Tomato Tart Recipe Is Full of Fresh Flavor and Ready in 30 Minutes

Tomato season makes my weekly farmer’s market runs much more exciting. Ripe tomatoes in all of their sweet and juicy glory are hard to pass up. (Also, living in the Garden State gives me access to the tastiest pick — the Jersey tomato!) If you’re like me and often find yourself with an abundance of tomatoes, turning them into a savory tart is the way to go. Tomato tart is delicious and simple to make using puff pastry for a low-effort, high-reward flaky crust. Keep reading for tips on preparing a tomato tart that’s sweet, savory and bursting with seasonal goodness!

Why tomato tart is the perfect summertime treat

While tomatoes are sold year-round, they hit their flavor peak during the summer months. When in season, varieties such as Jersey, heirloom and cherry tomatoes offer an irresistible sweet yet tart taste. This makes them ideal for baking into a tart as they’ll soften in the oven and their flavor will intensify. It’s also a quick dish that bakes in 15 minutes — especially when you use a convenient ready-made crust. (Our story on grated tomato pasta offers another yummy way to enjoy this season’s best tomatoes.)

Easy shortcut for flaky tomato tart

Making a butter crust from scratch is time-consuming and involves getting your hands dirty. Not to mention, you often need to partially bake (or “blind bake”) the crust so it doesn’t become soggy once filled. The good news: Store-bought puff pastry eliminates all of those baking woes and requires less prep. In fact, all you need to do is thaw a pastry sheet until it’s pliable and roll so it fits the baking pan. Then, the crust is ready to fill and bake. This pastry’s layers of butter and dough allow it to rise and puff up during baking. What you’ll end up with is a golden brown and flaky crust that makes your savory tart more appetizing.

How to make a tomato tart

This Tomato Tart recipe from our test kitchen combines tomatoes with ham and feta cheese for a hearty baked treat. While this recipe calls for cherry and/or grape tomatoes, you can chop any variety into small pieces. Also, it’s a great recipe for using mushy tomatoes so they don’t go to waste!

Tomato Tart

Perfect for a light supper, you can also cut our tart into small squares for an appetizer.

Ingredients:

1 sheet (half of 17.3 oz.) pkg. frozen puff pastry dough, thawed
5 cups cherry and/or grape tomatoes, halved
4 oz. ham steak, cut into ¼-inch-thick strips
1 Tbs. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ tsp. salt
½ cup crumbled feta cheese
Freshly ground pepper
¼ cup fresh basil leaves

Directions:

Active: 20 mins
Total time: 30 mins
Yield: 4 servings

Heat oven to 425°F. Coat baking sheet with cooking spray. On lightly floured surface, unroll dough; roll out into 12-inch rectangle. Using knife, lightly score a 1-inch border around entire edge; prick center all over with fork. Transfer to pan. Bake until lightly browned, about 15 minutes. If center puffed up too much, press down with fork.
In large bowl, toss tomatoes with ham, oil, garlic and salt until well combined; evenly spread mixture over crust within border. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake tart until tomatoes soften, about 15 minutes. Cool slightly before serving. Sprinkle with pepper and basil.