This goat’s cheese tart is a tasty quick dinner, that’s easy to make with minimal effort. It’s something I have been making for years and is one of the first recipes I learned to cook. It’s now a firm family favourite which I know you will love too.
This really is such a quick and easy dinner, perfect for busy weeknights. Great for dinner with the family or lunch with the girls, minimum effort is required to make this tart.
For this goat’s cheese tart I use balsamic roasted cherry tomatoes, these tomatoes are roasted until they are sweet and just burst. I also use plenty of red onion for this tart which also gives it some lovely sweetness.
Table Of Contents
Ingredients You Will Need:
- Puff Pastry – I use an all-butter ready-rolled puff pastry sheet for this. It saves so much time!
- Red Pesto – A good store-bought vegetarian red pesto will do the job here.
- Cherry Tomatoes – Cherry tomatoes on the vine are perfect for roasting, look for firm ripe tomatoes. If you’re not roasting them then off the vine is fine.
- Red Onions – Just one red onion is enough here, it adds a lovely sweet flavour to the tart. Look out for firm onions free of soft spots, damp or mouldy patches.
- Cheese – A good quality goat’s cheese is essential so I recommend not skimping on that. For this tart, I use a mild and creamy goat’s cheese, this is the perfect balance against the sweet cherry tomatoes. I also use a vegetarian hard Italian cheese on the base of this tart.
How to Make The Best Goats Cheese Tart:
- Roast the cherry tomatoes in olive oil and balsamic vinegar. They should be cooked until they just burst.
- Prepare the pastry by rolling it out and placing it on a parchment-lined baking tray. With a sharp knife score an edge along the pastry then prick it with a fork – see photo no.2
- Spread the pesto over the pastry then sprinkle the cheese over the pastry.
- Scatter the red onions over the pesto, then add the roasted cherry tomatoes and crumble the goat’s cheese over the tart. Finally, scatter some fresh thyme leaves over everything then add a drizzle of olive oil. Bake until the pastry is golden.
Top Tips for Making Goat’s Cheese Tart
- Use good quality all-butter puff pastry. Have your pastry at room temperature before you roll it out, this will make it easier to handle.
- Brush the pastry edges with milk or egg wash to get that lovely golden colour.
- Pick cherry tomatoes that are firm but ripe and roughly the same size, this way they will cook at the same time. Cherry tomatoes on the vine are great for roasting.
- Choose good quality ingredients. Whether it’s buying good quality goat’s cheese or pesto, buy the best you can afford.
Why This Recipe Works:
- This tart is really easy to make, using simple store cupboard ingredients.
- Under 400 calories per serving
- Ready in 40 minutes, really quick to make!
- Crumbly, flaky pastry, tasty toppings, it’s almost a pizza!!
- A great family-friendly dinner.
Making Ahead and Reheating
This tart really is best made fresh and eaten warm. You can eat this cold or you can reheat the tart in the oven although it may not taste as good as when made fresh. If you have any leftovers you can keep them in the fridge for up to 2 days. I don’t recommend freezing this tart.
Goat's Cheese Tart with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes
Goat's cheese tart with balsamic roasted tomatoes, a quick and easy dinner for busy weeknights. Made with puff pastry and lots of creamy goat's cheese.
Ingredients
- 345 g plump cherry tomatoes, on the vine (2 +⅓ cups), left whole
- 2 tablespoon olive oil, divided
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- ½ tsp of both sea salt and cracked black pepper, divided
- 1 320g roll of ready-made puff pastry
- 1 tablespoon finely grated pecorino cheese
- 2 tablespoon vegetarian red pesto
- 1 medium red onion (140g), peeled, cut lengthways then sliced thinly
- 125 g of goat's cheese (1 small log or 5oz)
- A generous pinch freshly ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoon milk
- 4 or 5 sprigs of fresh thyme
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C / 392 F.
2. Add the cherry tomatoes to a medium oven-safe dish. Add the balsamic vinegar, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, salt and pepper. Give everything a shake then place the dish on the top shelf of the oven and roast for 15 minutes. Set aside until you are ready to use them.
3. Roll out the pastry and place it on the lined baking sheet.
4. Spread the red pesto over the pastry avoiding the edges. Evenly place the red onion over the pastry. Scatter the pecorino cheese over the pesto.
- Using a slotted spoon add the roasted cherry tomatoes to the tart.
- Crumble the goat's cheese over the tart then add the thyme. You can just add the sprigs or pluck the leaves and scatter them over the tart. I do a mixture of both.
- Drizzle the remaining olive oil over everything and add about a ¼ teaspoon each of sea salt and cracked black pepper.
- Using a pastry brush, brush the edges of the tart with the milk.
- Bake on the top shelf of the oven for 20 minutes or until the pastry has risen, the tart is golden brown around the edges and the pastry are cooked.
5. Serve immediately with a green salad.
