Spring Vegetable Tart is a balanced vegetarian quiche with loads of fresh spring asparagus, sweet bell peppers, tangy purple onion, fluffy eggs, and creamy cheese nestled in a buttery crust. Thank you Milk Means More – United Dairy Industry of Michigan for sponsoring this post. All opinions are my own.
Although the ground is still frozen in some parts, spring like weather has finally arrived in Northern Michigan! After a weekend of temperatures in the balmy 50’s, we saw half a foot of snow the next week. Then we experienced the nirvana of a weekend of nothing but sunshine and temps in the mid-70’s this past weekend. March came in like a lion and went out like a lion. April has thus far been a sweet kitten that I can’t help but want to snuggle with hope for continued purring of the contentment of spring.
Spring is one of my favorite seasons. After a long winter, I relish seeing all of the vibrant greens and bright pops colors that cast aside the spectrum of browns left behind after the snow melts. The month of The month of April also signals the opening of our local farmers market. While the frost lines in the soil are still dissipating, I’m thankful that several local farms grow an abundance of vibrantly colored spring vegetables in their greenhouses. I can’t help but be energized by browsing the rows at the farmers market. Such a thrill of new life on display in the form of colorful spring veggies!
Spring Vegetable Tart was inspired by the vividly colored vegetables of spring. Spring Vegetable Tart is a balanced, vegetarian quiche filled with loads of fresh spring asparagus, sweet bell peppers, purple onion, juicy tomatoes, fluffy eggs, and tangy cheddar cheese baked in a buttery crust. The array of colors in this quiche are so enticing that I want to dive right in and eat the rainbow contained in each slice.
Which I did approximately 90 seconds after this baby came out of the oven.
Twice.
The singed taste buds were totally worth it.
The aroma of this Spring Vegetable tart coming out of the oven is so savory and fresh that I couldn’t wait the the requisite five minutes of rest time before sampling it. The sight of all of those vegetables so beautifully held together with eggs and cheese signified a truly delicious flavor that I couldn’t resist. Bacon Slayer is usually skeptical of Vegetarian recipes being substantial enough to satisfy his appetite for more than 30 minutes, but he raved about how much he enjoyed the quiche and how if filled him up for hours afterward. I plan to make this Spring Vegetable Tart again and again because it’s super tasty, and pretty enough to serve for special occasion brunches such as on Mother’s Day, bridal or baby showers.
Summer and Fall vegetables lover’s take heart! The Spring Vegetable Tart recipe is versatile enough that I look forward experimenting with various cheeses and new fresh vegetable combinations as they come into season, and you should, too. Have fun with it!
Welcome spring with a Spring Vegetable Tart!
Kirsten Kubert
Yields 12
Spring Vegetable Tart is a balanced vegetarian quiche with loads of fresh spring asparagus, sweet bell peppers, tangy purple onion, fluffy eggs, and creamy cheese nestled in a buttery crust.
20 minPrep Time
30 minCook Time
50 minTotal Time
Save RecipeIngredients
- For the Tart:
- 1 (9-inch) disk of all-butter pie dough
- 4 large eggs
- 1 Tbs. all purpose flour
- 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp. black pepper
- 1 1/2 C. 2% milk
- 1 1/4 C. freshly grated Romano cheese, divided
- 1/4 C. diced purple onion
- 8-10 small asparagus spears, trimmed
- 1/4 C. (1/4 of 1 large) sweet yellow bell pepper, cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch thick strips
- 1/2 C. cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
- Also Required:
- 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom (or 9-inch pie plate)
- Parchment paper
- 2 cups of pie weights or dried (uncooked) beans
- Aluminum foil
Instructions
- Line a tart pan with removable bottom with parchment paper that has been custom cut to fit the bottom of the pan. (If using a pie plate, omit the parchment paper.)
- Roll the pie dough to fill the tart pan with a slight overhang of dough. Gently lift the edges of the dough while also nestling it to fill the bottom and sides of the tart pan without underlying air pockets. Crimp the outer edge of the dough, as desired. Freeze the pastry lined tart pan for 20 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
- While the tart pastry is in the freezer, prepare the filling by beating the eggs together with the flour, salt, and pepper until blended and no longer lumpy. Whisk the milk into the egg mixture until combined. Stir in 1 cup of the Romano cheese and the diced onions into the filling; set aside.
- Line the frozen tart part with a double thickness of aluminum foil with a 1-inch overhang. Scatter the dried beans or pie weights over the foil. Bake the tart shell for 10 minutes. Carefully remove the pie weights by gripping the foil overhang and lifting upward. Briefly dock the crust a few times with a fork. Return the tart pan to the oven and continue baking for an additional 5 minutes or until just barely beginning to brown.
- Remove the tart shell from the oven. Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees F.
- Stir the filling mixture again. Pour filling into the hot tart pastry. Arrange the asparagus, sweet bell pepper, and tomatoes over top.
- Bake the tart at 325 degrees F. for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the center is just set. Allow the tart to rest on a cooling rack for 10 minutes before slicing. Serve Spring Vegetable Tart warm with a sprinkle of the remaining Romano cheese.
Notes
Once lined with pie dough, the tart pan may be frozen for up to 3 days prior to baking. When freezing the pastry lined tart pan a few days ahead of baking, loosely cover it with aluminum foil to prevent freezer burn. On baking day, after removing the foil and beans from the par-baked tart shell, place them on the counter to cool. Once cooled, the dried beans may be stored in an airtight container and reused as pie weights numerous times. Beans that have been used as pie weights are no longer tasty, and should not be cooked and eaten.
Comments