Zucchini and ricotta puff pastry tart
Flaky puff pastry spread with lemony ricotta and shingled with thin zucchini, baked until golden and pretty enough to post.
- 55 min total
- 20 min hands-on
- Follow-a-recipe easy
- Serves 4
- About $2.33 a serving
- 490 calories
- Vegetarian
Dolly says: Most of the time here is hands-off, so you can sit down while it cooks.
Ingredients
For 4 servings.
- 1 puff pastry sheet, thawed in the fridge overnight
- 2 zucchini, small
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- 1 large egg, beaten
- ½ cup grated parmesan, divided
- 1 lemon
- 1 clove garlic, grated
- 4 sprigs fresh basil, leaves torn (optional)
From your pantry
- ¾ tsp salt, divided
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Each serving has about 490 calories, 18 g protein, 31 g carbs and 33 g fat, and costs about $2.33 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No zucchini? Yellow squash works.
- No ricotta cheese? Cottage cheese works.
- No grated parmesan? Parmesan wedge works.
- No lemons? Limes work.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the oven to 400°F.
Preheat. Preheating means turning the oven on before you start, so it’s fully hot when the food goes in. Food that starts in a cold oven cooks unevenly and doesn’t brown the same.
How you’ll know: The oven beeps or its light clicks off, usually 10 to 15 minutes after you turn it on.
the zucchini into thin rounds, about ⅛ inch.
Slice. Slicing means cutting food into flat pieces of about the same thickness. Even slices cook evenly, so none are raw while others burn.
How you’ll know: Lay a few side by side: they’re close to the same thickness from one end to the other.
with ½ teaspoon salt and let them sit on paper towels for 10 minutes, then .
Toss. Tossing means gently lifting and turning food so everything gets coated, like pasta in sauce or vegetables in oil. It coats every piece evenly without mashing anything.
How you’ll know: Every piece looks glossy or evenly coated, with no dry spots hiding underneath.
Pat dry. Patting dry means pressing paper towels onto food to soak up the moisture on its surface. Wet food steams instead of browning, so this is how you get a good sear and crisp skin.
How you’ll know: The surface feels tacky, not wet, and the last paper towel comes away barely damp.
Timer: 10 min
Mix the ricotta with most of the beaten egg, half the parmesan, the of the lemon, the garlic, pepper and ¼ teaspoon salt.
Grate. Grating means rubbing food across the holes of a grater to make fine shreds or flakes. It spreads cheese, garlic or ginger evenly through a dish so it melts right in.
How you’ll know: Even shreds fall off the back of the grater, and you stop while the piece is still big enough to hold.
Zest. Zest is the thin, colored outer layer of citrus peel, rubbed off on the smallest holes of a grater. It holds the fruit’s fragrant oils, so it adds bright flavor without the sourness of juice.
How you’ll know: You see bright flecks and smell citrus right away; stop when you reach the white layer, which is bitter.
Unfold the pastry onto a . With a knife, score a line 1 inch in from the edge all the way around, without cutting through, then prick the middle all over with a fork.
Sheet pan. A sheet pan is a flat metal baking tray with a low rim all the way around. The rim catches juices, and the wide surface lets food spread out and brown.
How you’ll know: Everything fits in one layer with a little space between the pieces.
Dolly’s tip: The scored border puffs up into a crust while the pricked middle stays flat for the filling.Spread the ricotta inside the border. Shingle the zucchini over it in overlapping rows.
Brush the border with the rest of the egg. the zucchini with the oil and sprinkle with the remaining parmesan.
Drizzle. Drizzling means pouring a thin, slow stream over the top of something. A thin stream spreads a little flavor a long way.
How you’ll know: You see thin lines across the food, not a puddle collecting underneath.
until the pastry is puffed and deep and the zucchini is tender, 25 to 30 minutes.
Bake. Baking means cooking in the oven with dry heat all around the food. It cooks evenly from every side, so you can mostly leave it alone.
How you’ll know: It’s golden on top and passes the recipe’s check, like a clean toothpick or the right temperature.
Golden brown. Golden brown is the color of good toast, somewhere between yellow and light brown. It means the outside is cooked and crisp but not burnt.
How you’ll know: It looks like toast and smells toasty; dark brown with a bitter smell means it went too far.
Timer: 27 min
Dolly’s tip: Lift a corner. If the bottom is still pale, give it 5 more minutes or it’ll be soggy.Food safety: For the safest eggs, cook until the whites are fully set and the yolks begin to thicken. Dishes made with eggs are done at 160°F.
Squeeze a little lemon juice over, scatter the basil, and cut into squares.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
More dinners like this
Samosa pie with lentils and potatoes
80 min
Air fryer lentil meatballs
55 min
Cheesy baked orzo
50 min
Instant Pot barley risotto with spinach and sun-dried tomatoes
50 min
Vegetarian dinners ›Cheap puff pastry recipes ›What to make with eggs and parmesan ›What to make with parmesan and ricotta cheese ›What to make with zucchini and parmesan ›