Breakfast, Recipes

Easy Asparagus Tart

This Easy Asparagus Tart is perfect for brunches, Mother’s Day, showers, and parties. Simple, yet elegant, it will be sure to impress!

Spring is in full force here. & with spring comes all the spring veggies: asparagus, radish, peas, spinach, artichokes. Even though Mother’s Day has passed (this year) this easy asparagus tart is a great recipe to have on hand for any celebration and feature the veggies in season! The hardest part is rolling out the puff pasty. But once you get the hang of that, the possibilities are endless!

Puff pastry is delicate, flaky, and just plain delicious. And even though it is not a ‘whole grain’, all foods can (and should) fit! This asparagus tart is one I like to make for get-togethers and/or celebrations. It’s actually quite simple, is easily interchangeable with different veggies and cheese and can even be made from savory tart to sweet tart! If you were to ask me, that’s a win win in my book!

pot of boiling water with a bunch of asparagus about to cook

Ingredients: Easy Asparagus Tart

Asparagus– In season now, asparagus is a perfect vegetable to use on this tart! You can always switch out and use whatever veggies you have on hand. The key here is to make sure your veggies are almost fully cooked before baking the tart in the oven. Roasted red pepper, onions, and mushrooms would be a nice combo!
Puff Pastry: Make sure to purchase puff pastry and not phyllo dough. Puff pastry is laminated dough and that gives this tart that flaky, golden crunch you’re looking for! I purchased the puff pastry, however, it can be homemade as well (just takes some work!)
Cheese – Many recipes online use an expensive cheese: gruyere or fontina. These cheeses are delicious, however, they may not be readily available. Using more common cheeses, swiss, goat, or feta, are the better options. And if you’re making this for a celebration get fancy and go for the more expensive cheeses.
Lemon/Olive Oil – A simple vinaigrette drizzled on top at the end helps marry the flavors together. Be careful not to drizzle too much or else it will make the puff pastry get a tad soggy.
Pepper – I used just a smidge of black pepper here and no salt. Cheese is quite salty and I find I don’t need to add any more. You can always add a few cut fresh herbs if you have those on hand as well – parsley, basil, and or thyme – all would be delicious!

How To Make This Easy Asparagus Tart

Honestly, the hardest part is rolling out the dough. And the weather here in Miami doesn’t help. I included a picture of my dough not being perfect for that very reason. Either way it tastes delicious. Remember, it’s puff pastry and puff pastry is delicious. Add cheese and veggies, be still my heart!

Preheat your oven: Preheat your oven to 400°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Steam your asparagus. Bring a large skillet with an inch of water to a boil. Cook the asparagus for 3-5 minutes, covered. The cook time here depends on the thickness of your asparagus. The thinner the asparagus the shorter the cook time. It will finish cooking in the oven.
Roll the dough: Lightly flour your counter/work space. Place the puff pastry on the counter/work space. Aim to roll the puff pastry into a 16×12 rectangle . This way it puffs up evenly and gives you a few more servings. Mine did not roll out that much and I still was able to get 9 servings.
Bake the dough: Transfer the puff pastry to your parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown.
Time for the toppings: Sprinkle 1 1/2 cups of the shredded cheese over the puff pastry. Add your asparagus on top – I try to keep them evenly spaced and not overlapping. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup of shredded cheese.
Bake. Finish baking for 10-15 minutes until crisp and golden brown.
Whisk: Together the lemon juice, olive oil, and pepper. Drizzle this vinaigrette on top of the puff pastry after it finishes baking. Any remaining vinaigrette can be used for some fresh salad greens served on top (not pictured, but have eaten in this manner in the past – similar to my salad pizza).
Serve warm and enjoy!

cooked puff pastry with asparagus and cheese

OTHER BRUNCH RECIPES:

Easy Asparagus Tart

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Print Recipe

This Easy Asparagus Tart is perfect for brunches, Mother’s Day, showers, and parties. Simple, yet elegant, it will be sure to impress!

Total Time: 35 minutes
Yield: 9 1x

Ingredients

Units Scale

1 pound fresh asparagus, trimmed
1 sheet puff pastry, thawed
2 cups cheese – Gruyere, Fontina, *see notes
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

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Instructions

Preheat oven to 400°.
Boil. In a large skillet, bring 1 in. of water to a boil; add asparagus. Cook, covered, until crisp yet still tender, 3-5 minutes. Drain and pat dry.
Roll. On a lightly floured surface, roll the puff pastry sheet into a 16×12-in. rectangle.
Transfer to a parchment-lined large baking sheet. Bake until golden brown, about 10 minutes.
Sprinkle 1-1/2 cups cheese over pastry to within 1/2 in. of edges. Place asparagus over top; sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake until the cheese is melted, 10-15 minutes.
Whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, and pepper in a small bowl. Drizzle over the pastry once it’s finished cooking. Serve warm.

Notes

*The cook time for your asparagus will depend on how thick the asparagus is. I used quite thin asparagus and it took just 3 minutes to begin to let it cook. It will finish cooking in the oven.

*Many recipes call for very expensive cheese: Fontina, Gruyere. Other options to use: Swiss, Cheddar, Goat, or even Feta. I think asparagus pairs well with the Goat and Feta. I splurged here and used Gruyere, but that’s the beauty of recipes. One small change can lead to endless flavor possibilities.

*Puff pastry dishes are best served immediately. While I did re-heat mine in the toaster oven, they’re just not as crisp as when you first bake them. This recipe is great for a group gathering (when it will be eaten!)