Savory Zucchini & Ricotta Tart Recipe
If you have ever grown zucchini or yellow squash in your garden, you know the feeling of late-summer abundance. Keeping up with the harvest can feel overwhelming. Whether the zucchini is from your own garden or from a weekly farmer’s market visit, late summer means squash is everywhere. This recipe for a zucchini and yellow squash tart puts your fresh produce to good use without spending all evening in the kitchen.
Easy Baked Zucchini Recipe for Dinner
An abundance of zucchini means you have to get a little creative with your recipes. Your family is probably tired of zucchini bread, grilled zucchini, and zoodles. If you are looking for a way to transform this mild vegetable into a stunning yet super-easy dinner for the family, this recipe is for you. This easy zucchini recipe is simple enough to throw together on a busy weeknight but beautiful enough to impress guests at a late summer soiree. Because it comes together quickly and bakes in the oven in under an hour, this is one of our favorite ways to use zucchini.
The Recipe Inspiration
The classic dilemma that sparked the idea for this dish was bringing home too many zucchini and yellow summer squash from the farmer’s market. While squash is plentiful this time of year, its mild flavor needs a boost to stand out. This recipe combines the neutral flavor of zucchini with bright lemon zest, fresh thyme, and creamy ricotta to transform it into something remarkable.
The Perfect Base for Savory Tarts
The biggest shortcut to making this savory tart an easy weeknight dinner is using Pappy’s Pie Crust Dough as the crust. Because Pappy’s contains no added sugar and uses real lard, it yields a neutral crust with unmatched flakiness that pairs beautifully with the ricotta and herbs. Because Pappy’s Pie Crust Dough comes as a puck, you can easily thaw it and roll it out in a tart pan, giving it a homemade look without the stress of making dough from scratch.
Make It Your Own
If you have other garden veggies that need to be eaten, you can tweak the recipe as needed. You can also swap out the ricotta for a tangy goat cheese or add in a melty cheese for extra cheese pull. Our favorite way to prepare this dish is to alternate the green zucchini and yellow summer squash in a spiral pattern to give added visual appeal. But you can truly make the tart your own with your own design. The savory tart tastes great fresh out of the oven, at room temperature, or even chilled for a next-day lunch.
Recipe
Zucchini Ricotta Tart Recipe
The perfect recipe for summertime, this savory tart can be served for dinner or as a stunning appetizer.
Ingredients
Instructions
- Gather your ingredients, ensuring the Pappy's Pie Dough pod is thawed but still chilled.
- Thinly slice the zucchini and summer squash into 1/8" slices. You may want to use a mandolin if you have one. The more even the slices are, the better.
- Place the zucchini and summer squash slices in a colander, sprinkle with salt, and toss to coat evenly. Place the colander on a plate with a lip to draw moisture out of the slices.
- In a medium bowl, mix the ricotta, lemon zest, chopped thyme, salt, and olive oil.
- Flour a rolling surface and roll out the pod of Pappy's Pie Dough to fit your tart pan. We recommend a 9-10" tart pan with a removable bottom for easy serving.
- Fold the dough in half and transfer it to the tart pan. Press gently into the sides of the pan, ensuring some overlap on the fluted edge of the pan. Trim excess dough and smooth out any bumps.
- Preheat your oven to 400°F.
- When the squash is done sweating, empty the slices onto paper towels and firmly blot to remove any excess water.
- Spread the ricotta filling evenly over the bottom of the tart crust. Arrange the sliced zucchini and summer squash over the top of the ricotta filling. We love the look of a spiral of alternating summer squash and zucchini starting at the center spiraling outward.
- Sprinkle the top of the tart with a pinch of salt, pepper, and extra thyme leaves. Drizzle a bit of olive oil over the top. Bake at 400°F for 30-40 minutes.
- If the crust and squash need more color, increase the temperature to 425° for the last 10 minutes.
- Let the tart cool on a wire rack for 15-20 minutes before slicing. Serve warm, at room temperature, or chilled the next day!
