A puff pastry tart makes an easy, handsome bake with crisp flaky layers and plenty of room for sweet or savory toppings!

If you want a puff pastry tart that comes out golden and flaky around every edge, creamy underneath, and covered with juicy roasted tomatoes that taste almost jammy after baking, this is the one I would make!!

Ingredients

For the Tart

• 1 sheet frozen puff pastry, about 9 to 10 ounces, thawed according to package directions but still cold
• 2 medium ripe tomatoes, about 10 to 12 ounces total, sliced approximately 1/4 inch thick
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
• 4 ounces soft goat cheese, room temperature
• 2 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 small garlic clove, very finely grated or minced
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, plus more for serving
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon water
• Fresh basil leaves, optional, for serving
• A small drizzle of honey or balsamic glaze, optional, for serving

Servings: 6 as an appetizer or light meal, or 4 larger servings

How to Make Puff Pastry Tart

Heat your oven to 400°F and line a large metal baking sheet with parchment paper.

Give your oven a full preheat rather than sliding pastry in as soon as display says 400°F if you know your oven tends to run slow, because puff pastry needs an immediate blast of heat to rise properly and form crisp layers.

Slice tomatoes into roughly 1/4-inch slices, keeping them fairly even so they roast at approximately the same rate, then arrange them in a single layer over paper towels and sprinkle with about 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt.

Leave them for 15 minutes, then place another paper towel over top and gently press away visible moisture without squashing slices. You may be surprised by how wet those towels become, which is exactly why this little step is worth doing!

While tomatoes drain, stir softened goat cheese, Parmesan, Dijon mustard, garlic, thyme, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, and black pepper together in a small bowl.

It does not need to become perfectly whipped or completely smooth; you simply want everything evenly mixed and spreadable.

If goat cheese came straight from refrigerator and fights you like it has somewhere else to be, let it soften for another 5 to 10 minutes instead of adding milk or cream, since extra liquid is not especially helpful in a puff pastry tart.

Unfold cold puff pastry onto prepared parchment and gently roll it just enough to smooth creases and make approximately a 10 x 12-inch rectangle.

Avoid aggressively rolling it thin because those layers are what eventually give you that tall, airy crust.

Using tip of a sharp paring knife, score a border approximately 1/2 inch from every edge, taking care not to slice all the way through pastry, then prick only the center area several times with a fork.

Scoring encourages edges to rise into a golden frame while docking center keeps it from ballooning underneath filling.

Spread goat cheese mixture inside scored border in an even layer, leaving outer rim completely uncovered.

I find an offset spatula or back of a spoon easiest here, and do not worry about making it look pristine because tomatoes are about to cover most of your handiwork anyway.

Arrange dried tomato slices over goat cheese, slightly overlapping them if necessary but avoiding thick stacks. You want almost every slice exposed to oven heat so tomatoes roast rather than steam each other.

Drizzle tomatoes with 1 teaspoon olive oil. 

Whisk egg with 1 teaspoon water, then lightly brush mixture over exposed pastry border.

Be careful not to let large amounts of egg wash drip down cut sides because that can glue some pastry layers together and reduce their rise. You only need a thin, glossy coating to get that beautiful bakery-style golden finish.

At this point, put assembled tart into refrigerator for 10 minutes. I know chilling something immediately after spending several minutes preparing it feels like baking is inventing extra chores, but this is one of those small decisions that pays you back.

Pastry should feel cool and slightly firm before baking, not soft or greasy.

Bake on center rack at 400°F for 23 to 28 minutes, rotating pan once around 15-minute mark if your oven browns unevenly. Do not pull it out simply because border looks golden at minute 20.

Look underneath an edge with a thin spatula if necessary: bottom should have noticeable golden color, edges should be deeply puffed, and tomatoes should look softened with slightly shriveled edges.

Pale pastry usually means soft pastry, so another 3 or 4 minutes can be difference between decent and fantastic.

Let tart rest on baking sheet for 5 minutes, then carefully move it to a cutting board or wire rack.

Give it another 5 minutes before slicing so melted cheese settles and pastry stays crisper instead of releasing steam underneath. Scatter fresh thyme or torn basil over top while tart is still warm.

Taste a small corner before adding anything else. If tomatoes were especially sweet, a tiny drizzle of balsamic glaze is excellent; if they were tart, I prefer a very light drizzle of honey, which rounds them out beautifully.

Keep either one restrained, because puff pastry tart should taste like roasted tomatoes, cheese, herbs, and buttery pastry rather than dessert or salad dressing!

Serving Suggestions

This tart is excellent warm, but it is also very good closer to room temperature, which makes it useful when you do not want dinner timing to become a competitive sport.

• For brunch, serve it with scrambled or poached eggs, fresh fruit, and a simple green salad.
• For lunch, pair a large slice with arugula tossed with lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper.
• For an appetizer, cut tart into 12 smaller rectangles or squares and serve while still slightly warm.
• For a light dinner, serve it alongside grilled chicken, lemony greens, or a bowl of vegetable soup.

And if you are making it during peak tomato season, serve sliced peaches or melon on side. Sweet fruit against salty goat cheese and crisp pastry works surprisingly well.

This easy tomato puff pastry tart is exactly the kind of recipe worth keeping around because it manages to look like you spent your afternoon delicately arranging pastry in a tiny French bakery while, in reality, frozen puff pastry did most of heavy lifting!

Hungry for more feel-good meals? Explore these 21 Anti-Inflammatory Breakfast Recipes for a nourishing start and 10 Anti-Inflammatory Dinner Recipes for delicious evenings that make healthy eating easy!