Summer’s bounty of vegetables is a wonderful thing – but just like the saying goes – there can be too much of a good thing. But my motto is: When drowning in vegetables make a beautiful tart with them.
Earlier this week my husband called me on his way home from his father’s.
“Dad gave us a lot of tomatoes.”
“Sweet. We can’t have too many tomatoes.”
He laughed.
“Yeah. You might change your mind when I get home with them.”
He walked in with a box of ten pounds of cherry tomatoes that were so ripe I had to use them or lose them. So, I frantically spent the next day making sauces and salsas and roasting them. And after the day was over, I had a freezer full of treats for fall and winter.
After I shut the freezer door for the last time, I turned to the pint of the most beautiful cherry tomatoes that I had sorted and set aside for dinner.
I was going to make a succulent tomato tart as a reward for being a one-woman processing plant.
This is an incredibly simple tart, that only requires only a few ingredients and if you use store bought pie dough, it comes together in less than 10 minutes. Even though I made the dough from scratch, it was still a really quick meal.
I highly recommend this tart. It is full of the flavor of summer, and is perfect for a weeknight meal or to bring to a party.
Summer Tomato Tart with Green Beans and Mozzarella
1 pint of cherry tomatoes
1 small red onion, sliced
1 cup of fresh green beans, trimmed to 1 inch pieces
½ cup of chopped fresh basil
Salt and pepper
Olive oil
2 cups of shredded mozzarella
Pie dough (homemade or store bought)
Preheat oven to 350.
Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil and cook the green beans until they are bright green, about 2 minutes. Drain them and shock them in ice water to stop them from continuing to cook.
Drain them again and dry them well. In a large bowl combine the tomatoes, onion and green beans with olive oil and salt and pepper. Stir well to make sure they are coated in the oil.
Roll the pie dough out so that it is a little larger than the pie pan so that you can crimp the edges.
Put the dough in the pan then layer 1 cup of the mozzarella, then pour the tomatoes, green beans and onions over the cheese.
Top with basil and the remaining cup of cheese. Pinch the edges of the dough together and bake uncovered for 35-40 minutes or until the cheese is brown.
Serves 4.
(Photos by Launie K.)
