Zucchini and Asparagus Tart
Are you in the mood for a refreshing, yet filling tart? You’re in luck! Here’s how to make the best zucchini and asparagus tart — perfect for lunch or as a snack.
This zucchini and asparagus tart is a fresh summer bake with a creamy ricotta and goat cheese filling, held together with eggs and topped with thin ribbons of zucchini and spears of asparagus. You can build it on homemade savory dough or a good store-bought crust, and it tastes just as lovely warm from the oven as it does cold the next day. Below you’ll find how to put it together, what each ingredient brings to the party, and a few notes to help it turn out beautifully.
It seems like I’m on a tart-making spree these days. Ever since I discovered how much I enjoy serving a cold slice of savory tart for lunch with a simple green salad on the side, I keep thinking up new and creative recipes. I love seasonal cooking with fresh produce, and this tart is a perfect example of a summer bake. I had lots of zucchinis in my fridge, both green and yellow ones, and I’d just bought some fresh asparagus from the farmer’s market, so I had to come up with an idea that used both.
A quick word for the asparagus skeptics
By the way, if you’re a bit skeptical when it comes to asparagus, I want to change your mind. This is one of the easiest veggies to cook in the entire world, and it needs almost nothing to shine. If you want to read more on the subject, I recommend my complete guide on how to cook asparagus, with tips, methods, and recipes. For this tart, you don’t even need to pre-cook it. The spears are laid raw on top of the filling and roast gently as the tart bakes, staying just tender with a little bite.
What goes into the filling
Once I had the asparagus and zucchinis prepped, the question was what else to add to make the filling really delicious. Ricotta is one of my favorite neutral cheeses, and it works wonderfully as a creamy binder together with the eggs. On its own it’s mild, so it lets the vegetables come through without fighting them.
I also add some matured hard goat cheese for extra flavor, along with fresh garlic and plenty of fresh parsley. I urge you not to skip the parsley, it makes the flavor of this tart ten times better. And I stir in a couple of scoops of Pure Whey protein powder from Gym Beam, because I like turning everyday dishes into protein-rich ones for my husband, who does a lot of sports. If a high-protein tart isn’t what you’re after, you can simply swap the protein powder for the same amount of flour and the recipe still works.
Store-bought dough or homemade? Both work
Now let me say a couple of words about the dough. If you’ve followed this blog for a while, you may already know that I hate spending endless hours in the kitchen. It seems ironic for a food blogger, I know, but I always try to make my recipes as quick as possible. So I often reach for frozen store-bought tart dough. I check the ingredient list before buying, and as a general rule, if the label is clean and clear with no weird stuff, the dough is good enough. Using store-bought works perfectly fine, trust me, especially when you’re in a rush.
But if you have the time and cooking relaxes you, I really recommend making your own. My savory tart dough uses simple pantry ingredients you almost certainly already have: all-purpose flour, whole grain flour, butter, ice-cold water, and salt. It comes together in the food processor, needs just a short rest in the fridge, and it’s basically fail-proof. Anyone can make it, even if you’ve never made dough from scratch in your life. Try it and let me know how it went.
Tips for a tart that turns out every time
- Keep everything cold when you make the dough. Ice-cold water and chilled butter give you a tender, flaky crust, and the fridge rest of 30 to 45 minutes keeps it from shrinking as it bakes.
- Roll the dough thin, to about half a centimeter, then press it gently into the pan and lift it up the walls so the whole tart has structure. Line the pan with baking paper first if you’re using homemade dough.
- Slice the zucchini thinly so it cooks through in the same time the tart bakes. Thin, even slices also make the top look pretty.
- Blend the filling until it’s smooth and creamy so it sets evenly around the vegetables.
- Bake at 200C for about 20 minutes, then let the tart cool before slicing. Cutting it too soon means the filling hasn’t set and the slices won’t hold their shape.
How to serve it and keep leftovers
For me, this is the ultimate lunch combo. A cold slice with a simple green salad is my go-to, and it’s exactly the kind of thing you can pack the night before for one of those easier lunch ideas for work. It keeps well in the fridge for a few days in an airtight container, and it slices even more neatly once fully chilled, which makes it a great make-ahead option for a picnic or a light dinner.
If you love this style of savory bake, you’ll probably enjoy my crustless asparagus quiche and my cozy potato and cheese tart too. I used my homemade dough for this zucchini and asparagus tart and couldn’t be more pleased with the results. It’s fresh, it’s delicious, it’s everything I wanted from a summer lunch.
If you give this zucchini and asparagus tart a try, please rate the recipe below and drop me a comment to tell me whether you went store-bought or homemade with the dough. I read every one and I’m always happy to answer your questions.
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Zucchini and Asparagus Tart
Ingredients
For the savory tart dough:
- 180 g 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 80 g ⅔ cup whole grain flour
- 80 g 1/3 cup butter
- 80 ml 1/3 cup ice cold water
- ½ tsp salt
For the filling:
- 400 g 17 oz ricotta
- 2 zucchinis thinly sliced
- 200 g 7 oz asparagus
- 200 g 7 oz hard goat cheese, matured, grated
- 4 garlic cloves
- 3 eggs
- 120 g 2/3 cups Pure Whey protein powder from Gym Beam – if you don’t want a high protein tart, you can replace it with flour
- a handful of fresh parsley chopped
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
For the savory tart dough:
- Add all the savory tart dough ingredients, except for the ice cold water, to a food processor and process on medium speed.
- Gradually add the ice cold water, and when the dough has compacted, turn off the food processor.
- Move the tart dough on the work table which was previously lightly powdered with flour and knead it for about 1 minute, until smooth.
- Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and put it in the fridge for about 30-45 minutes before using.
For the filling:
- Add all the ingredients (except the dough, asparagus, and zucchini) to a food processor. Blend until you end up with a creamy mixture.
- Slice the zucchinis.
- Roll the dough into a thin, 0.5cm layer.
- Put the dough in a big tart pan (approx. 35cm diameter). Press the dough and gently lift it to coat the walls of the pan as well. If you're using store-bought dough, it will come with a baking sheet included, which you can leave on. If you choose to make your own dough from scratch, make sure to add a baking sheet to the pan first.
- Pour in the filling.
- Decorate with sliced zucchinis and asparagus.
- Bake the tart at 200C for 20 minutes.
- Let it cool before serving.
- Enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
It is vegetarian. The filling is built on ricotta, matured hard goat cheese, and eggs, the dough uses butter, and the recipe includes whey protein powder, so it contains dairy and eggs. It is not a vegan recipe.
Yes. The Pure Whey protein powder simply boosts the protein content. If you don’t want a high-protein tart, replace the same amount with flour and the filling comes together exactly the same way.
No. Slice the zucchini thinly and lay the asparagus and zucchini raw on top of the filling. They roast gently while the tart bakes at 200C for about 20 minutes, staying tender with a little bite.
Absolutely. Frozen store-bought tart dough works perfectly, especially when you’re short on time. Just check that the ingredient list is clean. If you make your own dough, line the pan with baking paper before pressing it in.
Roll the dough thin, to about half a centimeter, chill it for 30 to 45 minutes before baking, and line the pan with baking paper. Blending the filling until creamy and letting the tart cool before slicing also help it set and hold its shape.
Yes, a cold slice with a simple green salad is one of my favorite lunches. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for a few days. It slices even more neatly once fully chilled, which makes it great for make-ahead lunches and picnics.
Delicious and perfect for summer! LOVED IT!
Wait…I replace the protein powder with 4 cups of flour in the filling? Sounds like a lot of flour!
I’m happy to try though😬
Hi Jen! Thanks for pointing it out. It’s actually 120g – 3/4cups. I wrote 4 cups thinking about the measurement cup for the protein powder, one has 30g. I usually cook in grams not in cups so sometimes I mix it up. I corrected the recipe.