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Balsamic Tomato and Feta Tart

A simple puff pastry tart that is easy to put together and makes a really good vegetarian main course when served with baby potatoes and salad or vegetables.

A close up of Balsamic Tomato and Feta Tart.

Balsamic Tomato and Feta Tart


It's April 2007 and I'm starting this blog to encourage myself to try new recipes and to encourage myself to be more adventurous. 

Too many of my recipes start with a tin of tomatoes (hence the name). 

Of course, tomatoes are much more healthy for you when they are cooked. You can read more about that in this CNN article.

So first up, we will start with this simple balsamic tomato and feta tart.

Puff pastry tart


I'm starting by sharing an old favourite of mine, a puff pastry tart. 

You are going to love this tart. 

Cooking the tomatoes with balsamic vinegar gives them a gorgeous pop of flavour. 

You will be hooked once you try it.


Which type of puff pastry is best?



I use ready-rolled puff pastry as its such good quality and so convenient.

You can of course make your own puff pastry if you have the time, but shop-bought pastry is such good quality, why bother.

Alternatively, you can buy a block of puff pastry to make this tomato puff pastry pie and roll it into a rectangle before topping it.

Personally, I can not roll a neat triangle out of pastry to save my life as the saying goes.

Adding feta to this basic tomato tart elevates it to something special.

For more puff pastry recipes have a look at my roundup of vegetarian and vegan puff pastry recipes.


cherry tomatoes in a roasting dish.

Balsamic tomatoes


Cherry tomatoes, or for that matter any tomatoes are delicious in a tart or pie.

Dry cook the tomatoes until the skin splits and then cook them in balsamic, which seeps into the tomatoes and carmelises on the outside.

Oh my!


What you need to make a tomato and feta tart



Here are the simple ingredients you need to make this easy vegetarian tart (followed by the tweaks you need to make, to turn this into an equally delicious vegan tart).

  • Puff pastry - ready rolled, block or homemade
  • Cherry tomatoes - or another mini tomato like baby plum tomatoes
  • Balsamic vinegar - to flavour the tomatoes
  • Pesto - why not make your own (try this cashew pesto)
  • Feta - see notes below if you are using dairy-free feta
  • Basil - fresh basil is best
  • Olive oil - or rapeseed oil

Making this vegetarian tart vegan



This delicious tomato tart can easily be made vegan, by using dairy-free pesto and dairy-free feta.

However, dairy-free feta has to be treated differently.

It's gorgeous when added straight to salads, but heat it and it turns back to oil. 

So if you see a recipe that says add dairy-free feta instead of feta and it's baked or cooked, don't do it! 

They obviously have never tried vegan feta.

When baking something like this balsamic tomato tart, crumble some dairy-free feta once it is out of the oven.

Just as delicious but it won't turn into oil.


More puff pastry tarts to try



Here are a few more delicious tarts for you to try next. 

Most of them are vegan, but if you are vegetarian, just use your regular cheese etc.

Easy puff pastry tarts.
  1. Asparagus Tart with Cheese Sauce - An easy vegan asparagus tart that celebrates summer. Made with puff pastry and a cheese sauce base with herbs for extra flavour.
  2. Garlic Mushroom & Spinach Tart - A simple puff pastry tart topped with thyme scented garlic mushrooms and spinach.
  3. Mini Falafel Onion Tarts - These simple falafel and onion pastry pies are super easy to make and are something different to add to your lunchbox. 
  4. Scottish Carrot & Chive Tart - A simple golden puff pastry tart with roasted baby carrots on a creamy herb base. Perfect for an easy dinner with baby potatoes and vegetables.
  5. Spinach & Onion Puff Tart - An easy and tasty seasonal tart made with spinach and onion that will delight both children and adults.
tart, puff pastry tart, puff pastry pie, tomato tart, tomato pie
dinner
British
Yield: 6
Author: Jacqueline Meldrum
Balsamic Tomato and Feta Tart

Balsamic Tomato and Feta Tart

A simple puff pastry tart that is easy to put together and makes a really good vegetarian main course when served with baby potatoes and salad or vegetables.
Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 20 MinTotal time: 35 Min

Ingredients

  • 375g (13oz) puff pastry (ready-rolled, block, rolled or homemade)
  • 250g (9 oz) cherry tomatoes (or other mini tomatoes)
  • 100g (3 ½ oz) feta cheese (or vegan greek cheese), crumbled
  • 2 tablespoons pesto (standard or dairy free)
  • 1 handful fresh basil, torn
  • 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil (plus more for brushing)
  • a good grinding black pepper

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 190c/375f/Gas 5.
  2. Saute the cherry tomatoes in a hot dry pan (no oil) until the skin begins to crack, then pour in the balsamic vinegar and cook for a minute more. Remove from the pan and set aside.
  3. Roll out a sheet of pastry on an oven tray. Score a line all the way around the pastry a couple of centimetres in from the edge, to make a border. This will allow the edge of the pastry to puff up.
  4. Spread the pesto on the pastry, being careful not to go over your scored line. Next, scatter the tomatoes, then crumble over feta (if you are using dairy-free feta, add it once the tart is cooked and out of the oven) and toss some basil (not all) across the pastry.
  5. Brush around the edge of the pastry with oil for a golden finish. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes until the pastry is golden and puffy.
  6. Scatter the rest of the basil over the tart and serve with a dressed salad and baby potatoes or with roast vegetables and vegetables.
  7. Enjoy!

Notes

  1. Feta - crumble over before baking
  2. Vegan Feta - crumble over the tart once baked and out of the oil. Baked vegan feta melts into an oil like texture
  3. You can use any mini tomato for this tart
  4. Great served hot or cold,
  5. Once cool, keep leftovers in the fridge for 2-3 days.


Calories

4 slices = 658 calories per slice

5 slices = 526 calories per slice

6 slices = 438 calories per slice

Nutrition Facts

Calories

438.5

Fat (grams)

31.62

Sat. Fat (grams)

8.9

Carbs (grams)

31.38

Fiber (grams)

1.31

Net carbs

30.06

Sugar (grams)

2.06

Protein (grams)

7.59

Sodium (milligrams)

397.63

Cholesterol (grams)

15.23

This information is approximated using a nutrition and calorie calculator.

7 comments

  1. YUM: love the tomatoes!

    And just yesterday I toasted a wheat biscuit and topped it with feta and sliced tomatoes. Great minds think alike! Your tart would go beautifully with grilled fish, no?

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  2. Glad you liked it Janelle, Tomatoes and feta make the perfect combination!

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  3. It does make me drool...thanks for sharing.

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  4. Oh I adore this! All my favourites here, thanks for posting.

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  5. This is something I can try straight away - the balsamic vinegar is a great add on :)

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  6. I made this with vegan Greek block and vegan pesto. Absolutely delicious! Thank you

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  7. Ours has just gone in the oven! I think the balsamic addition will be fabulous. We used red pesto, just because it was what was open :-) Thank you for sharing the recipe!

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I love reading comments, so thank you for taking the time to leave one. Unfortunately, I'm bombarded with spam, so I've turned on comment moderation. I'll publish your comments as soon as I can and respond to them. Don't panic, they will disappear when you hit publish. Jac x