tomato ricotta phyllo tart
I don’t have a garden; I can barely keep a basil plant alive. But my parents have had one and my grandmother has one and many of our neighbors and friends have ones that we gratefully reap the bounty of now and then. We also have farmers markets, and I am thankful to each one of those vendors for not only growing their edible wares so well, but selling them to us black thumbs, too.
This post is a celebration of all the freshness and flavor of the garden in a phyllo tart form. In other words: a crispy, flaky, buttery crust topped with creamy lemon-herb ricotta and sliced heirloom tomatoes topped with salt and pepper. My only regret is that I didn’t make this recipe sooner.
(I suppose I regret that poor basil plant, too.)
I figured there was no better way to celebrate the garden’s bounty than with Athens Fillo Dough. There’s no better way to celebrate anything, really — may I remind you of those crispy, flaky, buttery layers? They’re my favorite. But that basil and chive ricotta, though. Oh, and those salted and peppered tomatoes.
OK so it’s ALL my favorite. One bite of this tart and you’ll likely agree.
A few notes: I brushed each layer of phyllo dough with olive oil, but melted butter works just as well and renders an equally pleasant flavor and flaky crust. The lemon zest and herbs mixed into the ricotta give it the perfect brightness to balance out the richness of the dough. I topped my tart with a variety of sweet heirloom tomatoes and grape tomatoes, but feel free to use whatever you have in your garden — or, if you share in my black thumb-ness, whatever catches your eye at the farmers market or the grocery store. And don’t forget to add a few generous sprinkles of salt and pepper. Don’t overdo it, but sprinkle it on with a liberal hand to get the most flavor out of those tomatoes.
A few more bits of chopped fresh herbs on top, and the tart is complete. All that’s left to do is eat it — which is something I am actually pretty good at doing.
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PrintTomato Ricotta Phyllo Tart
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Total Time: 45 mins
- Yield: 4 to 6 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 1 roll (about 21 sheets) Athens Fillo Dough
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 1/4 cups ricotta cheese
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil, plus more for topping
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives, plus more for topping
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 1/2 to 2 lbs tomatoes, sliced to 1/4-inch thickness (and/or grape tomatoes, sliced in half)
Instructions
- Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Lay 1 sheet of fillo dough on parchment paper. Brush lightly with olive oil. Top with another sheet of fillo dough; brush lightly with oil. Repeat until all fillo dough sheets are stacked.
- In a medium bowl, stir together ricotta cheese, basil, chives, lemon zest and salt and pepper to taste until well combined. Spread evenly on top of fillo dough, leaving a 1-inch border along edges.
- Top with sliced or halved tomatoes. Sprinkle with more salt and pepper. Bake 30 minutes until dough is golden brown and flaky.
- Cool tart slightly; top with more chopped basil and chives and salt and pepper, if desired. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Disclosure: I received compensation from Athens Foods for recipe development purposes. All opinions are my own.
yesss please!! Puff tarts are my fav! Done in no time and soooo easy to put together. Love this ricotta version!
I’m just loving all the heirloom tomato recipes I’m seeing. They are the most beautiful tomato ever! This tart is a perfect way to accentuate their deliciousness 🙂
Dude, this tart is killer!! Those tomatoes are gorgeous!
Goooooorgeous!!! I love fresh tomatoes with basil, and that zesty ricotta is making my mouth water! What a beautiful recipe!
We can’t seem to keep much alive either! We got a few peppers and one tiny heirloom tomato out of our pots this year, but the others were a flop. I think it’s because our townhome patio only gets sun for half of the day! Thank goodness for farmers and gardeners who actually know what they are doing. 😉 Love this tart. So beautiful dear!
This is soooo pretty! I could make it my computer background..if I didn’t mind drool on my keyboard. The colors of all those heirlooms, and liberally sprinkled with salt and pepper..what could be better? Adding this to my MUST make.
That phyllo dough looks so perfectly flaky!! And I love your arrangement of the heirlooms, so bright and happy 🙂
I want to eat this every day for the rest of summer….
Those tomatoes!! This tart is perfection!
This would work great for a party dish! Delicious looking!
Kari
http://www.sweetteasweetie.com
Oh yes please!!!! This just screams summer. We are finally getting ripe tomatoes from our garden and here’s the perfect way to enjoy them.
What a beautiful tart! So perfect for summer!
Fellow black thumb over here! But this tart – oh, it sounds heavenly! I’m going to have to head to the farmer’s market this weekend in search of tomatoes and basil!
Yes! The prettiest tart and I am always about a flaky, buttery crust!
This is so gorgeous!!! Those heirloom tomatoes, the phyllo, everything! AND RICOTTA 🙂
This tart is so gorgeous, Steph! Heirloom tomatoes are my favorite and they sound amazing with the ricotta and fresh herbs! Perfect for summer!
I’m basically obsessed with ricotta, so this looks absolutely amazing. I also am the worst at keeping plants alive. I just had to throw out a tarragon plant today 🙁 I just discovered your blog and totally love it!
Goodness that is one beautiful tart and the color of the tomatoes is heavenly! I already pinned to my “Deliciousness” Pinterest board – can’t wait to make this, thanks for sharing:)
Lucy — Hi there; welcome! And so sad that you had to throw away a plant — though I’ve been there, manymanymany times. 😉 🙁
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Can this be frozen? I love your recipes but they are always too much for me.
Mo — Unfortunately, I don’t think this would taste good once it’s been frozen. 🙁 But you could cut the phyllo dough to a smaller size and top it with a fraction of the ingredients for a more manageable portion size!
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Just made this tonight- absolutely delicious!
Tracy — Hooray! So glad you liked it!
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Love this tart! It is so easy and so beautiful. It’s my go to recipe these days.
Fabulous treat when the girls come over for a glass of wine. We all make a dish when we get together for a drink and this is my go to. FYI, also make it for the boys football games but add crushed red pepper on top and they do not complain about an all “vege” dish. Hey we try to keep them eating something good! football season is long… Thanks for great recipe 🙂
Licia — I love that! It’s the perfect dish for both of those occasions. 🙂 Thanks so much for sharing!
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I love this recipe so much.
What do you pair with it??
This goes great with a salad or a meat dish of some sort. It makes a great appetizer for a dinner party, too! But honestly, I eat it on its own whenever I make it. 🙂
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La voy a probar, me parece deliciosa y muy fresca!! muchas gracias.
★★★★★
Is there a way to incorporate balsamic into this(I am obsessed)? I don’t have a black thumb and can grow the tomatoes (heirloom and amazing cherry and grape) and the herbs used in this recipe. Yes I am bragging a little.
Jerolyn, You can certainly add a balsamic drizzle to the end once this tart is baked and ready to eat! It would be AMAZING with your homegrown tomatoes and herbs. 🙂
I drizzled Some balsamic reduction over it when it was slightly cooled, another layer of flavor!
★★★★★
The taste is lovely. But the prep time being only 15 minutes is a farce – it took me about 20 minutes alone just to oil each layer of phyllo dough and lay it on top of each other. Then there’s the chopping of the herbs and tomatoes: I’m not a professional nor seasoned cook with badass cutting skills, it took about 45 minutes of prep with 2 people helping.
★★★★
I made this recipe and it was delicious.
Could you please tell me what size rimmed pan did you use?
Thanks
Susan, I used a large half-sheet pan (13×18). I hope that helps!
I grow an assortment of heirloom tomatoes and herbs, so am always looking for yummy ways to showcase them-I’ve made phyllo tarts before but never with a ricotta spread-this is genius! Having family over today for Labor Day and I know this won’t last 5 minutes!
★★★★★
Lovely, light and tasty. Easy to make. Pity it’s easy to eat as welk… gone in a minute ??
★★★★
Made this tonight, with the addition of a balsamic glaze drizzle, and it was easy and delicious. My heirloom tomatoes aren’t ready yet, so made with cherry tomatoes only. Took maybe 15 minutes…time well spent! Thank you! The only thing I’ll change next time is using butter instead of EVOO.
★★★★★
This tart was very good. Would you have an alternative for the ricotta?
Kelly, You could try goat cheese or whipped feta. I have not tested the recipe with these alternatives, so I can’t speak to their success, but flavor-wise they would work!
Do you think you could do this with puff pastel instead?
Darcie, I have not made this recipe with puff pastry but I know others have with great success!
HUGE hit with my guests. Looks and tastes so fresh. Beautiful and delicious appetizer. Made slightly ahead so was room temp for serving. Still yum! Everyone asked for leftovers to take home. I’m thinking warmed up for breakfast with an egg on top…mmmmm
★★★★★