This Puff Pastry Asparagus Tart recipe is SO EASY to make with only FOUR INGREDIENTS! This vegetarian meal is perfect for meatless Monday and is a wonderful way to use lots of asparagus.
I almost always keep puff pastry in my freezer. Tarts, like these asparagus tarts, are so easy to make with almost any vegetable you have on hand. If you have vegetables, cheese, and puff pastry, you have a meal! And that meal is very similar to pizza, so win-win :-)
Sure, you could make your own puff pastry or use a homemade pie crust for this, but I love the convenience of a pre-made frozen puff pastry when I’m in a hurry. And it has such flaky, buttery perfection that is hard to get at home without a lot of practice!
In this post I’ll explain how to assemble these asparagus tarts so they cook up to poofy, flaky perfection, provide ingredient substitution suggestions for different veggies and cheese you can use, and give you some other recipe ideas for asparagus and puff pastry.
How to assemble an asparagus tart
In a nutshell, all you need to do is put cheese and asparagus on top of puff pastry and bake! But there are a few tricks that will help you get a perfect tart that is the right size to accommodate a LOT of asparagus, poofy only on the edges, and has perfectly seasoned and cooked asparagus.
- First, roll out the puff pastry in ONE direction. This will give you a base that is larger, so you get the most bang for your buck, and so you can fit a whole pound of asparagus on top! Rolling it in one directions makes it wide enough to accommodate a lot of asparagus but leaves the height a bit smaller, just about the length of a trimmed asparagus spear.
- Then, use a sharp knife to score the puff pastry about 1/2 inch from the edge. This will create a crust that will get poofy as it cooks, while the center, where the toppings are, will stay flat.
- Add the cheese– mozzarella and parmesan- within the scored line.
- Arrange the asparagus on top alternating the direction they face. This will ensure that everyone gets some asparagus tips (which are the best part!) if you cut it in quarters.
- Finally, drizzle with a little olive oil and sprinkle with a little salt and pepper– this will help the asparagus be well seasoned and roast to perfection.
Now, you’re ready to bake! It only takes about 20 minutes to cook, meaning you can have this meal ready in about a half an hour. SO EASY.
Other cheeses and veggies you can use
When I first made this tart, I used gruyere and goat cheese, which was delicious. You could use fontina, or a pre-shredded mix of Italian cheeses.
Almost any quick-cooking vegetable will work for this. I’ve made it with sliced zucchini, summer squash, and tomato. I think it would be fabulous with halved cherry tomatoes, topped with fresh basil and a drizzle of balsamic glaze after it’s done baking.
You could also use small florets of broccoli, or even thinly sliced sweet potatoes or white potatoes topped with rosemary! Or MUSHROOMS. YUM. There are a LOT of possibilities.
Just make sure you don’t use something that takes forever to cook- like cubed butternut squash, thick-sliced potatoes, etc. Otherwise, the puff pastry will get overcooked and dry and the vegetables will be underdone.
Other Easy Puff Pastry Recipes
- Feta and Sun Dried Tomato Tart
- Mini Spinach Feta Pies (Spanakopita)
- Spinach and Mushroom Calzones
- Puff Pastry Pizza (from Stress Baking)
- Baked Brie en Croûte with Cranberry Sauce
Other Easy Asparagus Recipes
- Bacon Wrapped Asparagus with Goat Cheese
- Slow Cooker Asparagus, Spinach, and Potato Soup
- Flounder and Asparagus with Fresh Lemon Pepper
- Barley Risotto with Asparagus, Basil, and Lemon
Did you make this Puff Pastry Asparagus Tart? Please comment below and Rate this Recipe
Puff Pastry Asparagus Tart
Ingredients
- 1 lb asparagus spears trimmed and rinsed
- 1 sheet frozen puff pastry thawed
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese shredded
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese grated
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- kosher salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Unfold puff pastry on a piece of parchment paper. Roll it in one direction so it's a rectangle approximately 14" by 10" and the lines from it being folded are gone.
- Using a small, sharp knife, score the puff pastry approximately 1/2 inch from the edge of the puff pastry, without cutting through the dough to the bottom. This will allow the edge to rise and create a puffy, crispy crust.
- Spread the shredded mozzarella (1 cup) on top of the puff pastry, trying to stay inside the scored lines.
- Top with the grated parmesan cheese (1/4 cup).
- Arrange the asparagus spears on top, close together, alternating the directions they're facing so the ends and tips alternate.
- Drizzle the top with the olive oil and sprinkle with a little bit of kosher salt and black pepper.
- Bake at 400 for approximately 20 minutes, or until edges of pastry are golden brown.
- Allow to cool for at least 5 minutes and slice into quarters. Serve immediately.
Notes
- To trim asparagus: hold it in the middle and grab the tough end. Bend, and snap! (anyone catch that reference?) It will snap at the place where it becomes less tough. Then, if you want, you can arrange them and trim them to a uniform size.
- Ingredient Substitutions: Other cheeses, such as gruyere, goat cheese, or fontina, can be used. Other quick-cooking veggies, such as zucchini, tomatoes, summer squash, small broccoli florets, or mushrooms can be used instead of asparagus.
- The provided nutrition information does not include any added sodium from seasoning to taste, any optional ingredients, and it does not take brands into account. Feel free to calculate it yourself using this calculator or by adding the recipe to Yummly.
Nutrition
Nutrition Information Disclaimer
The provided nutrition information is my best estimate and reflects one serving of the recipe (total servings indicated at top of recipe card). It does not include any added sodium from seasoning to taste, any optional ingredients, and it does not take brands into account. I use an automatic API to calculate this information. Feel free to calculate it yourself using one of these tools:
This recipe originally appeared on Bowl of Delicious in April 2014 as “Asparagus Tart with Goat Cheese and Gruyere.” It has been edited with new photos, simpler ingredients, and clearer recipe instructions.
Alexandra
Loved this tart! I sprinkled a few red pepper flakes on top for a little kick.
Katherine Howells
Made this tonight & it is really delicious. Is there any way to reheat the several left over pieces? Too good to waste!
Elizabeth
I would just pop them back in the oven to reheat them! Maybe 350 for 15 minutes? Microwaving will heat it but will probably make it a bit soggy. Glad you liked it! :)
Morgan
A package comes with 2 pastry is this recipe for both?
Elizabeth
Hi, Morgan! The package that I got came with one pastry (Goodwives brand from Whole Foods). What I can tell you that the one sheet was approximately 6″ x 12″, so I cut that into two 6-inch squares and made one tart on each. The picture shows one square, to give you a sense of scale! I hope this is helpful. Honestly, you really can’t go wrong here- just layer on the ingredients on whatever size you decide and it will be delicious! :-) Hope you like it!
Cindy M
Definitely gotta try this one! And that’s so funny, when I was snapping asparagus the other night for dinner, I remembered back to that Friday Night Pasta night and teaching all you lovely archies about that trick, and I wondered if you guys remembered that, haha. Cool!