Summer Vegetable Tart

This savory vegetable tart consists of a crispy buttery pre-baked phyllo crust filled with a warm mixture of sauteed vegetables, thyme, and goat cheese. 

The tender vegetables, combined with the goat cheese and seasoned with black pepper and thyme, are so flavorful. 

To make this tart, you begin by assembling and baking a tart crust with layers of buttered phyllo dough until it is golden. Next, you cook the vegetables until they are softened and the juices have concentrated. 

Finally, you stir in a full cup of crumbled goat cheese and then fill the phyllo shell with the warm vegetable. 

Ingredients in this Summer Vegetable Tart:

Vegetables: You will need an onion, red bell peppers, white mushrooms, zucchini, yellow squash, and fresh corn. 

Herbs, Spices, and Aromatics: You will need fresh thyme, salt and pepper, and garlic. 

Goat Cheese: Crumbled. 

Fats: Olive oil for sautéing the vegetables and butter for brushing the phyllo. 

Phyllo Dough. 

Phyllo dough and I have a rocky relationship. I usually have to sacrifice more than a few sheets just to get the amount I need for a recipe. 

The first time I made this tart (several years ago), the phyllo pretty much shredded when I tried to unroll it. You are supposed to butter and layer and fan out ten pieces of halved phyllo sheets in the tart pan, letting the edges overhang, kind of like a multiple handkerchiefs. 

I ended up layering the shredded pieces as best I could, kind of like a puzzle, buttering the pieces as a went. 

And guess what? The crust was just fine thank you very much. It turned out to be a perfect vehicle for this lovely vegetable filling (see photo below). 

This time, my phyllo was much easier to work with (or maybe I'm better at it). While I'm on a roll, I may have to use the leftovers to remake the scallop and pesto appetizers that gave me so much trouble last time! 

P.S. If you want a recipe using phyllo that is super easy, try this Greek-Orange Phyllo Cake. You get to just crumble the phyllo in to balls. 

Check out the pre-baked tart shell from this time! Note: once you bake the shell, it will get a little crispy and crumbly. That's a good thing!

This is definitely a dish I wanted to make again. We had it as a side dish with a steak along with some braised carrots and leeks. It felt very elegant.

The only special kitchen equipment you will need is a 9 inch tart pan with a removable bottom. You could also make individual tarts if you prefer. This is a really flexible recipe. 

Make-ahead Tips:

This tart is best the day that it is made. You can make the shell in the morning and leave it out, and prepare the filling later. 

If you do have leftovers, they can be reheated and still be delicious. If you have any extra filling, it's fabulous on crackers as a spread. 

This recipe has been adapted, with a few changes, from the book, Baking with Julia: Savor the Joys of Baking with America's Best Bakers - In Classic Julia Style, (1996) written by Dorie Greenspan. The book is based on the PBS Series with Julia Child where she hosted top pastry chefs, cookbook authors, or bakers in her kitchen and they would bake together. 

The bakers included Nancy Silverton, Jacque Pépin, Alice Medrich, and Beatrice Ojakangas. The guest baker presenting this Summer Vegetable Tart was Gale Gand. 

More Julia Child-related Recipes You May Also Enjoy: 

Petit Pains - Julia Child's French Bread Rolls

Beurres Composés - Cold Flavored Butters

Pain de Epi

Boeuf Bourguignon - a classic

To celebrate Julia's birthday, which is August 15, the From Our Dinner Table group is preparing dishes in her honor. 

Celebrating Julia Child

• Ham and Cheese Crepes from Art of Natural Living
• Julia Child's Buttermilk Bread from That Recipe
• Ratatouille Stir-Fry from A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures
• Summer Vegetable Tart from Karen's Kitchen Stories

We share Recipes From Our Dinner Table! Join our group and share your recipes, too! While you're at it, join our Pinterest board, too!

Summer Vegetable Tart

Yield: 8 servings

Author: Karen's Kitchen Stories

Prep time: 20 MinCook time: 40 MinTotal time: 1 Hour

This savory vegetable tart consists of a crispy buttery pre-baked phyllo crust filled with a warm mixture of sauteed vegetables, thyme, and goat cheese.

Ingredients

For the Phyllo Shell

• 5 sheets of 9 inch by 14 inch phyllo dough
• 1/2 cup butter
• Freshly ground black pepper

For the Filling

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 sweet, white, or yellow onion, halved and thinly sliced
• 2 large cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/2 pound of white mushrooms, stemmed and sliced
• 2 red bell peppers, stems and ribs removed, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced zucchini
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced yellow squash
• Kernels from one fresh ear of corn
• 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, plus more for garnish
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 4 ounces (1 cup) crumbled goat cheese

Instructions

To Prepare the Crust

1. Heat the oven to 375 degrees F
2. Cut the five sheets of phyllo in half, and working one sheet at a time, brush with the melted butter and sprinkle with fresh pepper. Place the sheet into a 9 inch tart pan with a removable bottom that has been placed on a parchment lined baking sheet. Continue with each sheet, rotating the pan slightly each time, draping the ends over the rim of the tart pan in a handkerchief pattern.
3. Bake until golden brown and crispy, about 10 to 15 minutes. As it is baking, you may have to reach in and press it down every three or four minutes with a spatula if it puffs up. I had to do that a couple of times. Cool on the sheet pan on a rack.
4. When the shell is cool, gently remove it from the tart pan and place it on a platter.

To Make the Filling

1. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium to high heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring often, until soft and somewhat translucent, but not browned.
2. Add the mushrooms, peppers, zucchini, yellow squash, and corn, and cook, stirring, until the vegetables are cooked through and any excess liquid has evaporated.
3. Add the thyme, salt, and pepper to taste, and stir.
4. Add the goat cheese, stir until heated but not too melted (if possible), and immediately spoon the mixture into the tart shell. Spread with a spoon or spatula. Garnish with a little more thyme.
5. Serve the same day the tart is made, either warm or at room temperature.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

252

Fat (grams)

21 g

Sat. Fat (grams)

10 g

Carbs (grams)

13 g

Fiber (grams)

2 g

Net carbs

11 g

Sugar (grams)

4 g

Protein (grams)

5 g

Cholesterol (grams)

37 mg

https://www.karenskitchenstories.com/2013/07/summer-vegetable-tart-tuesdays-with.html

Karen's Kitchen Stories

Julia Child, Vegetables, Pastry

Side Dish

American

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Updated August 10, 2024