Ricotta, Spinach and Tomato Tart
This Ricotta, Spinach and Tomato tart is super easy and super good. Not in any order. All because I had a lot of ricotta cheese on hand. And I made a quick and easy short crust pastry as well. A wholewheat version. A little wholegrain to compensate for the butter. But seriously, this really is very good. It will cover your Sunday brunch goals. In my case, today it took care of Saturday breakfast today!
The Story of Ricotta, Spinach and Tomato Tart
So, this tart is a quiche in disguise. However, it is lighter and does a good job of incorporating a lot of spinach in the mix. In terms of cheese, ricotta is balanced out with some extra sharp cheddar. This combination balances out the sharp with the mild. And like with all my other recipes, we are talking flexible flavors. Parmesan cheese would also be a good idea.
Organic baby spinach is a staple in my kitchen and refrigerator. It works beautifully is dishes like this saag alu, it can be thrown into a good bowl of red lentils. Last but not the least, it works magically in a salad. Today has been a long day, as it started so much earlier than usual. Need to catch in a little bit of extra napping power, before the clocks change out on me.
Overall, I am a huge fan of ricotta cheese, I love recipes like these eggs with ricotta cheese and Myer Lemon and Ricotta Cheese Pasta.
A handful of tips and tricks about this tart.
The has been nothing spring like about today’s weather. Raining or snowing into my first live event after maybe forever. But somewhere along the line, I am getting a sense that things are reaching a bit of normalcy. A couple of things that I did and do recommend are,
- Make the short curst and let it chill. If you want to do the breakfast thing, let this rest overnight. Easy and actually helps with the process.
- To boost the amount of spinach in the recipe, I actually wilt the spinach before mixing it in.
A point worth noting is that my short crust recipe makes enough for 2 small (9-inch) tarts. Since I do add in an egg, I am not quite sure how to halve that. And feel free to sub the spinach with your favorite spring greens.
An easy to prepare tart that is great for breakfast or an anytime snack.
Ingredients
- 1 stick (8 tablespoons) salted butter
- 1 and 1/2 cups of whole wheat flour (feel free to use all-purpose flour)
- 1 egg
- 2/3 cup cold water
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 4 cloves of garlic minced
- 3 cups of baby spinach leaves, coarsely chopped
- 3/4 cup ricotta cheese
- 1/2 cup grated sharp cheddar
- 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh herbs (I used a mixture of fresh basil and oregano
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 3 eggs
- 2 medium sized tomatoes, thinly sliced
Instructions
- Grease a shallow 9-inch pie dish.
- In the bowl of a food processor add in the flour and butter and run for a minute or so to allow the butter and flour to mix well.
- Add in the egg and run for another minute. Gradually add in enough water to form a ball. Remove from the food processor. Give it a light knead. It should be a smooth dough.
- Divide into half. Place one half into a storage container and set aside for future use, it can be frozen.
- Roll out the other half and press this into the pie dish and place in the refrigerator to chill for at least 2 hours or longer.
- When ready to bake, turn the oven onto 350 degrees.
- Add in the prepared pie shell and bake for about 12 minutes.
- Heat the oil and add in the onion and the garlic and sauté lightly. Add in the spinach and cook until just wilted.
- Place in a mixing bowl. Add in all the ingredients except the tomatoes and mix well.
- Pour this into the prepared pie shell. Arrange the sliced tomatoes over the top. Place back into the oven and bake for about 35 to 40 minutes.
- Sprinkle with some freshly ground black pepper if desired before serving.
Notes
While you do need to plan sometime around the chilling, most of the actual hands-on time for this dish is under 30 minutes.