Fresh spinach, acquired through a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) food co-op, along with farm fresh eggs and feta cheese go into making this egg-based meatless tart. Healthy and delicious!
Though we long to have a sustainable farm of our own, that fantasy is not a part of our current reality. For now, I must rely on my farming friends and neighbors to share their bounty with dreamers like me. We’ve participated in our local Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) movement for several years. CSA’s operate by consumers like me paying a local farmer(s) for a share of their harvest each week.
I love participating a CSA because the food is so fresh–usually picked that day–and it also encourages me to find tasty uses for vegetables that I may not otherwise think to eat. I’m not going to lie–sometimes the stuff in my basket can be a little intimidating. More than once, I’ve peered into my basket and thought, what the heck do I do with that?! Thankfully, my CSA farmer is passionate about farming and food, so she shares a ton of good ideas on how to prepare anything that may otherwise seem “scary.”
My BFF Nicki is a full-time farmer, and gracefully shares the literal fruits of her labors with me each week , and several other clients, from June through October. I’ll be introducing you to Nicki and her farm, very soon. Until then, let’s take a look at what my farm share looked like last week:
Here on the 45th Parallel, the heat of summer ramps up a bit later than in other parts of the country, so the initial CSA offerings primarily consist of All the Green Things:
Green onions, fresh thyme, rosemary, sage, cilantro, parsely, mint, mixed greens, and baby spinach. Rhubarb and radishes added a pop of red to the whole affair.
Here’s what I did with it all…
The green onions went into my favorite layered taco dip, as well as an accessory in salads and other dishes. The mixed salad greens made for a fantastic bed for grilled chicken salads, and as the headliner of a Caesar salad. The herbs went in just about everything, and we munched radishes dipped in copious amounts of garlic feta dip all week long.
We’ll discuss what I did with the rhubarb later this week.
Today, let’s talk about the baby spinach, going into a delicious fresh spinach tart!
♥♥♥
Since I was flush with salad greens, I decided to wilt the spinach to add texture to other meals. I’m not a huge fan of wilted greens, but I love wilting fresh spinach to add to veggie pasta and many other dishes.
Perhaps my favorite application for wilted fresh spinach is in tart form. Because I can eat most anything if it’s in a pie! Who’s with me?
My Fresh Spinach Tart is married with fresh mint, basil, lemon zest, and just enough feta to give it a little Mediterranean flair.
It’s a great way to eat your greens!
Start with 8 ounces of fresh spinach greens.
Rinse the greens and toss them into a skillet with a dribble of water.
Warm the spinach over medium heat until the leaves begin to wilt, stirring occasionally. The spinach will release more water as it wilts.
Continue to stir and wilt the greens until the water appears to have evaporated, and greens are beginning to dry.
Remove from the heat, and then gently press the greens with the back of a spoon to release any water caught up in the mass, which shouldn’t be much.
Roughly chop the warm, wilted spinach, along with mincing a little basil, fresh mint, and the zest of one lemon. The lemon zest and fresh mint bring a delightful brightness to the tart.
Whisk several eggs until fluffy before folding in the spinach, herbs, and lemon zest. Stir in a healthy amount of feta and asiago cheese, for good measure. Season the filling to taste with salt and pepper.
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line the bottom of a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom with parchment paper. Spray the pan and parchment with baking spray. Roll out a disk of the best pie dough on the planet, and use it to line the prepared pan.
Spoon the filling into the pastry-lined tart pan, smoothing it to the edges of the interior. Bake the tart for 30 minutes, or until the filling is set, and crust is golden brown.
Allow the spinach tart to cool in the pan set on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes so the filling will hold together when sliced.
Fresh Spinach Tart is wonderful when served slightly warm, or at room temperature, as either a main dish or as an interesting side dish alongside grilled meats.
♥♥♥
Kirsten Kubert
Yields 8 servings
Fresh spinach, eggs, and feta cheese baked in a tender, flaky tart shell.
35 minPrep Time
30 minCook Time
1 hr, 5 Total Time
Save RecipeIngredients
- 1/2 Recipe No Excuses Pie Dough or enough pastry to line a 9” tart pan
- 4 large eggs (or 3 duck eggs)
- ¼ C. crumbled feta cheese
- ¾ C. freshly grated Asiago (or parmesan, or fontina) cheese
- 8 oz. fresh spinach
- 1 ½ tsp. fresh lemon zest
- 2 tsp. fresh mint, minced
- 1 tsp. fresh basil, minced
- Pinch of kosher salt, to taste
- Pinch of freshly cracked pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Remove the bottom of the tart pan, and trace the shape onto a piece of parchment paper with a pencil. Cut out the parchment circle. Reassemble the tart pan. Spray the bottom of the pan with olive oil or baking spray, line it with the parchment circle. Spray the parchment.
- Roll out a disk of (all-butter) pie dough and line the prepared 9-inch tart pan, trimming any overhang of dough. Dock the pastry by pricking the bottom repeatedly with a fork. Place the pastry lined tart pan in the refrigerator while preparing the filling.
- Rinse and drain the spinach in a colander, blotting with a paper towel to dry. Toss the clean spinach into a skillet with a tablespoon of water. Heat the spinach over medium-low heat until the spinach begins to wilt, stirring frequently. (The volume of spinach should appear reduced by one-third.) Reduce the heat to low, and continue to stir and wilt the spinach until it appears reduced in volume by three-fourths, and the water has appeared to evaporate.
- Remove spinach from the heat. Gently press the wilted greens with the back of a wooden spoon to release and drain most of the excess water in the greens. Chop the wilted spinach; set aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk the eggs until light and fluffy. Fold the cheeses into the whipped eggs.
- Stir in the spinach, and the lemon zest, and herbs until combined. Season the greens mixture with kosher salt and pepper, to taste. (I usually start with ¼ to ½ tsp. salt, and ¼ tsp. pepper—bear in mind that the cheeses can be quite salty.)
- Spoon the filling into the tart pastry, leveling the top to the edges of the pastry lined pan.
- Bake the tart in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until filling is firm.
- Remove the tart from the oven, allowing it to cool in the pan on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes so the filling can set.
- Serve at room temperature, or slightly warm.
- Store leftover tart tightly wrapped in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Notes
This recipe is for a French-style spinach tart: the filling is thin and compact, not thick and fluffy like a quiche, and is best served at room temperature. The tart can be eaten alone, with a side of bacon for breakfast, as a snack, or as a side dish with roasted or grilled meats.
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