In spring and early summer, quick-to-cook meals with a glut of green vegetables are my go to. The pea, spring onion and courgette tart is an absolute delight – light, fresh and utterly delicious.
Tarts made from a sheet of puff pastry are SO easy to make. You don’t even need to roll the pastry out, because it comes ready rolled! The topping is easy peasy too – no extra cooking needed.
This is a vegetarian tart, but if you’re a meat eater you might want to crisp up a handful of cubes of pancetta or chorizo and sprinkle them on top after you’ve cooked the tart – yum!
You can eat this hot or cold and it’s great as a picnic dish. If you’re planning to eat it cold, make it the same day to make sure you get all of those delightful fresh flavours.
Want more courgette recipes? Why not try Courgette and Pancetta Orzo, The Tastiest Courgette Lasagne, Mushroom, Courgette and Ricotta Pasta, Savoury Courgette and Gorgonzola Muffins, Greek Sharer with Courgette Fritters or Courgette and Goats Cheese Gnocchi
The Ingredients
- Puff pastry – ready rolled puff pastry is the key here. You simply unroll it and off you go! You can use a block of puff pastry (roll it out to 5mm thick).
- Egg – this is simply for aesthetics, to make the outside of the tart golden brown. You don’t have to use an egg wash, but the colour of your tart won’t be as good.
- Soft cheese – any kind of soft cheese will do. I used Philadelphia.
- Lemon juice – to bring just a little acidity to the rich cheese.
- Hard Italian cheese – parmesan or similar (a vegetarian version if you need the dish to be vegetarian).
- Frozen peas, spring onions and courgette – the lovely green vegetables that give the dish its freshness.
Cooking the Tart – Top Tips
- Spread the cheese evenly This will make sure that you get an even cook through the pastry, including underneath.
- Keep an eye on the oven When you’re cooking the tart, keep a close eye on it. Puff pastry can switch from golden brown to burnt and bitter quickly!
- Peel the courgette, don’t slice Peeling the courgette makes even, thin ribbons which cook quickly. If you slice the courgette, you could end up with undercooked courgette.
Pea, Spring Onion and Courgette Tart
Ingredients
- 320 g ready rolled puff pastry
- 1 egg
- 300 g soft cheese
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 60 g grated Italian hard cheese
- 100 g frozen peas
- 1 medium courgette
- 100 g spring onions
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 180 degrees.
- Unroll your pastry sheet and score (don’t cut all the way through) a border all the way around, about an inch in. Beat your egg in a small bowl then brush the border with the egg wash.
- In a larger bowl, mix together the soft cheese, lemon juice and half of the Italian hard cheese. Season well with lots of black pepper, then spread the mixture over the pastry inside your border.
- Place the peas evenly over the cheese mixture, then slice your spring onions and scatter these over evenly too.
- Grab a potato peeler and peel the courgettes lengthways into lovely ribbons. Pile these onto the centre of the tart, top with the remaining Italian hard cheese and put it in the oven.
- It’ll take about 20 minutes to cook – it’s done when the border is risen and golden and the courgette is soft and wilted.
More delicious Springtime recipes:
- Spring Vegetable Risotto with Feta
- Warm Rice Salad With Garlic Prawns and Tahini Dressing
- Frittata Primavera
- Asparagus and Green Bean Caesar Salad
- Asparagus, Pea and Pesto Lasagne
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The combination of flavors is perfect and the crust is perfectly flaky. It’s a great way to use up spring veggies and it’s a hit with the whole family.
This is a great light lunch that feels more sophisticated thana typical sandwich. Thanks!
What a lovely recipe for spring! We had it for lunch yesterday and were very impressed. Decadent, creamy and buttery yet super nutritious with all the green veggies!
What a delicious and savory tart recipe to try this spring. Thanks for sharing.
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