Description
This rustic courgette, pine nut, and ricotta tart is a delightful vegetarian dish featuring a flaky puff pastry base topped with a creamy ricotta and egg mixture, tender golden courgettes, toasted pine nuts, and fragrant basil. Perfect served warm or cold, it makes a versatile meal accompanied by a crisp green salad.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Tart:
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 4 courgettes, thinly sliced (try to use a mixture of different varieties if you can find them)
- 2 x 250g tubs ricotta
- 4 eggs
- Large handful basil leaves, shredded
- Grating of nutmeg
- 50g parmesan (or vegetarian alternative), grated
- 1 large garlic clove, crushed
- 500g block puff pastry
- Dash of flour, for dusting
- Large handful pine nuts
Optional for Serving:
- Crisp green salad
Instructions
- Prepare the Courgettes: Heat half the olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the thinly sliced courgettes and sizzle for 5 minutes until they are golden around the edges. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Make the Ricotta Mixture: In a mixing bowl, beat together the ricotta, eggs, shredded basil, a grating of nutmeg, half of the grated parmesan, and the crushed garlic until smooth and well combined. Set this mixture aside.
- Prepare the Pastry Base: Lightly dust your work surface with flour and roll out the puff pastry into a rough round shape, about 40cm in diameter. Transfer the rolled-out pastry onto a baking tray.
- Assemble the Tart: Spread the ricotta mixture evenly over the pastry, leaving a 4 cm border around the edges. Press the sautéed courgette slices gently into the ricotta filling. Sprinkle the large handful of pine nuts and the remaining grated parmesan evenly over the top.
- Form the Edges: Bring the sides of the pastry up over the edge of the ricotta mixture, pinching the pastry together to encase the filling and create a rustic edge.
- Bake the Tart: Preheat your oven to 200°C (180°C fan)/gas mark 6. Bake the tart for 30 minutes until the pastry is golden and puffed, and the filling is set and slightly puffed up.
- Serve: Allow the tart to cool slightly before slicing. Serve warm or cold with a crisp green salad for a refreshing complement.
Notes
- For variation, try roasting courgettes with thyme as a side dish.
- Use vegetarian parmesan to keep the recipe suitable for vegetarians.
- You can prepare the tart filling in advance to save time.
- Ensure the puff pastry is well chilled before rolling to aid crispiness.
- Store any leftovers covered in the fridge and consume within 2 days.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
Keywords: courgette tart, ricotta tart, pine nut tart, vegetarian tart, puff pastry tart, easy tart recipe, Mediterranean tart
