Herb-Packed Heirloom Tomato Tart

Want to know how I celebrate summer in the South? I eat at least one fat tomato a day.

I wish I was one of those garden ninjas who could snap my fingers and have a bumper crop of tomatoes ready to pick from my backyard garden at any given moment during summer. But my green thumb is anything but, so instead, I like to splurge on all the glorious tomato varieties at my local farmer’s market.  When I’m not simply salt-and-peppering them by the slice, I really enjoy them tucked into a tart, something simple and fuss-free with a crisp bottom crust and delicately creamy filling that won’t overpower those prized tomatoes. This tart does all of that, and still somehow manages to make your table feel just a wee bit fancy.

The classic Southern tomato pie is delicious but far from delicate when packed with mayo (as most are). With around 100 calories per tablespoon, you can imagine the load in a whole pie!  Here, I lighten the filling with part-skim ricotta, which is loaded with protein, and whip in an egg to give it that silky, custard-like mouthfeel. A pop of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese packs a salty, umami-rich punch that elevates the mild ricotta without compromising its creaminess. Fresh basil, bright lemon zest and earthy thyme all come together to intensify flavor of the whole pie. Save some herbs to sprinkle on top when the finished tart has had a few minutes to rest and set.

The crust is my favorite part of this tart, one that I put on repeat with other savory tarts and pies, too. It couldn’t be more simple (nor more tasty!). Drop the ingredients in a food processer and then just mix, pulse and press directly into the pan. No kneading, no rolling, no chilling. It’s designed to be crumbly so that each creamy, summer-filled bite has a bit of nutty, crunchy crust clinging to it.

Use a variety of tomatoes: big, small, fat, yellow, cherry, overripe, green and ugly. They’re all glorious in this tart. Just be sure to seed them so they don’t make the filling to watery. Tired of tomatoes? This recipe works wonderfully with summer squash, too.

Crust

• 11/4 cups (150 grams) white whole wheat flour
• 2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts or roasted sunflower seeds
• ¼ tsp kosher salt
• ¼ tsp black pepper
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 3 tablespoons ice water
• Cooking Spray

Filling

• 1 cup good quality part-skim ricotta cheese (such as Calabro)
• 1 large egg
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ¾ cup chopped fresh basil, divided
• 11/2 tablespoons fresh thyme, divided
• ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated and divided
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon zest
• 1 pound assorted heirloom tomatoes, seeded and cut into ¼-inch slices (or halved, if using cherry tomatoes)

To prepare crust, weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups. Combine flour and next 3 ingredients (through pepper) in a food processor; pulse 3 times. Combine oil and water. With processor on, slowly add oil mixture through food chute; process until dough is crumbly. Dump dough into a 9-inch glass or ceramic pie plate coated with cooking spray.  Press firmly into an even layer in bottom and up sides of dish. Bake at 450 for 10 minutes. Remove from oven.

To prepare filling, combine ricotta, egg, garlic, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ cup basil, 1 tablespoon thyme, ½ cup Parmigiano cheese and lemon zest in a food processor; process until smooth. Spread ricotta mixture evenly over crust.

Arrange tomato slices over ricotta mixture, using a circular pattern and slightly overlapping. Sprinkle tomatoes with remaining 2 tablespoons cheese. Bake at 425 for 25-30 minutes or until filling is set. Sprinkle with remaining basil and thyme.

Sidney Fry is a two-time James-Beard-Award-winning food and nutrition writer who loves creating simple, healthy recipes and thoughtful, actionable content for the hungry consumer. A healthy living proactivist, Sidney is also a registered dietitian nutritionist, recipe developer and mama of three based in Birmingham, Alabama.