Lasagna Tart Recipe
My mom's friends hosted a shower for my sister and served something similar to this. A noodle-free lasagna baked in a pie crust - layers of zucchini, ricotta, and tomato sauce.
My mom's friends hosted a shower for my sister months ago - not long after she had Jack. Many of them have known my mom longer than Heather and I have been alive, so it seemed fitting to share the new addition to the family with them. I have to tell you, one of the things you immediately notice when these ladies congregate is how tiny they are - a tribe of feisty five-footers. And they are organized. Like a small colony of bees - on the day of the shower everyone had an important job to do. I snuck into the kitchen just before lunch was served and saw a huge green salad. Next to it were three deliciously rustic savory pies. As one was being cut and plated, I started asking questions. As it turns out, I was looking a noodle-free lasagna baked in a pie crust - layers of zucchini, ricotta, and tomato sauce. And lots of cheese. I've been meaning to do my own version ever since.
When I finally got around to putting this idea in motion, I switched things up a bit. For starters, I did a tart version instead of pie. But you could do either, really. I riffed on Clotilde's Easy Olive Oil Tart Dough for the the crust, and kept things pretty straight-forward beyond that. I scaled back on the cheese. A lot. I mean, there is plenty of ricotta in this tart, but nothing compared to the original. In addition to the cheese inside the the original, it was also topped with a thick layer of mozzarella.
I think the source of the original recipe might have been a vintage Junior League cookbook, but I'm not positive. You can certainly experiment depending on the season and what ingredients you have on hand. Just keep in mind that you are going to want to keep the ingredients relatively simple, not too wet (there is lots of moisture in the ricotta and sauce), and quick-cooking. You could put chopped herbs, or a spice blend in the crust - lots of different directions to take this.
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Lasagna Tart Recipe
You can do this with any par-baked pie or tart shell you like. Next time around I might experiment with a Parmesan tart crust like this one, or add some herbs to this version.
2 medium zucchini, sliced into very very thin coins
scant 1 teaspoon fine grain sea saltTart Crust
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour (or spelt flour)
1 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
zest of one lemon
1/4 cup olive oil
scant 1/2 cup cold waterTomato Sauce
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
scant 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
pinch of salt
1 14-ounce can crushed tomatoes1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese
Preheat your oven to 375F degrees, and place a rack in the middle. Oil a 10-inch tart pan and set aside.
Start by tossing the sliced zucchini with the salt in a medium bowl. Transfer the zucchini to a colander and let it drain while you make the tart shell and tomato sauce.
To make the tart shell combine the flour, salt, and lemon zest in a large mixing bowl. Drizzle the olive oil over the flour and stir that in as well. Drizzle the cold water over the flour and mix with a fork just until it is absorbed. Knead one or twice - just until the dough comes together into a ball. On a lightly floured surface use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a circle roughly 13-inches across. Ease the pastry into your tart pan and press it into the corners and up the sides without stretching the dough. Trim away any excess dough, and place the pan in the refrigerator for at least thirty minutes. When the dough is done resting, prick the crust with a fork a few times. Now line the pastry with parchment paper and fill the tart with pie weights. Bake for 15 minutes. Carefully remove the paper and pie weights, then toast the tart crust in the oven for another five minutes or so before transferring it to a rack to cool. Leave the oven on, but dial it down to 350F.
In the meantime, you can make the sauce. Stir the garlic, olive oil, red pepper flakes, and salt together in a small, cold saucepan. Turn the heat to medium-high and cook until the garlic starts to sizzle just a bit. Stir in the crushed tomatoes, bring to a simmer, cook the sauce down a bit, 10 minutes or so, then remove from heat.
When you are ready to assemble the tart, use a spatula to spread half of the ricotta cheese across the base of the tart shell. Now spoon about half of the sauce over the ricotta and arrange half of the zucchini in a single layer on top of the sauce (see image). If your zucchini is still quite wet, press it into some paper towels. I use my fingers for this next part. After spooning the remaining ricotta over the zucchini, push it around a bit with your fingers so that it forms a layer. Arrange another layer of zucchini and finish with the remaining sauce. You want the filling to nearly, but not quite fill the pan.
Place the tart on a rimmed baking sheet - in case you end up with an overflow - and bake for roughly 40 minutes or until the tart is cooked through. Remove and let cool for 10 minutes before serving. I would have dusted the top of this with a bit of Parmesan, but was out of it!
Serves 8.
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Comments
Great idea! Parmesan in tart crust must be really good too. It's like the Chicago's deep dish minus fatty meat and hundreds of calories from the meat. ;) By the way, your nephew is so adorable!
This look amazing, I love that you cut the cheese and are using a whole wheat crust too, then you can have two pieces.
This is something we would make for our Brunch table. We are always looking for something new and this looks great. Nice one. Thanks, s
Heidi, beautiful pictures! Loving it! Question: I doubt I'll be able to go get whole wheat pastry flour anytime soon (I'm baking my way through the Bread Baker's apprentice and husband has me on strict flour rations) so is there any way I could use either regular whole wheat, white whole wheat, all purpose, or bread flour? I have plenty of all of those on hand! Thanks:) HS: hi Jennet, I haven't tested this particular tart dough with any other flours, but I'd be curious about the white whole wheat flour - I suspect you might need to add a bit more moisture, but I suspect it could turn out nicely. If you give it a go - please report back.
It looks simply delicious, but you can't call it a lasagne tart, as lasagne is the name of the pasta! I'd call it a quiche myself, but then, I'm English. But it does look glorious......
wow! this looks amazing. can't wait to give it a try:)
Love it! There was just a recipe featured on the NY Times Well blog like this, well, not like lasagna but it had a bunch of veggies in a pie crust. And you should have seen the backlash among readers who were angry that they'd promote anything with a crust as 'healthy'! As if veggie pie is the reason America is overweight. Hilarious. Love this recipe. Thx :-)
What a wonderful twist on a lasagna!
This looks sensational! I love the idea of making lasagna just a little different. And it's chock full of veggies, too! Can't wait to try this!
A tart with no eggs! How wonderful :-) Can't wait to try it out! Though I'll probably go with part-skim ricotta to cut back on a little fat...all the same, YUM!
What a fabulous idea! Thanks! +Jessie
What a pretty little tart.
This is brilliant. I approve.
could you substitute chick-pea flour for the wheat flour? HS: I think you might have some trouble with that - I think that it would require some experimenting and some blend of various flours/ingredients.
I like to cook, and to bake, but have not yet made the foray into baking tarts. I have to tell you, I have been very tempted to go and get a tart pan just on the basis of the recipes you post... and I think this is the one! I love lasagna as much as Garfield, and what you've done here is an absolutely fabulous idea. :)
I think you've outdone yourself - this looks amazing! I never would have put this combo together - that's why you are the genius here!
I totally LOVE tarts (you can find several of my savory and sweet versions on my blog), but I've never seen one like this and I've not done a whole wheat crust before, so this is a must try for me. Thanks!
Why do people hide vegetables from their kids? If you start early enough, make it clear that YOU enjoy them, and don't treat them like something separate from the "real" meal, your kids won't turn into picky eaters. I didn't eat meat until I was three and have never complained about vegetables. Parents who hide veggies from their kids are setting them up for a lifelong complex. That attitude toward veggies is why we're in the obesity fix we're in. veggies rock!
oh...it just hit me--if you used sundried tomatoes you could of course use pesto or alfredo instead of marinara, and that would about solve the all-the-same-flavor dilemma.
awesome :) I'm going to have company soon, and was planning on pasta of some sort, but contemplating making it all (I make my own) was daunting...this will be much easier. And I'm thinking definitely oregano and parmesan in the crust and parm on top, too. Great timing, with zucchinis in season I suppose, to all those looking to replace the zucchini, if mushrooms, other squash, olives, and eggplant all aren't interesting, and you really love tomatoes, some sundried tomatoes might soak up some of the moisture and give it some structure, all while hiding from kids. But it would certainly be a tomato-y pie!!
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