Zucchini Tart

This super cheesy zucchini tart has to be one of my favorite recipes to date!  It is the perfect summer vegetable side and looks so beautiful coming out of the oven.  It reminds me of a classic southern tomato pie, but dare I say it, WAY better!  Zucchini is something we buy every week at the farmer's market, so I am always looking for new and creative ways to prepare it.  This tart has super melty and rich layers of ricotta, feta cheese, pine nuts, and zucchini, and is topped with Parmesan cheese and some fresh cherry tomatoes.  Every bite melts in your mouth and the super flaky crust just tops it all off!  Even better, you can have this ready to bake in about 15 minutes!  Let's get started:

• 1 pie crust 

• 2-3 medium zucchini

• 4 oz crumbled feta cheese

• 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts

• cherry tomoatoes

• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese

• 2 eggs

• 1/4 cup ricotta

• 1/2 tablespoon minced garlic

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• salt

• pepper 

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

2. Chop your zucchini into very thin slices.  Sprinkle with salt and allow them to sit 10-15 minutes at room temperature (until little water droplets start to form on the slices).  This step helps prevent your zucchini from being too soggy later!

3. Place your pie crust in a pie dish.  Pat all your zucchini slices dry with a paper towel.

4. Fill the bottom of the pie crust with a layer of chopped zucchini (about half of your slices).  Top with 1/2 the feta and pine nuts and sprinkle with some salt and pepper.

5. Repeat the process adding another layer of zucchini, pine nuts, and feta, topped with a sprinkling of salt and pepper. 

6. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the olive oil, ricotta, and eggs. 

7.  Pour the ricotta mixture onto the top of the tart, covering evenly.  

8.  Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese over the entire top of the tart and finish with another light sprinkling of salt and pepper.

9.  Cut all your cherry tomatoes in half and arrange them around the edges of your tart.

10.  Bake at 375 for 30-40 minutes until the cheese is bubbly and starts to brown just slightly.

I don't think you can go wrong with a tart that has three different cheeses!  I love how beautifully all the cheese browns as it finishes baking and the cherry tomatoes get perfectly roasted.  The tomatoes add so much brightness that breaks up the rich flavor of the tart.  The addition of pine nuts to any dish makes it a favorite of mine instantly!  They add the perfect amount of crunch, texture, and nutty flavor to this tart.  It is so hard to make these vegetable tarts without getting soggy, watery vegetables inside.  Be sure not to skip salting your zucchini after slicing and letting it sit out for 15 minutes before patting it dry.  This allows it to release all the water that is usually held inside and then released while it's baking causing the tart to become soggy.  We seriously ate over half of this between the two of us at dinner and then Alex enjoyed the rest of the leftovers throughout the weekend (and it's just as good reheated!).  I hope you enjoy it as much as we did, it has become a new staple in our house!

xoxo

Emily