This easy vegan tomato tart features juicy heirloom tomatoes baked in a flaky crust studded with fresh thyme leaves. Serve it with a salad for a delicious summer meal!
A Garden-To-Table Delight
Is there anything like a fresh picked colorful heirloom tomatoes in summer? We wait all year long for these precious few weeks of local tomato season. The smell, the taste and juiciness… it’s just all too good. Sadly it’s been a bad year for our homegrown tomato patch; a sentiment I’ve been hearing from many island friends. Luckily we’ve been able to get some beauties from the local farms though.
This rustic tomato tart is made with simple ingredients and is super easy to put together. It will impress your hungry crowd with its beauty and flavor. I like to let fresh sweet tomatoes speak for themselves so they’re only dressed with a little extra virgin olive oil, sea salt and black pepper and some fresh herbs.
The flaky pastry is kicked up a notch with fresh thyme leaves and brushed with a turmeric wash to give it that perfect golden hue. This is great for an appetizer or side dish or also as a main with some creamy vegan cheese or labneh dolloped on top.
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Ingredients
Heirloom Tomatoes: The star of this simple savory summer tart (and of summer for that matter) is the heirloom tomato. Use whatever varieties you can find that are freshest and in season for the best flavor. Mix and match summer tomatoes to show off their rainbow of colors and mild to sweet to acidic flavors. Add some sweet cherry tomatoes too. Look for local tomatoes at the farmers market, local farm stands or in your garden.
Basil: Fresh basil leaves are a must for tomato dishes. Basil brings out the flavor of the juicy tomatoes and its herbaceous aroma and taste are incredible in this tomato galette.
Olive Oil: The fresh tomatoes are simply dressed in extra-virgin olive oil, salt and pepper. That’s all they need. Use your best extra virgin olive to drizzle on the finished tart before serving.
Thyme Pie Crust: Fresh thyme leaves add flavor to this flaky vegan pie crust. Use all-purpose flour or try whole wheat pastry flour for a heartier taste.
How to Make this Easy Vegan Tomato Tart
Step 1: Make the Vegan Pie Dough
Mix the flour, salt, pepper and thyme together with a fork in a mixing bowl. Cut in the vegan butter and olive oil with your fingers or a pastry blender. Then stir in ice water 1 tablespoon at a time until the dough comes together. It should take about 3-4 tablespoons of ice water, depending on the humidity.
Form the dough into a disc, wrap and chill it for 30 minutes to let it rest and let the gluten relax. Then roll it out to about ¼” thick on a piece of parchment paper. Dust the dough with flour as needed to keep it from sticking to the work surface or rolling pin.
Step 2: Form the Tart
Transfer the tart crust on the sheet of parchment paper to a half sheet pan. Optionally trim the edges of the dough with a knife.
Slice the heirloom tomatoes with a sharp knife and gently dress them with extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper. Use a rubber spatula to gently coat them in the seasoning in a mixing bowl.
First lay some fresh basil leaves onto the center of the pastry then arrange the tomato slices on the pie crust leaving a 2-inch border.
Fold the edges of the crust up and over the tomatoes, tucking them in where they naturally want to to bend.
Mix the vegan egg wash ingredients together in a small bowl then brush the egg wash all over the crust.
Step 3: Bake the Tart
Bake the vegan tomato tart in a preheated oven until the tomatoes are jammy and the crust is golden brown and cooked through on the bottom.
Let it cool on the baking sheet to room temperature then garnish it with more fresh basil leaves. Sprinkle flaky salt and drizzle extra virgin olive oil over the top of the tart before serving.
Serving Suggestions
To make a meal out of this delicious savory summer tart serve it with dressed greens or a side salad and vegan ricotta like my vegan almond ricotta, thick vegan yogurt or herbed cashew cheese like my cultured cashew cheese with chives.
Top it with toasted pine nuts or pistachios for a crunchy element and grate vegan parmesan cheese over it for a salty umami bite.
Drizzle it with balsamic glaze and crumble vegan goat cheese over the top for a sweet and salty combo.
Storage
This rustic tomato pie is best eaten the day it’s made. Store leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate for 3-4 days. Serve them cold or warm the slices before serving them.
Recipe FAQs
The freshest tomatoes are always the best. Use a mix of colorful tomatoes and different varieties if you can find them. This tart is really best int he summer months when tomatoes are locally available. I wouldn’t use grocery store tomatoes for this recipe.
Yes, you can use store-bought puff pastry or vegan puff pastry but the baking instructions will be different. Puff pastry should be trimmed, scored and pre-baked before adding the tomato filling.
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Easy Vegan Tomato Tart Recipe
Ingredients
Pastry Dough
- 210 g all purpose flour 1-1/2 cups, or whole wheat pastry flour
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
- 100 g vegan butter 7 tablespoons, or vegan shortening
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 4 tablespoons ice water
Filling
- 3 cups heirloom tomatoes sliced to 1/4" thick
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 bunch fresh basil leaves
Vegan Egg-Wash
- 3 tablespoons non-dairy milk
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
Instructions
Prepare Dough:
- Stir together flour salt and thyme leaves with fork in a mixing bowl. Cut butter or shortening and oil into flour mixture using your fingertips or a pastry cutter until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs with some pea sized bits.
- Add ice water 1 tablespoon at a time and stir with a fork after each addition until dough comes together into a ball. NOTE: The total amount of water needed will change depending on the humidity of that day.
- Form dough into a disc and wrap in plastic wrap. Rest the dough in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Dough will keep refrigerated for several days or freeze for longer storage. Bring to room temperature before rolling out.
Prepare Tart:
- Preheat oven to 425˚F.
- Roll out pastry dough on floured parchment paper to a 1/4" thick round, flipping it and dusting the dough with more flour as needed if it becomes sticky. Slide the dough still on the parchment paper onto a baking sheet.
- In a mixing bowl gently fold tomatoes with olive oil, salt and pepper using a rubber spatula just until they are evenly coated.
- Place several basil leaves onto rolled out dough. Layer tomatoes over basil leaving about a 2″ border of dough. Trim rough edges of dough with a knife if you want a cleaner look. Fold and tuck dough over tomatoes.
- Stir turmeric powder into non dairy milk and brush onto dough using a pastry brush. This will give the crust a golden brown color like an egg wash.
- Bake galette at 425˚F for 25-30 minutes until tomatoes are bubbling and crust is golden brown.
- Cool to room temperature before slicing. Garnish the tart with more fresh basil leaves and a drizzle of olive oil.
Notes
- Best eaten the day it’s made but leftovers will keep covered and refrigerated for a couple of days.
- The pie dough will keep refrigerated for several days or frozen for up to 6 months. Thaw in the refrigerator before rolling it out.
- This is great served with a dollop of homemade soy labneh
Kaity Farrell
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Kaity Farrell
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