This rustic zucchini and tomato tart is filled with creamy whipped feta, sweet cherry tomatoes and zucchini, and lots of herbs. It's a perfect summer appetizer, lunch or light dinner!
Have you ever had/made whipped feta? It's a creamy blend of salty feta and cream cheese with a little olive oil and some seasonings and it is delicious as a dip, or spread on some crostini.
I've been on a bit of a Mediterranean kick lately (see last week's Mediterranean Buddha bowls), and I've been brainstorming more ways to bring whipped feta into our lives.
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Enter this incredible zucchini tomato tart. Normally whipped feta is served cold, but I saw no reason it wouldn't be just as good warm, in a rustic tart filled with fresh seasonal vegetables.
As occasionally happens, I was right!
Filling the tart first with whipped feta also has the added bonus of keeping the juicy tomatoes from soaking the crust as they bake (a common tomato tart complication).
There's nothing fussy about this tart either. In fact if we want to get all technical, this is really a galette. No special pan is needed, just roll out my super simple 4-ingredient all-butter pie dough, put your stuff on top, and fold up the sides to keep your fillings contained while it bakes.
Galettes can be sweet or savory, and make for a casual and pretty presentation.
We had this tomato zucchini tart as a light dinner with a green salad, but it would make a terrific appetizer or lunch dish too! You could even divide the dough in 4 and make individual tarts.
Here's how I made this zucchini and tomato tart (galette)
Make the pie dough
*Note: For plenty of tips on making the BEST pie dough, check out my perfect pie crust post on Coco and Ash.
1.Whisk flour and salt together in a bowl. Cut in pieces of cold butter with a pastry blender or your fingers. Sprinkle in ice water and quickly work the mixture into a ball with your hands.
2. Flatten the ball into a disc and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate the dough for at least an hour.
3. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
Make the whipped feta
3. In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the feta and cream cheese together until combined.
4. Add a clove of chopped garlic, two tablespoons of olive oil, a pinch of black pepper and about a tablespoon of chopped fresh herbs such as thyme, oregano and basil. You can use a teaspoon of dried herbs instead if you prefer. Process on high speed until fairly smooth.
Cut and season the vegetables
5. Cut the zucchini in half lengthwise and slice crosswise into ¼ inch thick slices.
6. Halve the cherry tomatoes. Toss the tomatoes and zucchini with a large pinch of salt, some black pepper, another tablespoon of chopped herbs, and two tablespoons olive oil.
Assemble the tart
7. Roll the pie dough into a large rough circle about 12 inches wide. Fold the dough in half and transfer to the lined baking sheet.
8. Spread the whipped feta in an even layer, to about 1.5 inches from the edge.
9. Pile the tomato zucchini mixture over the whipped cheese, discarding any accumulated juices from the bowl.
Bake the tart
10. Mix an egg yolk with a splash of cold water and brush it onto the top of the crust.
11. Bake in the preheated oven 30 - 40 minutes until golden and vegetables are tender.
Voilà! Gorgeous, right?
Slice and serve warm or at room temperature. Leftovers are great for lunches 🙂
Enjoy! xx
Sound good to you? If you make this zucchini tomato tart with whipped feta, I would be thrilled and honored if you would take a pic and tag me on Instagram @ourhappymess!
Or pin for later! ↓↓↓
Zucchini Tomato Tart
Ingredients
Pie dough
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup cold unsalted butter
- ¼ cup cold water
Whipped Feta
- 6 oz feta cheese crumbled
- 2 oz cream cheese softened
- 1 clove garlic chopped
- 3 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs such as oregano, thyme and basil (or 1 teaspoon dried herbs) divided
Vegetable Filling
- 1 zucchini halved lengthwise and cut into ¼ inch slices
- 10 oz cherry tomatoes (about 2 cups), halved
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Egg Wash
- 1 egg yolk
- splash water
Instructions
Pie Dough
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Cut the butter into ½ inch cubes and cut into the flour mixture with fingers or a pastry blender.
- Sprinkle in the cold water and work the dough with hands until you can form it into a ball. Flatten the ball into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill the dough for at least an hour.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
Whipped feta
- In a food processor, pulse together the feta and cream cheese until well combined.
- Add the chopped garlic, 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and fresh or dried herbs. Process on high speed until smooth.
Vegetable Filling
- Toss together the halved cherry tomatoes and sliced zucchini with salt and pepper, the remaining tablespoon of olive oil, and remaining tablespoon of herbs
Assemble the Tart
- On a floured work surface, roll the pie dough out into a rough 12-inch circle. Fold the dough in half, transfer to the prepared sheet pan, and unfold. Spead the whipped feta evenly in the center until about 1.5 inches from the edge. Spread the tomato and zucchini mixture on top.
- Fold the edges of the crust over the tart to contain the filling, leaving the center uncovered.
- Mix together the egg yolk and a splash of water and brush over the exposed crust. Bake in the preheated oven for 30-40 minutes until crust is deeply golden and vegetables are tender.
- Serve warm or at room temperature.
Deborah
I made this for dinner tonight…I used mozzarella cheese instead of feta and cream cheese. It was delicious! I baked an additional 10 mins. due to liquid from veggies.
Ann
Yay Deborah!! I'm so glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Lucie Petrelli
I don’t have cream cheese, what can I use as a substitute?
Ann
Cottage cheese or goat cheese are good subs. Or you can just use extra feta, it will just be less creamy but in this application I don't think you'd really notice 🙂
Gail
I used GF flour to make this pastry and it worked very well
Ann
Oh, that is great to know!! Thank you so much Gail 🙂
Mary
Will this work with gluten free flour?
Ann
I would actually use a pie crust recipe already formulated to be gluten-free if I were you! I haven't tried this recipe with any gluten-free flours, so I'm not sure how it would turn out.
Eileen
Hi, I want to try this recipe but my husband doesn’t like feta (although I doubt he’d even know it was feta due to how it’s whipped w/cream cheese). What other cheese would be a good substitute. Thanks in advance!
Ann
My first choice for a feta substitute personally would be goat cheese! BUT if he's not into that either, cream cheese whips up nicely all by itself, just use a full 8-oz brick. You can also add in a cup of grated cheese - any kind you like - and whip it with the brick of cream cheese. I'd love to know how it goes! 🙂
Monica Perry
Could this work with puff pastry?
Ann
I think puff pastry would work fine! 🙂
A Hayes
This was one of the best things I have ever made or eaten.
Ann
That is so amazing to hear!!! 🙂
Kathy L
Easy and delicious! Great way to use tomatoes and zucchini from my garden. The crust got rave reviews from my friends!
Ann
So great to hear!! Thank you so much Kathy 🙂
Laurel
Made it! Loved it! I cheated a little by using a pre made pie crust. Even the non veggie family members liked it👍 Have you ever made it ahead and baked it a little later? I’m thinking assemble the night before when having company over, or earlier in the day.
Ann
Yay!!! I usually make the whipped feta and the dough ahead of time, and from there it doesn’t take toooo long to assemble. I honestly don’t see why it wouldn’t work to fully assemble and refrigerate for a few hours before baking though!
Michele
Do you need to remove some of the liquid from the zucchini and tomatoes? I have had issues in the past with baking zucchini as is in recipes.
Ann
I've had that problem too, but not with this one! I think the whipped feta helps to keep any liquid from leaking or soaking through the crust. That said, if you feel safer, you can put the zucchini slices on some paper towels and sprinkle with salt, give it about 20 minutes and then dab with more paper towels to take the salt and excess moisture out. As for the tomatoes, I use cherry tomatoes in this recipe, which usually don't give me any excess liquid problems 🙂
Jessie
What would you recommend for doing this without the feta or cream cheese? I have a dairy allergy. I already have a butter replacement but trying to figure out the others. Thanks!
Ann
You could skip the whipped feta altogether, but have you ever tried one of these homemade vegan cheese recipes (example: https://minimalistbaker.com/garlic-herb-vegan-cheese/ )? I haven’t tried this myself so can’t say for sure, but I feel like that could work well! Would love to know what you decide on!