Ina Garten’s goat cheese and zucchini tart recipe with a few simple changes that make it less time-consuming, which makes it perfect for summer entertaining! We make this for lunch or dinner with a green salad. The wonderful thing about these upside-down puff pastry tarts is that they are delicious right out of the oven or served at room temperature.
What you will need to make these tarts:
- Sheet of puff pastry
- Zucchini and yellow squash
- Goat cheese
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt & black pepper
- Lemon juice & lemon zest
- Fresh thyme
- All-purpose flour
- Egg
The tools you will need:
- Colander set
- Large bowl
- Sharp knife or Mandolin
- Rolling pin
- Clean dish towel or paper towel
- Parchment paper
- Sheet pan
- Pastry brush
How to make the tarts:
With Ina’s recipe, you would also need to make dough for the crust, but we are taking a shortcut and using puff pastry. These upside-down puff pastry tarts have gone viral on TikTok and Instagram for good reason! Making a crust takes time; thawing out one sheet of puff pastry takes minutes on a hot summer day. In fact, it takes such little time that you may have to pop it back in the fridge for a tiny bit while you get the ingredients together!
The first thing you will need to do:
- Prepare your puff pastry. With a sharp knife, cut one sheet into six rectangles and refrigerate until ready to use
- Prepare the goat cheese mixture with lemon zest and fresh thyme
- Cut the zucchini and yellow squash into thin slices using a sharp knife or a mandolin.
- Arrange the zucchini and yellow squash slices in a single layer in a colander(s) and salt so that they release the water.
The Steps in Photos Making Ina Garten’s Goat Cheese Tarts Using Puff Pastry
Ina Garten’s Goat Cheese and Zucchini tart Recipe
- Prep Time: 40 minutes
- Cook Time: 17 minutes
- Total Time: 57 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
Ingredients
- One sheet puff pastry
- 4-ounce of goat cheese (softened a bit)
- One each, zucchini and yellow squash (same size)
- Lemon zest from one lemon
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- Fresh thyme (divided, some will be used to mix with the goat cheese and the rest will be for a garnish)
- 1 egg for egg wash
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Instructions
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out one sheet of puff pastry and cut six rectangles. Put them on a plate with parchment paper cut into rectangles and place them between each puff pastry to ensure they do not stick together. Keep cold in the refrigerator until ready to use.
- Slice thin circles of zucchini and yellow squash using a sharp knife or a Mandolin. Place in colanders and allow to drain onto a place for 30 minutes. Then place the rounds on a paper towel and pat dry with an additional towel.
- Mix the goat cheese with some fresh thyme, lemon zest, salt, and pepper in a small bowl using a fork. Set aside.
- Prepare a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Add about 1/2 tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil in four places, evenly spaced. Or six if you are using a large baking sheet.
- Layer the zucchini slices in two rows, forming a rectangle over the oil olive oil on the parchment paper.
- Spread a quarter of the goat cheese mixture on the zucchini and yellow squash slices.
- Cover with a puff pastry rectangle, pulling it gently to the size you need to cover the filling.
- Using the tines of a fork, gently go around all four sides with the fork, then prick the inside of each pastry, give each a little egg wash, and sprinkle with sea salt.
- Pop them into a 350º oven for about 15-17 minutes. When they are golden brown, take them out and flip them over on the baking sheet. Crank the oven to broil and put them back in for a minute or two until golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack. Once they have cooled slightly, sprinkle with some fresh thyme. The sprinkle of fresh thyme makes the tarts look so beautiful, so please, don’t skip that part!
- Enjoy!
Why make this into a tart using puff pastry over traditional pastry?
The good news is that both are delicious, but if you are looking for a time-saver, choose buttery puff pastry every time. Sure, you could buy a pie crust to save time, but puff pastry also bakes a lot faster too. The most time-consuming part of the recipe is waiting for the zucchini and yellow squash to drain in the colander and then on a clean dish towel.
What part can I make ahead?
I love when I can make a recipe or at least part of the recipe ahead of time. In some places, apparently, puff pastry comes in turnover size. I have yet to find this in my local grocery stores, but buying puff pastry in small sheets would be a time saver. Or you could cut the sheet of puff pastry into six rectangles, layer each piece between parchment paper, and freeze in a freezer bag until ready.
You can get the goat cheese mixture ready, and then it’s just waiting time for the zucchini!
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