Puff pastry tarts are a great option for a quick and easy summer time (or any time!) lunch. I love this version stuffed with tasty ricotta, cherry tomatoes and chorizo. You can prepare them in advance, and they’re easily impressive enough to serve to guests.
Are you looking for an easy appetizer or light lunch idea that can be made in advance and served at room temperature? You’ve stopped by the right place, because puff pastry tarts are ideal!
Go-to light lunch ideas
My go-to easy but impressive lunch is this Spanish omelette, which I always enjoy making (hardly any ingredients, cook it long and slow, and there’s a delicious lunch!). But when you need more than one idea…
This tomato, pesto and ham tart is a firm family favourite that I’ve made dozens of times. It’s so easy to make, and doesn’t need to be served piping hot = bonus when you have guests!
But here I do something a little different. I take the cue from my friend Nagi of the wonderful blog Recipe Tin Eats and fold in two corners to make sort of turnover style tarts. Please do check out her cute Ham and Cheese Puffs, along with the rest of her blog (you won’t regret it, I promise you!).
How to make ricotta, tomato and chorizo puff pastry tarts
Simply cut a sheet of pastry up into roughly 5 inch squares (I got 6 out of my sheet). A little bigger or smaller than 5 inches is fine.
After this it’s ridiculously simple. Just spread a little ricotta down the centre of your pastry, and sprinkle the rest of the chopped toppings over the top, like this:
Pull up two of the edges, stick with a little beaten egg, and throw into the oven. Barely 15 minutes later you’ll have gorgeously-browned fresh pastries.
More puff pastry tart ideas
The basic idea of individual puff pastry tarts, or small hand pies if you prefer, is incredibly easy to adapt. Add just ham and cheese and a bit of mustard, or come up with your own creative ideas.
How about:
- goat’s cheese
- cooked pumpkin and prosciutto
- pear, feta and walnut
- chicken, cooked bacon
- mushroom and swiss cheese
- a pizza puff pastry tart: mozzarella, tomato, pepperoni and basil. Mmmm.
Let your imagination run wild!
These little puff pastry pies are indeed great for summer lunches, or how about making slightly smaller ones and serving them as cute little party pies for your next gathering?
How to freeze these puff pastry tarts
You can easily make these up ahead and then freeze them to bake later. Simply freeze them for about an hour on a baking tray, then wrap them individually in baking or grease proof paper and store them in a container or large plastic bag.
You can bake them straight from frozen. Bake at 210C/410F for 10 minutes, then turn the oven down to 180C/350F and bake for 15 more minutes.
How to reheat these puff pastry tarts
If you have leftovers, simply reheat for 5 to 10 minutes in the oven (180C/355F), or a few minutes in an air fryer (yes, this works really well!).
More puff pastry recipes
- Baby tomato, pesto and prosciutto tart
- Supermarket copycat pesto and cheese twists
- Asparagus brunch tart with parmesan and basil
- Sundried tomato, parmesan and rosemary palmiers
- Pear, feta and walnut puff pastry tarts (this one is a bit of a wildcard recipe, but some readers love it!)
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Ricotta, cherry tomato and chorizo puff pastry tarts
Ingredients (UK/Australia? Click below for grams/ml)
- 2 ready-made puff pastry sheets cut into roughly 5 inch squares
- 9 ounces ricotta cheese (about 1 tub)
- 1 jar red pesto
- cherry tomatoes about 2 per pastry, cut into 3 slices each
- 2.5 ounces chorizo peeled and cut into small cubes
- a small amount of frozen spinach defrosted and with water squeezed out well
- 1 egg whisked
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 180C/350F.
- Spread a heaped teaspoon ricotta diagonally down the centre of each pastry square.
- Dot a little pesto over the top of the ricotta, then scatter over the tomato slices, chorizo cubes, and spinach.
- Fold opposite corners of the pastry over the filling (see pictures above), sticking down with a little whisked egg.
- Brush the tops of the pastries with egg, then lay on a baking sheet. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until golden and puffed up.
- Serve warm or at room temperature with a nice crisp salad.
Lucia says
Hello, I’m making these today although I only have one ready rolled puff sheet. I wanted to ask – does the chorizo crisp up inside the pastry? If not, could I cook the chorizo first to crisp it up and then put it inside the pastry? Also, I have a small amount of leftover goats cheese – would it be ok to stick it in there too? Thanks a lot.
Helen says
Hi Lucia! I’m so glad you’re going to make these and I hope you enjoy them! You don’t need to pre-cook the chorizo – just chop up the sausage into small pieces and it will cook a little in the oven. I don’t think it gets crispy exactly but it is delicious. If you crisped it first I’d be a bit worried the bits not enclosed by pastry might burn. As for the goat’s cheese – definitely! These tarts are very flexible so really you can add anything you want. Enjoy!
Steve says
Made these today while in Covid19 lockdown. I was fortunate to find most of the ingredients needed.
Really good, though I needed to cook for a few minutes longer than suggested in order to make nicely golden-brown. Next time will probably go for cheese and bacon, maybe add some mushroom slices.
Helen says
Hi Steve, thanks so much for taking the time to report back. It’s a while since I’ve made these – you’re making me crave them again! Glad you enjoyed them! Have you tried some of my other recipes with puff pastry (just in case you have any left!)? There’s a really delicious tomato and prosciutto tart and some cheese twists. Careful though – the cheese twists are a bit addictive!
Denise | Sweet Peas & Saffron says
These look SO delicious, Helen! I love love love puff pastry, and with all of the fresh cherry tomatoes around these days, this looks like the perfect lunch or appetizer!
Helen says
Thanks, Denise! I’m such a fan of cherry tomatoes!
Eva says
J’imagine bien que Mel devait être très satisfaite avec son repas. En tout cas, moi j’aurais apprécie beaucoup. J’adore tous les ingrédients que tu as mis dedans. Belle journée Helen.
Helen says
Merci, Eva, et belle journee a toi aussi! 🙂
Marissa says
Oh man, I’ll take two. No, three! 🙂 Puff pastry is so often used in sweet treats, nice to see a savory version. And the flavors you’ve chosen for these are exactly the kind of thing I love to eat. I bet they pack a flavor punch…
Helen says
Thanks, Marissa! I love making savoury things with puff pastry – it’s always so easy. 🙂
Kathleen | Hapa Nom Nom says
These look SO freakin’ good, Helen! I love how simple they are to make, but they make for quite a lovely presentation! Would it be too piggish of me to eat the entire tray? And that filling,hello… chorizo??? Love it!
Helen says
Nah, go on Kathleen – grab the lot!
Meggan | Culinary Hill says
These flavors!!! AHHH!!! I love it all, and I want them all. I haven’t tried red pesto before, but that sounds pretty incredible! Gloriousness going on right here. 🙂
Helen says
Really – red pesto isn’t ‘a thing’ over there? I didn’t know that. It’s just pesto with sundried tomatoes. 🙂
Samina - The Cupcake Confession says
Helen, please invite me !!!! These pastries look SO GOOD! I’m just sitting here and salivating because that’s probably all I can do! We don’t get pre-made puff pastry here! So, till I can find one or get the courage to make it from scratch I’m just going to sit here and drool over these! I love how easy they are to make and take minimal effort with maximum taste! So perfect for entertaining, especially since summer is at its peak and the heat is unbearable!
Helen says
Hi Samina! So sorry you can’t get puff pastry. I know what that’s like, when you can’t get a lot of things you’d like to, from when I lived in Greece. Maybe you’d have some luck at a foreign supermarket? Or, to be honest, you could just try these with another type of pastry that’s easier to make…. just shortcrust maybe! Why not?
Hope you get some relief from the heat soon. I’ll swap you with our weather for a while if you like! 🙂
Liz says
Now that is some outstanding puff pastry! And these tarts are perfect with summer tomatoes! So yummy!
Helen says
Hi Liz! And thank you! 🙂
[email protected] says
I love a good savory puff pastry tart and the chorizo must bring so much flavor. Great recipe.
Helen says
Thanks, Janette! I agree – I think the chorizo makes this recipe.
Chrissy says
This really does contain all of the best things!
Helen says
Glad you think so, Chrissy!
[email protected] says
Your puff pastry looks SO MUCH BETTER than what I can get!!! So flaky, ridiculously so 🙂 I love these Helen, YUM, totally my type of food. And thank you for the mention!!! <3 N x
Helen says
Really? Actually, I think it might have been the oven I used that made the pastry puff up so much…. my mum’s. So much better than mine!