Quick Puff Pastry Tomato Tart

Overhead of a puff pastry tomato tart with prosciutto and basil on top, on baking paper and a wooden board with a knife.

4.50 from 2 votes

Quick Puff Pastry Tomato Tart

This is a simple but very delicious puff pastry tomato tart that's topped with ricotta, baby tomatoes, pesto & prosciutto. It's like a puff pastry pizza! Easy enough for a simple throw-together lunch, but impressive enough to serve to guests!

Prep Time10

Cook Time15

Total Time25

Course: appetizer or light meal

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: (with a side salad)

Author: Helen Schofield

Equipment

set of 3 baking trays with silicone handles

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

cups/ounces - grams/ml

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

Pastry: This recipe assumes that you are using a square sheet of puff pastry (about 9.5 x 9.5 inches). If your pastry is a different size, you can always adjust the amount of toppings up or down slightly. In any case the amount of toppings is just a rough estimate.

Variations:

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.

Storing: Perhaps surprisingly, this tart stays crisp and delicious when stored well covered in the fridge for up to a day. You can enjoy it cold for lunch (I enjoy it like this!), or you can reheat it until hot again. Try 8 to 10 minutes at 180C/350F in the oven or around half that time in an air fryer.

Nutrition