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Tomato Tart Recipe with Goat Cheese

Ripe summer tomatoes make this Tomato Tart Recipe a seriously delicious dinner. A buttery crust is filled with creamy goat cheese and caramelized onions before topping with sliced heirloom tomatoes. A sprinkling of fresh parmesan gives it a browned, bubbling top when you slide it out of the oven. A slice of this tomato tart makes a great warm weather supper.

overhead shot of unbaked tomato tart

Tomato Tart

This tomato and goat cheese tart is featured on my Top 25 vegetarian recipes for dinner post, where you can find delicious options for a meatless meal or hearty sides to go with dinner.

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This post has been updated from its original publication date of 8/5/13

Tomato Tart Recipe

You know when you get a craving for something & you just have to make it? Well, I wanted to update this tomato tart recipe for a little while now and finally got around to doing it.

5 heirloom tomatoes on marble board

I am a big fan of tomatoes, in case you didn’t know. Tomatoes are pretty amazing right now where I live and will soon be coming in around the rest of the country. If you can get your hands on some of the gorgeous heirloom varieties, grab them.

Even if you can’t and the only tomatoes available in your market are red beefsteak tomatoes, as long as they are ripe, those will also make an amazing goat cheese tomato tart!

Do different types and colors of tomatoes taste differently?

Yes, they do! See that purplish tomato? It is super sweet and juicy. The green one, called a green zebra, is slightly tart and a bit more acidic.

sliced heirloom tomatoes on board

Sliced Tomatoes

Yellow tomatoes are very mild and not very acidic at all. The reason I mix tomatoes in this tart is not just for aesthetics, although that does count for something, but also to get different flavors going on in the tart. Like I said earlier, if the only tomatoes available to you are red beefsteak tomatoes, use them. As long as they are ripe, this tomato tart will be delicious.

To slice tomatoes, the best knife to use is a serrated knife like this one. It doesn’t have to be super expensive, it just needs to work well. I have this knife, so I can say with certainty that it slices nicely and it’s only $7.

How do I make a tomato tart?

This tart is actually very simple to make. It looks rather impressive and laborious, but I assure you, it is not.

unbaked tomato tart in pan

Heirloom Tomato Tart

The crust comes together easily and it is very forgiving. Pie crust isn’t my favorite thing to make, so I would never give you one that is super fussy.

It comes together very quickly and then gets wrapped in plastic to take a rest in the fridge. The crust is rolled out and placed into the tart pan. After it is pressed into the pan and blind baked, it is filled with the cheese, onions and tomatoes, then baked again.

What is blind baking?

Blind baking means baking the crust without the filling.

collage of step by step images for blind baking crust for tomato tart recipe

blind baking

This is commonly done if a pie will be filled with an uncooked filling, but the crust still needs to be baked. In this case, we are baking the tomatoes, but if we didn’t blind bake it beforehand, the crust may not be cooked through because the tart doesn’t stay in the oven that long.


A tomato tart recipe that fed more than a belly

This post was supposed to be light-hearted and fun. But, life isn’t always light-heart and fun, is it? I have a couple of friends that are vegetarians and had wanted to have them over for dinner so I thought “Well, this is perfect timing!” I will make this tomato tart recipe, have them over, open some wine and we will have a perfectly delightful evening.

baked tomato tart recipe on marble countertop

baked tomato tart

Only, it didn’t happen that way. Life rarely happens the way we think it will, does it?

I invited them over and was jarred when I read the response. “T’s father died. We’ll be home tomorrow”. Needless to say, this had been a sudden event and all I could think of was my friend and the pain she was feeling. This tomato tart recipe now had a purpose. I had offered, as one does when there is a death, to take food over to them upon her return home.

overhead shot of tomato tart on marble countertop

Feeding people is also one of the ways I show love. In that, I know I am not alone. It is about so much more than the food. It is about letting someone know you are thinking of them, caring for them, caring about them.

About an hour later, I received a text saying “yes, hungry… bring it over” and off I went. We drank wine. We ate the tart. We had more wine. We talked. We laughed. It was a terrible reason to be together, but it ended up being a wonderful evening. I know that sounds like a strange statement, and I suppose it is, but it was a celebration of a life well lived.

baked tomato tart on top of tart pan

heirloom tomato tart with cheese

This tomato tart recipe started out as something to fulfill a craving I had and ended up nourishing my friends and giving us the opportunity to spend a few hours together talking about everything that had happened, to tell stories and even have a few laughs. It seems like such a simple thing, to bring food to someone when they’ve have lost someone, but the truth is, it is about so much more than that.

Support. Love. Community. Friendship. Togetherness. That is what it’s all about.

Thank you for being here and being a part of my community. I hope you make this tomato tart and share it with your family and friends. It makes a wonderful brunch, especially for special occasions like Mother’s Day.

I’ve made this tomato tart several times since this original post and each time, I’ve shared it with friends. Make some memories with your people and share good food. <3

Used to make this tomato tart:

  1. Tart pan with removable bottom: the best pan to use for making tarts like this, the tart will slide right out and there is no fear of anything sticking.
  2. Pastry blender: this makes quick work of blending butter into flour. Useful when making dough, scones, biscuits, etc.
  3. Pie weights: use these to hold down your pie crust for blind baking. Otherwise, it will puff up and you won’t be able to properly fill the pie shell.
  4. Rolling pin: I love this rolling pin. It is a straight pin, as opposed to a tapered one. It is the perfect diameter, it is comfortable to use and easy to use.

Make it a party!

Hosting a little soirée? Here are a few summertime recipes that will help you plan the perfect summer party.

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Yield: 6

Tomato and Goat Cheese Tart

overhead shot of unbaked tomato tart

A delicious heirloom tomato and goat cheese tart in a buttery homemade crust

Prep Time 2 hours 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 3 hours 30 minutes

Ingredients

Tart Crust

  • 2 sticks unsalted butter
  • 3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour, + 1 TB
  • 1 cup cake flour, 4 ounces
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 3 fluid ounces ice water

Tart Filling

  • 4 ounces goat cheese, crumbled into small chunks
  • 1 medium yellow onion, cut in half and thinly sliced
  • 6 perfect tomatoes, thinly sliced + a few grape tomatoes, halved, for the middle
  • 1 tbsp. olive oil
  • 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
  • fresh thyme leaves, optional
  • salt & pepper

Equipment

  • 9 inch tart pan with removable bottom

Instructions

  1. Cut butter into small cubes. Combine flours, salt and baking powder. 
  2. Using a pastry blender, cut butter into the flour mixture until the largest pieces are the size of peas. 
  3. Stir in water until dough holds together. Pat dough into a disk and wrap tightly in plastic. Chill until firm, at least 2 hours.
  4. Sauté onion in olive oil, season with salt and pepper. Set aside to cool.
  5. Unwrap dough and roll out, on a lightly floured surface, to roughly 1/8" thick.
  6. Gently roll dough onto rolling pin and lay inside of tart pan. Press down bottom and sides, making sure to press into every groove.
  7. Roll pin over top of tart pan to evenly "cut" dough across the top.
  8. With a fork, poke holes in bottom and cover dough with a piece of foil or parchment paper.
  9. Place beans or pie weights inside and bake at 350 degrees for 15 - 20 minutes. Remove foil and put back in the oven for another 10 minutes or until light golden brown.
  10. Place onions in the bottom of tart in an even layer, sprinkle goat cheese on top of onions.
  11. Shingle tomato slices around edge of tart, place grape tomatoes in the middle, cut side up. Season again with salt and pepper.
  12. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese and thyme leaves on top.
  13. Bake at 400 degrees until cheese is burnished and bubbly, about 20 minutes, rotating halfway through if necessary.

Notes

Prep time includes resting time for dough. The active prep time is less than 30 minutes.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 268Saturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 15mgSodium: 599mgCarbohydrates: 33gFiber: 2gSugar: 4gProtein: 11g

Did you make this recipe?

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Thanks for stopping by! Have a delicious day 🙂

cheryl

10 Comments

  1. Isn’t it wonderful when a selfish (but delightful) craving turns out to be exactly what is needed? So glad you could be there for your friend, Sissy. And the tart: perfect! <3

  2. It is a beautiful gesture, beautiful thought and beautiful bittersweet story. I often think of the food that is served and eaten after a funeral, usually food brought to the grieving family by friends and neighbors and doesn’t it always ease the pain just a little bit. I love the look of this tart, did from the first glance and you know I want to make it, but now it has special meaning.

  3. I found your blog post through Jenni Field’s Pastry Chef Online Facebook fan page. I was looking for a tomato pie recipe but received so much more. Your tart is a piece of art and it may be hard to see what inspired me. It wasn’t just the cooked onions I added it was this post and how you shared your story of sharing your tart with a grief stricken friend. You inspired this blog on intuition on my website link. Food and love and beauty- thank you Cheryl!

  4. Wow, just wow. And a little more wow.

    I’m so sorry about your friend’s dad Cheryl. No matter the age it’s always a really hard thing to cope with. Your an amazing friend to be there with support. And this tart. It’s like this that make me love you even more. xx

  5. I made your Heirloom Tomato ? Tart last night and it was absolutely awesome! Even my sceptical husband loved it. It was so easy to prepare and cook and was mouth-wateringly delicious ? Although I was unable to source your variety of heirloom tomatoes, I still managed a few varieties and got good flavours. I also added my home grown fresh thyme at the finish and served the cooked tart with a side of french Triple Cream Brie to garnish. End result= ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️????
    Thank You for sharing this lovely recipe.
    PS; I think your photo of this Tart would make a gorgeous cover for your recipe book ??

    1. Julie, Thank you so much!!!! I’m so glad it went over well and your tart looked GORGEOUS! Job well done! 🙂

  6. Sorry dumb question, for the cake flour, it says “1 cup four ounces”, is that 1 cup PLUS four ounces? Or 1 cups should equal four ounces in weight?
    Beautiful recipe, would love to make it soon!

    1. Hi Caitlin! NOT a stupid question… my parenthesis didn’t show up for some reason! The 4 ounces is how much the cup of cake flour weighs if you are weighing it out on a scale.
      Let me know how it turns out! 🙂

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