This easy and elegant recipe for Tomato and Feta Tart uses store-bought puff pastry to make a mouth-watering open-face pie crust that gets topped with creamy mustard, caramelized onion, tomato, feta cheese, and fresh herbs. Serve as an appetizer or as an entree with a side salad.
Years ago, my sister Julia, and her fellow Culinary Institute of America graduate friend, Chloe, visited me in Sacramento. I was THRILLED when she mentioned they would rather stay in for dinner than go out -but cooking for two CIA graduates was admittedly pretty intimidating.
So I decided to keep things simple and prepare this incredible tomato and feta tart I stumbled upon in Everyday Food Magazine. Needless to say, it was a hit. The tomatoes and herbs were freshly picked from my garden (I love being able to say that) and the fresh flavors really shined through.
The best part? This tomato and feta tart is semi-homemade. Using store-bought puff pastry cuts a huge corner, but I can assure you -no one will know the difference. Once baked, the pastry becomes a lightly crisped and flaky crust -the perfect vessel for sweet caramelized onion, delicious ripened tomato slices, feta cheese, and fresh herbs.
Ingredients //
- Puff Pastry (thawed) – bakes into a golden brown crusty pastry. The flaky layers are buttery but they are not sweet, so puff pastry is a great dough for both savory and sweet tarts.
- Grainy Mustard – In good grainy mustard, the mustard seeds are ground just enough to make a course Dijon spread.
- Sour Cream – tones down the flavor and texture of the grainy mustard making a creamy and flavorful spread.
- Salt & Pepper – enhances the flavor.
- Onions (large) – The onions are first caramelized and then spread between the creamy mustard and tomatoes as a barrier to prevent the pastry from getting soggy.
- Butter – is used to caramelize the onions.
- Tomatoes – If you can, use vine-ripened tomatoes as they have the best flavor.
- Feta Cheese – is a soft cheese with a mild tangy flavor. The cool feta provides a pleasant contrast to the freshly baked and warm tart.
- Fresh Herbs – add fresh flavor and enhance the natural sweetness of vine-ripened tomatoes.
How to Make // The Steps
Step 1: In a saute pan over low heat, caramelize the onions with the butter. Cook over low heat until the onions are brown and soft.
Step 2: Roll out the puff pastry onto a floured surface.
Step 3: Put the puff pastry on a parchment lined sheet pan.
Step 4: In a small bowl, combine the sour cream, mustard and salt and pepper to taste.
Step 5: Spread the mustard mixture over the dough, fold the edges of the dough over to form a crust if you will.
Step 6: Spread a layer of the onions over the mustard mixture. It acts like a barrier to prevent the crust from getting soggy.
Step 7: Slice the tomatoes.
Step 8: Arrange the tomatoes over the onion crust.
Step 9: Season with salt and pepper.
Step 10: Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven, about 25 minutes or until the puff pastry is brown and crisp. Have I mentioned that I lurve puff pastry.
Step 11: Get your feta and basil ready. Wait until the tart cools down a bit before you the herbs and cheese on.
Step 12: Top with the feta and basil. You can serve this tart in small pieces for an appetizer or as a main course with a small salad. You can also play around with the cheese that you use, goat cheese would be great here too.
Tips & Tricks
- If you prefer the crust extra crispy, poke the crust with a fork and pre-bake for 5 minutes before assembling the tart and finishing it.
- Slice tomatoes the same size so that everything bakes evenly.
- Salt your tomatoes. The moisture released from a super juicy tomato may seep through and make the dough soggy. To help prevent this, sprinkle salt on the tomato slices about 10 minutes before assembling the tart. The salt will draw out most of the excess moisture and then you can just blot it away with a paper towel.
Why is Tomato and Feta Tart So Good?
- Customizable. You can switch up every layer of this tart and make it completely your own!
- Semi-homemade but tastes like it’s made-from-scratch. Despite using store-bought puff pastry, this recipe tastes like a gourmet dish!
- Great use of summer tomatoes! When gardens and farmers’ markets are booming with juicy red tomatoes, this is a unique way to use them.
- Great for gatherings as an appetizer or as an entree -this tart is sure to impress your guests.
Variations //
- Tomatoes: This tomato and feta tart is a great way to use up a surplus of summer tomatoes including cherry, Roma, beefsteak, etc. If tomatoes aren’t in season, try using a combination of sun-dried tomatoes and fresh tomatoes. The sun-dried tomatoes will sweeten things up a bit.
- Cheese: In place of feta cheese, use your favorite soft, mild cheese. You could use ricotta, goat cheese or “chevre”, gorgonzola, etc.
- Add more veggies: like asparagus, sliced zucchini, and squash, spinach, arugula, etc.
How to Store and Reheat //
Storing: If not serving right away, allow the tart to cool completely to room temperature before wrapping it tightly in plastic wrap and storing it in an airtight container. Reheat in a 400F degree preheated oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until warmed through.
FAQ
You can use any firm, ripe tomato for a tomato tart -cherry, Roma, San Marzano, better boy, etc.
Dufour Classic Puff Pastry, Trader Joe’s All Butter Puff Pastry, and Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry Sheets are great store-bought puff pastries and are readily available in supermarkets.
One of two things probably happened. The tart filling may have been too wet or the pastry is undercooked.
More Tomato Recipes
Spiced Tomatoes & Chickpeas on Homemade Flatbread
Tomato, Basil and Blue Cheese Salad
Spinach, Sausage and Tomato Strata
Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas with Heirloom Tomato Salsa
Tomato and Feta Tart
Tomato and Feta Tart - store bought puff pastry makes the perfect bed for creamy mustard, tomatoes, and feta. Bake until the crust is golden brown. Serve as an appetizer or with a side salad.
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon butter
- 2 large onions, thinly sliced
- 1 sheet puff pastry, thawed
- 1 Tablespoon sour cream
- 1 teaspoon grainy mustard
- salt and pepper
- 3/4 pound tomatoes
- 2 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
- 2 teaspoons fresh herbs (I used thyme and basil)
Instructions
- In a saute pan over low heat, caramelize the onions with the butter. Cook over low heat until the onions are brown and soft, about 10 minutes.
- Roll out the puff pastry onto a floured surface.
- Put the puff pastry on a parchment-lined sheet pan.
- In a small bowl, combine the sour cream, mustard, salt, and pepper to taste.
- Spread the mustard mixture over the dough, fold the edges of the dough over to form a crust if you will.
- Spread a layer of the onions over the mustard mixture. It acts as a barrier to prevent the crust from getting soggy.
- Slice the tomatoes.
- Arrange the tomatoes over the onion crust.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Bake in a preheated 400-degree oven, about 25 minutes or until the puff pastry is brown and crisp.
- Get your feta and basil ready. Wait until the tart cools down a bit before you the herbs and cheese on.
- Top with the feta and basil. You can serve this tart in small pieces for an appetizer or as a main course with a small salad. You can also play around with the cheese that you use, goat cheese would be great here too.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 102Total Fat: 6gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 15mgSodium: 177mgCarbohydrates: 9gFiber: 1gSugar: 4gProtein: 3g
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This Post Has 20 Comments
I feel that same intimidation every time I cook for my mom! 🙂 This tart is BEAUTIFUL and I imagine they loved it! I’m on a huge tart kick lately–posted a caprese one on my blog today that was delish!
then try this one, it was so good. Even the next day, it was pretty tasty.
This tart is so gorgeous and incorporates many of my favorite ingredients. You should be so proud of those tomatoes. They’re beautiful. I can’t wait to have a yard and a garden!
I am very proud. In truth, they are my husband’s babies. He really turned into a gardener this summer. We don’t have a yard either, we use a community garden.
yum! your green tomatoes really pop up against the crust. it’s gorgeous!
thank you! I thought that it was really pretty on the table.
This is my favorite recipe you have ever posted. I am going to beg Danny to make it for me. (He hates tomatoes!)
thanks Nicole! I don’t like tomatoes either and I like this. I don’t mind a cooked tomato. But let’s be honest. I’ll eat just about anything sitting on some puff pastry.
Bree,
I made this and it was devoured. I have one question, though. Except for the edges, the pastry was a little soggy. Do you have any suggestions on preventing this? I was thinking of trying it again but with plain cream cheese instead of sour cream. Would that work? Thanks. Love your site!
I think that the cream cheese would have to be thinned out a bit too. Did you bake it long enough? That is the only other reason that I can think of. Sorry that it was soggy.
Beautiful tart! I looks so delicious.. I only wonder if I can replace the feta with Avocado and some arugula…
You can make this anyway that you would like. It is completely adaptable.
Thank you very much for your receipt…I’ve made it today and it is splendid and tastefull!
I am so glad Anuwka.
My crust came out soggy too, even though I followed the recipe exactly . . . any suggestions?
Maybe prebake the crust for a few minutes before you put the cream on it. Prick the crust with a fork and bake for a little bit and see how that works.
Awesome recipe, fresh and tasty. Thank you very much!
Camasino Team
thank you!
do you think i would be able to add the feta and basil and THEN put it in the oven the cook with everything else?
You should, but it will wilt the basil. I also really don’t love feta in the oven because it doesn’t really melt.