These easy tomato tarts are made with garden fresh herbs, summer tomatoes, soft cheese, and golden puff pastry.
Are you gardening this year?
I started an in-ground garden for the first time ever, and have been watching it excitedly (and nervously) all spring.
If you're a container garden fan-- don't worry-- I still have one of those too!
But-- happily-- having a little extra gardening space this year opens up a whole world of possibilities. Especially when it comes to tomatoes.
In the past, I was limited to small-statured, container-friendly tomatoes.
But no more!!!
This year, I started growing black cherry tomatoes and San Marzano tomatoes from seed, and I've been happily watching the little guys grow and grow.
As my tomato plants get bigger, I've been brainstorming all the ways I plan to use them.
And one of my favorite ideas is-- you guessed it-- this easy tomato tart!
Make one large tart, or several small tarts, and enjoy your summer tomatoes along with buttery puff pastry, a little cheese, and fresh herbs.
Want to see more savory puff pastry ideas? Check out these recipes: salmon Wellington, seafood pot pies, and Brie en croûte.
What Kind of Cheese Should I Use for a Tomato Tart?
Any type of soft, mild cheese will work well.
I love making this tomato tart with Brie, goat cheese, feta, mozzarella, and Boursin.
Pick your favorite cheese, use whatever you have on hand-- or mix and match!
Can I Use Pre-Shredded or Pre-Crumbled Cheese?
I don't recommend it, no, because it won't melt as evenly.
Pre-crumbled or pre-shredded cheese also tends to have less moisture, making it more likely to burn than freshly grated, sliced, or torn cheese.
If you decide to use shredded cheese anyway-- make sure to keep an eye on your tarts as they cook, and pull them out if the cheese starts to burn.
How to Make Tomato Tarts
Start by rolling out your puff pastry. You can either make one large tart (leaving the sheet uncut), or cut the puff pastry into six even squares.
Use a butter knife to make a shallow border along the edges of the pastry. Don't cut all the way through.
Add the cheese and then the tomatoes.
Brush the pastry edges with an egg wash, and then bake until golden!
How to Serve Tomato Tarts
Eat this savory tomato tart while it's still warm, topped with some torn fresh basil.
I like to enjoy these along with a tall glass of lavender lemonade. Finish your meal with some icy cold berry granita, and enjoy the long, full days of summer.
Tomato Tarts
Ingredients
- 1 sheet puff pastry
- 8 ounces soft cheese, such as Brie, mozzarella, goat, or feta Avoid pre-shredded or pre-crumbled cheese
- 1 pound tomatoes (~3 medium, or ~1 pint smaller tomatoes), any variety See Recipe Notes for extra-juicy tomatoes
- 1 egg (optional)
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 3 sprigs fresh basil, removed from stem + torn into pieces
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F.
Prepare cheese:
- If using Brie, thinly slice the cheese. For goat cheese or feta, use a fork to flake the cheese apart. For mozzarella, flake with a fork or tear into small pieces with your hands.
Prepare tomatoes:
- Halve grape tomatoes, quarter cherry tomatoes, and/or thickly slice larger tomatoes.
Prepare puff pastry:
- Roll out the puff pastry on the included sheet of parchment paper.Note: This recipe was written for refrigerated puff pastry. If using frozen puff pastry, thaw before using, rolled out to ¼" thickness, and work on a floured surface instead of parchment paper.
- If desired, cut pastry into 6 even rectangles. Alternatively, leave the sheet whole and make one large tart.
- Move the parchment paper and pastry onto a baking sheet.
- Use a butter knife to make a shallow indentation on the pastry (or pastries), creating a ½" border along the edges. Do not cut all the way through the pastry!Tip: If you accidentally cut all the way through the pastry dough while making the border, use your finger to add a few drops of water to the cut area of the dough. Rub the dough to seal it back up.
- Arrange the cheese in a single layer on the dough, covering everything except the ½" border.
- Top the cheese with the tomatoes.
- Whisk the egg in a small bowl, add a splash of water, and carefully brush the egg wash onto the top outer edge of the pastry (the ½" border). Take care to only brush the TOP of the pastry-- if the egg wash drips onto the side, it will seal the puff and prevent it from rising.Tip: An egg wash makes the pastry extra glossy when baking. It's totally optional.
Bake + Serve:
- Bake for 15 - 20 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the pastry is golden. Cool for about 5 minutes on a cooling rack, and then top with sea salt and basil.
- Serve while still warm.Best served immediately, but leftovers can be served cool (like cold pizza) or reheated in the oven for a 3-5 minutes. Store for up to 2 days.
Julia says
Absolute summer perfection! I love when you can make a delicious summer meal without spending a lot of time in the kitchen. These tarts are absolutely Perfect, pair with some salad and there’s a delicious lunch or dinner. Yum!
Sarah says
Thank you Julia!!!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food says
Super excited about our little garden...we just planted some more herbs this past weekend. Haven't tried tomatoes yet, but would love to. Puff pastry is so convenient and this looks like a DELICIOUS recipe! So perfect for summer. I could pretty much make a meal out of just this 🙂
Sarah says
If you don’t plant them, you can always buy them at the farmers market and use your herbs to top these off!! Enjoy!!
Christine says
I'm completely with you. If I bake AT ALL it's definitely on a whim. Refrigerated puff pastry is genius. Also jealous that you're growing your own San Marzano tomatoes. Can I come over?
Sarah says
Come on over!!
Melissa says
Looks delicious! Can't wait for fresh tomatoes from the garden to try this!
Mary Ann says
Can ricotta be used or is it too wet?
Sarah says
I haven’t tried them with ricotta! I feel like it might be too wet. You could try straining it in a mesh sieve for 30 min before you cook and that should help!
Ellie says
So first of all, I rarely leave reviews but I spent some time going back and forth with this recipe so I thought others could benefit from what I learned. I used Pepperidge Farm frozen puff pastry, herbed goat cheese, and four large cherry tomatoes from our garden. I’ve never dealt with puff pastry before and was a bit intimidated, but I pushed forward. I thawed one sheet (the package came with two), cut it into 6 pieces (using the fold lines as guidelines), placed them on parchment in the fridge to keep them cold (no flour or rolling the dough out). Prepped the rest of the stuff. Then took out them back out. Brushed the top of the dough with egg wash, topped with herbed goat cheese (I used 5 oz for the six tarts), then the tomatoes. Realized I never indented the 1/2 inch edge, so just kinda marked around the tomato/cheese area with the handle of a fork. 425 for 15 minutes would have been perfect but I was scared and cooked them an extra three minutes which dried out the dough on some of them. I didn’t add fresh herbs or anything, but sprinkled with salt. Super good and SO easy! Thanks for the recipe- so many others are much more complicated!
Sarah says
Yay!!! I’m so happy that you loved it! 💕 thanks for letting me know!!
Jacob Thomas says
This is just what I was looking for in terms of a simple tomato tart recipe. I lived in Europe for 8 years and always was so happy to be able to just go to the market and get puff pastry in the refrigerator section whenever I needed. Now back in the states, no such luck. I'll have to look for this brand, but in the interim, I've made my own rough puff pastry and will be making this recipe later tonight. Thanks for this recipe!
Sarah Trenalone says
Aw thank you so much for the kind words Jacob! I hope you enjoy your tarts 💕