A simple and delicious tart is what makes a great light lunch, right? Our Tomato Puff Pastry tart is precisely that! Using only 5 ingredients and shop-bought ready-rolled puff pastry, this Tomato and Pesto Tart is a combination of carefully selected ingredients that are both widely available and inexpensive. Serve this tart with your favourite side salad for a filling and satisfying lunch!
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Why You Will Love This Tomato Tart Recipe
- 5 common ingredients are all you need to make this recipe.
- No equipment required: you only need a large baking sheet/ tray to bake this Tomato & Pesto Tart on.
- Inexpensive to make.
- This a perfect recipe for the warm season when summer tomatoes are abundant.
Ingredients and Substitutes
This Tomato Tart Only requires 5 ingredients, but it tastes a lot better than you might think. When Seb first tasted it, his exact words were: “When I saw it, I thought it’ll be just like tomatoes on some pastry, but it’s so much more!”. Here are all the things that make this tomato tart so special:
- ready-rolled puff pastry: one pack of store-bought puff pastry will serve 3-4 people if served with side salads. Or you can make your own homemade puff pastry – we highly recommend trying Sourdough Puff Pastry!
- red pesto: also known as sundried-tomato pesto makes a lovely spread for this tomato tart, but you can use basil pesto if you like.
- tomatoes: choose ripe meaty fresh tomatoes with fewer seeds (and therefore less liquid to make the pastry soggy).
- capers: drained and patted with a paper towel to remove extra moisture.
- cream cheese: like Philadelphia. It is also known as soft cheese in the UK. You don’t need to add anything to it – pesto, sharp capers and sweet tomatoes will make this tart extremely flavoursome. Cream cheese here acts as another texture (and it’s the creamy element in this recipe).
Additional Extras:
- Scatter some fresh basil on top of the tart just before serving. Other fresh herbs, like parsley, chives or fresh thyme, will work too.
- Grate some parmesan cheese on top for extra flavour – it’s a great addition.
- If you want to make this Tomato Tart dairy-free, replace the cream cheese with caramelised onions or chutney and use vegan pesto.
- Crumble 50g of feta cheese or goat cheese on top for a Mediterranean twist.
- Drizzle some balsamic glaze on top if you have any in your cupboards.
What Tomatoes To Use For Tomato Tart?
First of all, make sure to use ripe tomatoes. Unripe tomatoes are very firm and have tougher skins, so they will take a lot longer to cook and soften.
As for the type of tomato, choose the variety that is meatier and has fewer seeds, and in turn, lesser water content surrounding them. Too much water in tomatoes can result in your puff pastry becoming soggy whilst cooking in tomato steam. Some of the more common types of suitable tomatoes include:
- Heirloom Tomatoes
- Beef (beefsteak) Tomatoes
- Plum Tomatoes
You may choose to use baby plum or cherry tomatoes or even ripe salad tomatoes, but make sure to pat them with a sheet of paper towel to remove some of the moisture before topping the puff pastry.
Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C Fan. Unroll the pastry onto the sheet of parchment paper that it’s rolled in and place it onto a large baking sheet.
Using a sharp knife, score a 1cm border around the tart, making sure not to cut all the way through the pastry. If you wish, you can brush the pastry edges with some egg wash using a pastry brush – it will create a lovely golden brown colour around the edges of your puff pastry base.
Place the puff pastry sheet into the oven for 15 minutes.
Using the back of a spoon or a fish slice, press down the puffed-up middle of the baked pastry. Spread the pesto all over, avoiding the edge.
Arrange the tomato slices in a single layer (just slightly overlapping) and scatter the capers on top.
Dot the cream cheese all over (about ½ teaspoon per blob) and season with black pepper and flaky sea salt. Return the tomato tart to the oven for another 15-20 minutes.
Tips For Success
- Take your puff pastry dough out of the fridge (but not the plastic packaging) 15 minutes before you unroll it. The pastry will be too brittle to unroll when it’s cold, so give it some time to warm up.
- Do not skip pre-baking the pastry without toppings. If you add the pesto and tomatoes onto the unbaked puff pastry, you will end up with a very soggy tart, as the base won’t have time to cook and dry out and stew in tomato juice.
- Cut your juicy tomatoes into thin slices to ensure they soften within 15 minutes.
- If your pesto has oil separated on top, drain the oil first.
- Dab the tomato slices and capers with pieces of paper towels to remove extra moisture to prevent soggy bottom.
How To Store Tomato Puff Pastry Tart?
This tomato tart is best served hot straight out of the oven, whilst the pastry is crisp and the tomatoes are warm. But if you have some leftovers, cool the tart down to room temperature and store it in the fridge in airtight containers or a plate covered with clingfilm. for up to 24 hours. The tart will still taste nice cold, but the pastry will lose some crispiness. Place it in a preheated oven for a couple of minutes for the best results.
We do not recommend freezing this tart.
What To Serve With Tomato Puff Pastry Tart?
This tasty Tomato Tart with puff pastry is best served with one or two side salads. We particularly like pairing it with green salads, like Courgette Ribbon Salad or Persian Shirazi Salad, or a lovely Beetroot and Feta Salad. But if you fancy a warm side dish to go along with it, try Crispy Garlic Smashed Potatoes or Fried Tenderstem Broccoli with Garlic and Lemon (Garlic Broccolini).
Other Puff Pastry Tarts To Try
Flaky Puff Pastry Crust is one of our favourites when it comes to tarts and pies. If this rustic tomato tart doesn’t float your boat, try making some of our other delicious tart recipes below:
- Courgette Puff Pastry Tart With Feta
- Vegetarian Mushroom Tart with Crispy Leeks
- Beetroot And Feta Tart (coming soon)
Recipe Card
Recipe Card
5-Ingredient Tomato Puff Pastry Tart
Equipment
Ingredients
- 375 g ready-rolled puff pastry
- 3 tablespoon red pesto sundried-tomato pesto
- 400 g tomatoes thinly sliced
- 30 g capers drained
- 50 g cream cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C Fan. Unroll the pastry onto the baking paper that it's rolled in and place onto a large baking tray.
- Using a sharp knife, score a 1cm border around the tart, making sure not to cut all the way through the pastry.
- Place the pastry into the oven oven for 15 minutes.
- Using the back of a spoon or a fishslice, press down the puffed up middle of the baked pastry. Spread the pesto all over, avoiding the edge.
- Arrange the tomato slices and scatter the capers on top.
- Dot the cream cheese all over (about ½ teaspoon per blob) and return the tomato tart into the oven for another 15-20 minutes.
Nutrition
Tavo
I loved this tomato tart. The flavors were super sharp and pleasant. I had it for dinner, but I think it can make a perfect lunch or bite-size appetizer.
Ieva
Thanks, Tavo! 💗
Katherine
So simple, but so tasty! I love the burst of flavors from the capers.
Stephanie
What a beautiful tart! My daughter would really enjoy this one. I think I might surprise her with it and send it to school with her for lunch.
Ieva
Oh I love it when children are adventurous with their food! I don’t think I know anyone under 20 years old who enjoys capers (and I think they are missing out…)
Ned
Such a delightful savory pastry! My friends loved this recipe!
megane
Simple and absolutely delicious! This was perfect hot and cold in the lunch boxes throughout the week.
Ieva
That’s wonderful! We must enjoy it cold more often, but there’s never any left 😀
Sarah James
Your tomato tart was delicious. I loved how easy it was to make and the pesto and capers complimented the tomatoes. Thanks for sharing your recipe.
Ieva
You are most welcome, Sarah! I am so glad you liked it! 🙂