Delicious and easy tomato ricotta tart, starts with store-bought puff pastry, with caramelized onions, a bit of Pecorino cheese and lovely tomatoes on top.
It’s just so hard to beat that easy, buttery, flaky, always in my freezer stuff. This past weekend, I made Easy Strawberry Pot Pie with it. With the sheet that was leftover, this Tomato Ricotta Tart was born.
If you’ve come home from the Farmer’s Market with some beautiful Summer tomatoes, this tart is a very worthy destination for them. This tart is also a great Summer meatless meal, served with a simple salad.
I started my tart with some heirloom tomatoes. Underneath, a sprinkling of Pecorino cheese, dollops of ricotta cheese and a base of caramelized onions and garlic. It all sits on top of a sheet of easy, store-bought puff pastry.
This one comes together quickly and needs only 25-30 minutes in the oven. The only part you’ll want to take your time with is cooking the onions, to be sure they’re beautifully caramelized. You can do this part ahead if you like!
Enjoy this tart warm or at room temperature.
Ingredients and substitutions
Tomatoes: Use the nicest tomatoes you can find, whatever the time of year. If it’s Summer, look for perfectly ripe and juicy field-ripened tomatoes. Heirloom are nice if you can find them and add some extra colour to this tart. In the Winter months, I usually reach for Roma or plum tomatoes, which seem to have the nicest flavour that time of year.
Puff Pastry: Look for the pre-rolled sheets of frozen puff pastry, as they are just so much easier to use it a tart like this. They also thaw a lot more quickly. If you only have a frozen block puff pastry, simply roll one block into a 9 or 10-inch square.
Onion: I typically use just regular old yellow cooking onions here. If you only have red onion around, that will do just fine.
Garlic: Note that the garlic here is sliced instead of minced. The thicker slices are not only easy, but the bigger pieces won’t burn and become bitter while cooking along with the onion.
Ricotta Cheese: I always use full-fat dairy products, so I haven’t tested this one with a lower-fat version. They may be a little looser than full fat, but other than that, should work here. If you have an option, go for the firm ricotta, otherwise, use what you have.
Pecorino: Pecorino has such a salty and tangy lovely flavour, which is a great foil for the tomatoes. It’s also a nice change from the usual Parmesan. That said, if you just have Parmesan on hand, that will work. Maybe use a touch more.
Basil: Basil and tomatoes were meant to be together! While fresh it best, even if you only have dried, go ahead and sprinkle some on the tomatoes, to enjoy the lovely flavour. If using fresh basil, hold off sprinkling it on top until the tart has cooled slightly, as basil will turn black when it comes in contact with hot food.
Salt and Pepper: The seasoning is what brings all these lovely flavours together, so don’t skimp. I like to season each part of this tart, so I season the onions as they cook. I season the ricotta after I drop it on and then finally, I season the tomatoes before baking.
Recipe tips!
- Do note that you want to heat your baking pan in the oven as the oven preheats. Placing the tart on a hot pan will help to ensure that your tart has a firm and crispy bottom :)
- Taking the time to cook the onions until they are caramelized, adds a ton of extra flavour and really takes this easy tart over the top in the deliciousness department. It’s worth the extra time.
- My method for caramelizing onions, is to cook in a bit of oil until they soften and start to colour. I then add a splash of water (about a tablespoon), stir and cook some more. Then another splash of water and a pinch of sugar. The bit of water loosens up the golden bits in the pan and helps to bring that flavour into the onions. Repeat as needed with water until the onions are lovely and brown.
- Be sure to cool the onions and garlic before placing on the puff pastry, to avoid the heat from softening the pastry. This is easiest if you remove them from the pan to a (cool) plate once they are ready. They’ll be cool enough to use in 5-10 minutes.
- A drizzle of balsamic glaze over-top would never be out of place with this tart, if you’d like or maybe a balsamic vinaigrette with a side salad.
Making ahead, storing and freezing
This tart is lovely served warm or at room temperature. Leftovers will keep in the fridge, though the puff pastry will soften as it sits, especially with the tomato topping. If you want to enjoy the leftovers warm, pop onto a baking sheet and place in a 350F oven for 5-10 minutes. That should re-crisp it up a bit.
Freezing isn’t recommended for this tart.
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Get the Recipe: Easy Tomato Ricotta Tart
Ingredients
- 1 sheet all-butter puff pastry, thawed
- 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- 1 small onion, sliced
- 1 clove garlic, sliced
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- 1/4 cup Pecorino cheese, grated, packed or Parmesan
- 3 large tomatoes, sliced, about 9 slices
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- Fresh basil, sliced, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F (not fan assisted) and place a baking sheet in the oven to warm while the oven heats up.
- Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the sliced onion and garlic and cook, stirring regularly, until the onion softens and begins to colour. Add about 1 Tbsp water to the pan and stir. Allow to cook, stirring regularly and adding a splash more water as needed, along with a pinch of sugar, until the onions are caramelized. Remove caramelized onions to a clean plate to cool 5-10 minutes before proceeding.
- Place thawed puff pastry sheet on a sheet of parchment paper. Scatter caramelized onions and garlic evenly over pastry, leaving about 1/2-3/4 inches of the edges bare. Spoon dollops of ricotta cheese overtop and then season ricotta lightly with salt and pepper. Sprinkle evenly with Pecorino cheese. Top with tomato slices, covering the top, overlapping just slightly (about 9 slices). Season tomatoes with salt and pepper then drizzle lightly with a bit more olive oil.
- Remove hot baking sheet from oven. Carefully transfer tart, on parchment, onto the hot baking sheet. Place into the 400F oven and bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and carefully pull the parchment paper out from under the tart. Return to the oven and bake another 3-5 minutes, or until the underside and edges are golden.
- Remove from oven and allow to stand 5-10 minutes. Scatter sliced fresh basil over-top. Slice and enjoy!
Notes
More tomato recipes to love!
Hi! I’m Jennifer, a home cook schooled by trial and error and almost 40 years of getting dinner on the table! I love to share my favourite recipes, both old and new, together with lots of tips and tricks to hopefully help make your home cooking enjoyable, stress free, rewarding and of course, delicious!
I messed up a bit and didn’t roll out my gluten-free puff pastry enough, but this was still so delicious!! Obviously, now I have to make it again (the right way lol) ❤️
So glad you enjoyed it anyway, Heather :) Thanks!
This was superb! I made it for a family party and it was the star of the show. Would make this again and again!!! Made it just as written.
So glad you enjoyed it! Thanks so much :)
Question: after removing the parchment at the last step “Return to the oven and bake another 3-5 minutes, or until the underside and edges are golden,” are you placing it back on the baking sheet for the final 3-4 minutes or directly on the oven rack?
Hi! You should just leave it on the baking sheet for the last part of baking. Usually the parchment will slide out from under the tart very easily once the pastry is set. The final part of baking just ensures the pastry is well cooked and crisp. Enjoy!
Turned out great. At about 17 min I removed it from the cookie sheet and cooked directly on the oven grated to make sure the bottom was crisp
So glad to hear, Marci :) Thanks so much!
I followed this recipe to the letter. The taste was amazing but the bottom of the pastry was soggy. What happened?
Hi Lynn and sorry to hear that. I have had good results with pre-heating the baking sheet. I wonder if it the type of puff pastry used. I generally use the all-butter puff pastry. Is that what you used?
Made this. It was a snap. Served it to guests – they loved it too.
I put basil in the ricotta, and scattered pine nuts over the tomatoes; they toasted in the oven and added a great crunch.
So glad to hear, Terri :) Thanks so much!
That tart was awesome! Really pretty with the most fabulously sweet and tangy flavors. Great summer addition to my meatless dinners.
So glad you enjoyed it, Marcia :) Thanks so much!
Flavorful and simple to make.
Thank you! I made this tart several times and the recipe is full proof.
So glad you enjoyed it, Anna :) Thanks!
Nothing better than juicy summer tomatoes Jennifer! And I love how easy this recipe is!
Thanks so much, Mary Ann :)
Clearly I need to stock up on puff pastry! I’m still thinking about your strawberry pot pie, and this tomato ricotta tart is everything I love. I would totally pair this with a side salad for lunch or dinner and be quite happy!
Thanks so much, Leanne :)
What I love about this recipe is that it is a perfect showcase for quality ingredients, especially the tomatoes. Can’t wait to find some love heirloom tomatoes at the market and give these a try.
Thanks Matt and yes, no better time to enjoy tomatoes!
Amazing recipe, love the tip of removing the paper and crisping further. I have a bumper crop of heirloom tomatoes to use up, leftover ricotta and I used pan softened leeks. You are my go to recipe site, your cheese bread comes out amazing everytime.
So glad you enjoyed it and lucky you having all those heirloom tomatoes :) Thanks!
My heart is singing!! So happy I had to make a trip to the grocery store…though I would have gone just for this, anyway!! Wonderful!
Thanks Annie :) We enjoyed this for a nice dinner and I enjoyed it from the fridge the next day!
I’ve had various success rates with tomato tarts based on the juice level of the tomatoes. Should I salt and drain the slices of tomatoes before putting them on the tart?
Hi Kathleen, I’ve had the same experience, but believe it or not, this one contains itself quite nicely. If you’re worried, I think heirloom tomatoes are the best choice, as they tend to have relatively hollow middles :) Also, per the recipe, heating the baking sheet keeps the crust nice and crispy. I found that virtually no tomato liquid ran off this tart at all.
This is my kinda recipe! So perfect for entertaining or even a simple summer meal with a side salad! Delicious, Jennifer!
Thanks Dawn :)
This is such a lovely recipe! What better way to enjoy fresh summer tomatoes than on a crispy pastry with creamy ricotta cheese. LOVE this recipe and can’t wait to make it.
Thanks so much, Tricia! No better time than now to enjoy tomatoes :)