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Sharing one of my favorite zucchini recipes, Zucchini Ricotta Pesto Tart. This is Creamy ricotta cheese mixed with parmesan cheese, garlic, and thyme spread over an all-butter puff pastry. Arrange thinly sliced zucchini over the ricotta and bake the tart until the cheese is melty and the crust is golden and perfect. Once out of the oven, top with basil pesto, honey, and fresh basil. The most delicious garden-style tart.
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As we enter August, my biggest goal is to take advantage of the most abundant produce right now: tomatoes, corn, zucchini, peppers, and of course, the in-season stone fruits and berries.
Summer and fall are my favorite seasons when it comes to weather and readily available produce. Tomatoes and corn are, of course, so delicious, but they do tend to be used a lot in summer recipes. Zucchini, while still common, is not used enough. I see it a lot in bread recipes, maybe sautéed into stir-fries or used in salads, but I love to have fun and use zucchini in other ways. It’s so versatile!
I’ve made a few zucchini pasta dishes, a handful of pizzas, and a lot of zucchini bread, but this is my first tart. It’s basically a zucchini pizza but with pastry dough.
So, of course, it’s delicious!
It was my mom that helped me land on this recipe. She mentioned that a tomato tart sounded yummy. That got me thinking, “well, tomato tarts are pretty common, what about a zucchini tart instead?”
I knew it would be good, so instead of overthinking the recipe, I just made it. Wow, so glad I went for it because this tart is so good!
These are the details
Step 1: mix the ricotta
For the best result and flavor, use whole milk ricotta. Add some parmesan, garlic, fresh thyme, and a pinch of chili flakes.
You can use thyme, rosemary, or oregano. I think any of these will be great!
Step 2: the zucchini
Next, thinly cut the zucchini using a Y-shaped vegetable peeler. I love this one.
Lay the zucchini on a clean kitchen towel, salt it, and let it sit for 5-10 minutes. The salt will draw out any excess moisture. Dab the zucchini dry to prevent the tart from becoming soggy.
Step 3: roll the pastry out
Instead of making homemade pastry, I almost always use puff pastry from the freezer.
Make sure the pastry is thawed, then roll it out to a large rectangle.
Step 4: assemble
Now you can layer everything on. I start with the ricotta, then layers and layers of the zucchini. The last layer is the addition of parmesan.
Now you can bake. As soon as the tart comes out of the oven, spoon over the basil pesto, add fresh basil, and drizzle with honey. I always find a sprinkle of sea salt with the honey to be extra scrumptious!
Simple yet perfect – a low-key dinner with a side salad or maybe a yummy steak! You can also serve this as an appetizer. Either route you choose will be delicious!
Pesto Zucchini and Peach Pizza with Burrata
Herbed Butter Heirloom Tomato Pizza
Pepper and Cherry Tomato White Pizza
Garlic and Herb Roasted Cherry Tomato Pizza with Caramelized Onions
Lastly, if you make this Zucchini Ricotta Pesto Tart, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And, of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Zucchini Ricotta Pesto Tart
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme
- 1 clove garlic, chopped
- salt and black pepper
- chili flakes
- 1 sheet frozen puff pasty, thawed
- 3 medium zucchini or summer squash, shaved into ribbons
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1/4 cup basil pesto
- fresh basil, for serving
- honey, for serving
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 400° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.2. In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta, 1/4 cup parmesan, thyme, garlic, salt, pepper, and chili flakes. 3. Arrange the zucchini slices on a kitchen towel and sprinkle with salt. Let sit for 5-10 minutes, then blot away any excess water. 4. On a lightly floured surface, roll the puff pastry out into a rectangle about 1/4 inch thick. Place the pastry onto the prepared baking sheet. Spread the ricotta over the pastry, leaving a 1-inch border. Arrange the zucchini over the ricotta in 2-3 even layers. Brush with olive oil. Fold the edges up and over the zucchini. Brush the edges of the pastry with egg and sprinkle with parmesan. 5. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden. It's OK if the edges get dark. Spoon the pesto over the warm tart. Top with basil, honey, and sea salt. YUM!
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
This was so good and turned out perfect the first time 🫶🏻 thank you so much! Greetings from Germany
Hi Laura,
Awesome! Love to hear that you enjoyed this recipe, thanks for making it and your comment! xT
This is really good but it’s definitely an appetizer and not a main meal! I felt it was missing a little something so I served it with red sauce for dipping.
Hi Laura,
Thanks so much for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback! Glad to hear it turned out well for you! xx
Love this recipe!!
Hi Kathy,
Happy Friday!! I love to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks for making it and your comment! xT
So awesome. I didn’t have pesto so I just mixed Italian seasoning paste into the ricotta. No chili flakes but smoked paprika instead. (Trying to imagine the closest taste to chili flakes!). But we loved the outcome!
Hey Vivie,
Happy Friday!! I love to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks for making it and your comment! xT
I was surprised at how good this was. I made my own ricotta, and everyone wanted seconds. I would make two tarts next time for my family of five (three of whom are teenagers).
Hey Susan,
Wonderful! I appreciate you making this recipe and your comment, love to hear it turned out well! Xx
Love this recipe! I sweat my zucchini for 10 mins and dried. But it came out somewhere watery still. Do you think maybe the zucchini was too thick? I am going to try and perfect this one! TIA!
Hey Melanie,
Thank you so much for making this recipe and your feedback, so glad to hear it was a winner! Yes, I would try to get your zucchini as thin as possible! Happy Sunday! xT
I accidentally bought Phyllo. Can I use that for a tart?
Hey Rebecca,
The texture is going to be different, but it should work for you! Please let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope it turns out nicely! xx
Made two of them today so easy and so flavorful!I can’t stop eating it🐽🐽 worth every calorie
Lol thanks so much, Lori:) Love to hear that you have been enjoying this tart! Happy Sunday! xT
This is awesome! Just made it tonight! Easy and delicious! 😋
Hi Christina,
Happy Sunday!! So glad to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks for making it! xT
This looks so delish! And I have an abundance or summer squash right now. Do you think phyllo dough could be used as an alternative to the puff pastry?
Hey Tatum,
You would probably have to do quite a lot of layers of phyllo dough, but I suppose it could work! Let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xx
In the 3rd photo from the top, it appears the pesto is swirled into the ricotta on the unbaked tart, before zucchini is layered on. But in the description and directions, it only calls for the pesto to be spooned onto the warm tart after baking. Can you clarify please?
Hey TJ,
You can follow the recipe as written adding the pesto to the baked tart, if you love pesto you can certainly add some to the ricotta as well:) I hope you love this recipe! xT
Made this tonight and really enjoyed it. I’ve never used puff pastry and I was a little generous, but it was really easy.
Everyone in the house said it was a hit!
Hey Sonia,
Happy Friday! Thanks a bunch for giving this recipe a try and your comment, love to hear that it turned out nicely for you! Xx
Hi! Is there a simple side salad that would recommend to go with the tart for dinner? Thanks!!
Hi Leanne,
Yes, here are some recipes that you might enjoy:
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/lemon-parmesan-sesame-salad/
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/roasted-cauliflower-salad/
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/summer-chicken-salad/
I hope this helps! xT
I’m thinking this would work very well with eggplant which I adore.
Let me know if you give this a try, Mary! I hope you love this recipe! xT
Where does the pesto fit in? I’m not seeing it in the directions.
Hi Alyssa,
The pesto is added in step 5:) Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
This looks like a delicious way to use our zucchini from the garden! Do you think you can freeze this and serve later?
Thanks so much, Rachele! Yes, I think that would work nicely for you! I hope you love this recipe! xT