Roasted Tomato Tart With Cheese {A Meatless Monday Recipe

This roasted tomato cheese tart is the perfect summer meal for Meatless Monday or any day of the week. The smoked Gruyère cheese with fresh vine-ripened tomatoes was a really nice combination. Hurry up and try this before summer is over because it’s going by so fast!

Summer brings an abundance of vine-ripened tomatoes everywhere. When they start coming off the vine, there never seem to be enough recipes to keep these beauties from spoiling. If you want a tomato recipe, this roasted tomato cheese tart may be exactly what you are searching for.

I made this tart last week from some beautiful tomatoes I bought at the farmers’ market. David and I gave up on growing tomatoes. We don’t like the quality we get from tomatoes grown in pots, and you’ve heard about our critter horror stories.

We have accepted that we have been defeated and are happy to rely on our local farmers for produce. Not to mention the fact that we are a little lazy… Actually, no, I take that back. We get up every day at the butt-crack-o-dawn to commute to the city. That’s over 500 miles a week to go to work. No, we are not lazy. Crazy? Maybe…

What Is A Tomato Tart?

This roasted tomato tart is easy to make, using frozen puff pastry dough as the soft, warm, pillowy bed for the vine-ripened tomatoes to rest, with Dijon mustard and smoked Gruyère cheese, seasoned with fresh thyme, salt, and pepper, garnished with fresh basil.

Think of this tomato tart like a pizza without tomato sauce and a lot fresher!

Tomato Tart Ingredients and Substitutions

This tart uses store-bought puff pastry dough instead of a traditional pastry crust or pie crust. The recipe card at the end of this post lists the full ingredient list with measurements.

Puff Pastry Dough: You’ll need a 10-inch defrosted sheet of frozen puff pastry.

Mustard: Dijon mustard adds a zesty flavor that compliments the savory tart.

Cheese: David and I love our smoked cheeses. I use smoked Gruyère cheese slices. Regular Gruyère, Swiss cheese, Havarti, or gouda are good substitutes.

Tomatoes: Use any variety of fresh, vine-ripe tomatoes sliced ¼-inch thick. Heirloom tomatoes, plum tomatoes, or cherry tomatoes are perfect!

Seasoning: Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper

Fresh Herbs: Thyme and Basil

How To Make This Tomato Tart

Don’t let the puff pastry intimidate you. It’s so much easier to work with than traditional pastry dough. I’ll summarize this recipe below. The recipe card at the end of this post provides detailed instructions with time and temperature.

Step 1: Preheat the Oven and Prepare A Sheetpan

Lightly grease a baking sheet or line with parchment paper; set aside.

Step 2: Salt the Tomatoes

Salting tomatoes helps to drain excess moisture from the tomatoes. This will keep your tart from becoming soggy.

• Slice the tomatoes into ¼-inch thick slices. Lay on a paper towel and sprinkle with salt.
• Flip and salt the other side.
• Allow the tomatoes to sit for 5 minutes.

Step 3: Prepare the Puff Pastry

• Roll out the pastry sheet until it is long enough to fit into the baking sheet, and place the pastry sheet onto a baking sheet.
• Score a line about 1 inch from the edge around the perimeter with a knife. Poke the dough with a fork inside the scored lines. Spread the mustard onto the pastry within 1 inch of the edge. Then top with cheese slices, trying to cover the area inside the border as best you can.

Step 4: Layer the Ingredients

Lay the tomato slices over the mustard-covered pastry, overlapping as needed. Season with salt and pepper to taste and sprinkle with thyme leaves.

Step 5: Bake the Tart

Bake in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until the pastry is crisp and slightly browned on the edges.

Cool, Slice, and Enjoy

Allow the tart to cool slightly for about 5 minutes. Cut the tart into 8 squares and garnish with fresh basil leaves. Serve the tart hot, warm, or at room temperature.

Tips for Making A Tomato Tart

• Don’t skip salting the tomatoes. Tomatoes are very watery, and salt helps draw out excess moisture. Salting tomatoes keeps your tomato tart from becoming soggy.
• Brush the puff pastry with egg wash from a prettier golden brown crust with sheen.
• Use caution when seasoning the tomato tart before baking. The tomatoes are already salted. Season to taste.

Making this recipe? We’d love to hear your feedback. Leave us a comment and a star rating below. We really appreciate it!

See ya on the mountain!