- 1 sheet puff pastry, de-frosted if frozen, but still chilled
- ⅔ cup ricotta cheese
- 1 lemon, zest only
- salt & pepper, to taste
- 3 tbsp pesto,
- 7 ounces cherry tomatoes, halved
- 2 ounces prosciutto, (or serrano ham) torn into pieces
- fresh basil
- 1 tbsp olive oil, for drizzling
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 390F/200C.
- Place the pastry on a large baking tray lined with baking paper. Score all around the edge with a knife, leaving a border of about 1.5 cm (make sure you don’t cut all the way through the pastry).1 sheet puff pastry
- Combine the ricotta cheese with the lemon zest and a little freshly ground salt and pepper in a small bowl. Put aside.⅔ cup ricotta cheese, 1 lemon, salt & pepper
- Bake the pastry for 5 to 10 minutes, or until the pastry has started to brown and puff up. Then remove from the oven and push the centre of the tart down with the back of a spoon (leave the rim of the tart puffed up).
- Now spread the ricotta mixture over the tart, then add small spoonfuls of pesto and the tomatoes (cut side up is nice).3 tbsp pesto, 7 ounces cherry tomatoes
- Bake for another 10 minutes, then add the prosciutto. Drizzle over a little olive oil and cook for another 5 minutes until the tart is golden and puffy and the edges of the meat have started to crisp.2 ounces prosciutto, 1 tbsp olive oil
- Finally, sprinkle the finished tart with fresh basil leaves and drizzle with a little extra olive oil, if you like. Serve when hot or at room temperature.fresh basil
Notes
- Use cream cheese instead of ricotta cheese.
- Use ordinary ham instead of prosciutto.
- Use sundried tomatoes instead of fresh tomatoes (but don’t add them until the last 5 minutes or they’ll burn).
- Add leftover cooked chopped sausage, roasted vegetables, raw chopped asparagus, or cooked mushrooms and/or caramelized onions for a tasty variation.
I could use a siesta about every day — I swear I feel so much better if I get a “power nap” in. It’s rare, but once in a blue moon it’ll happen. 🙂 This tart looks delicious, and I love all the fresh tomatoes! What a delicious combination. Pinning.
Thanks so much for pinning, Marcie! I guess it’s much easier to have ‘power naps’ if you don’t have children 😉
I’m a terrible napper too! I wake up extremely grumpy, hungry and in need of a shower. However I’d be all over this tart should I wake up from a nap! 😛
I’m glad this tart would have the power to rouse you from a good nap, Lorraine!
This tart looks lovely and colourful! I love pesto and tomato combination.. beautiful tart!! 🙂
Thanks so much, Arpita!
These tarts are absolutely adorable Helen! Love the pesto and baby tomatoes!
Thanks, Jess! Glad you like it! 🙂
Oh I am not a napper! Most of the time I wake up groggy and more tired than before the nap. A cup of coffee is usually my go-to for the afternoon slump. Now for this tart – wow! Helen this looks amazing. I love how the crust is simple and anything topped with prosciutto is a winner in my book. Pinning!
Thanks so much for the pin, Alyssa! As I was researching ‘naps’ I read that a good idea is to have a cup of coffee and then go for a nap – that way you wake up totally alert and raring to go again … aparently. Well, it might be worth a try! 🙂
Je suis un peu comme toi, impossible de me laisser aller, même quand je suis très fatiguée, je lute contre le sommeil mais parfois je fais la sieste original, celle de 20 minutes! Elle est très bien.
J’aime beaucoup ta tarte, elle a tout ce que j’aime! elle a un petit air méditerranéen ! Belles photos 😉
Merci beaucoup, Eva! Tu as raison que la tarte a un air mediterraneen! Je crois que la mediterranee doit etre dans mon sang maintenant! 🙂
Impressive but easy! The best kind of lunch…especially with all those fresh veggies…mm
Hi, Phoebe! So glad you like this … the fact that it’s impressive but easy is exactly why I like it. 🙂
Beauty of a tart Helen, love the idea of naps, just can’t seem to take them, but now sleeping in, that’s my new thing, and I love it!
Ooh, sleeping in! That’s what I like to do too, but I never seem to these days … hubby gets up too early!
I never used to be a napper, but I really got into them when I went to college. To this day, I love napping and could probably take one everyday if I was able to. On another note, This tart looks amazing! Puff pastry is so good and I’m sure the pesto, tomato, and prosciutto taste awesome on it 🙂
Me too! I tend to only have them at weekends … especially Sundays … but every day I’m tempted to!
That is one tasty tart! Being preggers, I shamelessly nap almost every afternoon, for anywhere from 1-3 hours depending on the day. It definitely allows me to party late in to the night… to the tune of 9pm or 10pm. 🙂 I’m just lucky that my little guy Calvin still takes long naps, even longer ones if I tuck him into my bed with me for snuggle time. But back to the tart! Once again, just like your last post with the smoked salmon, you pick just a few of the tastiest ingredients around and put them together. The results are delicious yet elegant, understated, and gorgeous. Bravo, Helen!
Aw, Meggan, I take all that as a HUGE compliment … thank you for the sweet comment! If I had a ‘testimonials’ section on my blog, this would definitely be on it! 🙂
I think your 3-hour naps sound wonderful, and of course you have the perfect excuse at the moment (hope you’re doing well, by the way). The problem might be stopping the naps after your baby is born!!
Those nano naps on public transport sure can be revitalizing – sometimes I have felt more revved up from a “nano” nap than a full 90 minute snooze!
Helen I am so loving your ricotta, lemon and pesto base! This tart looks so elegant!
All this nap talk has me yawning my head off right now…
Hehe … I felt tired too when writing this, Shashi! Sorry about that … 😉
I totally agree that the nano-naps can be really revitalizing. They’re a problem on the underground train in London, though. It’s not uncommon to see people dribbling on strangers’ shoulders because they’ve fallen asleep. 🙂
This tart looks heavenly. I need to try these ASAP. Thanks for sharing 😉
Thanks, Olivia! So glad you appreciate it!
This tart seriously looks outstanding!
Thanks so much, Jocelyn!
I use to take naps and love them and having kids messed that up. Your senses are so vibrant that you are so longer able to take that siesta, so so sad!
At least I have a new tart recipe to try – and I feel like I finally have permission to just go out and buy a puff pastry, something I’ve never allowed myself to do thinking I should be able to make it myself!! I think I even tried a spin on this recipe myself several years ago but seem to remember it bombed! My fault. Will have to try again, wish I could just goggle down yours =)
Hi, Laura! I know what you mean about feeling like you have to make your own pastry, but as far as I know puff pastry is pretty fiddly to make for yourself so I have no guilty conscience about using store bought at all. I really hope you do give this another go … honestly, it was so so easy and yet tasted wonderful.
I never knew there were so many different kinds of naps! I’m not a napper at all. My husband can take a 20 minute power nap, but for me, I need at least an hour or two…otherwise I wake up crabby! 🙂 This tart looks gorgeous, Helen! I love the pesto and prosciutto combination.These flavors are right up my alley!
So glad you like the tart, Gayle! I love the idea of your hour or two long naps. Well, why not if you have the time? 🙂
I am really not great at napping unless I’m really sleep-deprived. I used to be good at it in college, but now not so much.
Love this tart! The toppings sound crazy awesome.
It’s hard to nap when there’s always so much to do, isn’t it? But I definitely don’t feel guilty about it any more 😉
Glad you like my humble little tart!!
Helen, this tart. It’s magical. I LOVE PUFF PASTRY! And the pesto addition would be insane. This is so sophisticated, I really should whip this up next time I have friends over. What a gorgeous recipe!
As for naps, I love a little 30 minute nap when I can, but I generally never get time for one. I think I need to schedule one in for today 😉
So glad to have inspired you to at least think about having a nap today, Allison! 😉
I’m also very happy that you feel tempted to try making this for friends. I’m sure you could come up with a wonderful vegan variation on it, too!
This sounds so good, and really easy to make. Perfect for if you have guests over.
It really is perfect for a lunch for guests, in my opinion. So glad you like it, Dannii!
I always have a pack of this pastry in the freezer as I often make similar tarts using basil, tomatoes and local cheese or feta and red onion. I’m always looking for new variations and this one looks and sounds scrummy! Interesting about taking naps. I’ve never been a napper but maybe I should try!
Yes, try taking some naps!! You’ll never look back 😉
I like the idea of adding red onion and feta to a tart like this. I’ll have to try that!
This looks so delicious! Pesto in a tart would be so good 🙂
Thanks, Lilli! It was pretty delicious and I’ll definitely be making it again 🙂