Pumpkin Tart with Ricotta and Onion

This Savoury Pumpkin Tart with Onion, Ricotta Cheese and Rosemary makes a delicious lunch or light dinner to enjoy this Autumn and Winter. The Roasted Pumpkin and Onion Tart made with Puff Pastry can also be served as an appetiser for your next party or for the Holidays!

Why we love this recipe

Savoury Tarts and Quiches are one of my favourite go to meal. Simply because they are so versatile and can be served for any meal of the day!

This savoury pumpkin tart makes a great lunch as well as a delicious light dinner, served with a salad on the side. And it would be great for brunch or as an appetiser as well.

This Roasted Pumpkin Tart is packed with Autumn Flavours that work perfectly with the creamy Ricotta, crunchy Onions and fresh Rosemary. A delicious mix of sweet, salty, soft and crunchy.

Using frozen Puff Pastry as a base makes this recipe so much easier and also reduces meal prep time. Just like my Puff Pastry Mushroom Tart, this recipe is perfect for a quick and easy mid-week meal!

Ingredients

The ingredients for this recipe are quite straight forward: some Puff Pastry, Pumpkin, Ricotta, Onion and Rosemary. Along with a little bit of Olive Oil to roast the pumpkin, some Salt, Pepper and Spices. Easy!

To make this Pumpkin Galette, you will need (scroll down to recipe card for all quantities):

• Frozen Puff Pastry Sheet, pre-rolled – I used a 25×25 cm / 10×10 inch Puff Pastry Sheet
• Pumpkin – you can use any of your favourite variety of Fresh Pumpkin
• Olive Oil
• Ricotta Cheese
• Salt
• Pepper
• Spices: I used Dried Garlic Powder and Cumin, but you can use any of your favourite spices
• Brown Onion – can be substituted with a Red Onion if preferred
• Fresh Rosemary

Cheese Substitution

I used Ricotta Cheese as a base for the tart filling. Ricotta has a relatively mild taste, so you might want to use a different type of cheese if you are looking for a stronger flavour.

Both Feta Cheese and Goat’s Cheese will work great with the Roasted Pumpkin. But if you substitute the Ricotta for Feta or Goats Cheese, you might need to add a little bit of Cream or Milk to make those cheese more “spreadable“.

Can I make tart this Dairy-Free or Vegan?

Yes, you can easily make this dish Dairy-Free and even Vegan. Most frozen Puff Pastries sold in supermarkets are actually made with Oil rather than Butter so they are Dairy-Free. You can also use a Vegan Puff Pastry if needed.

The Ricotta can be replaced with a Dairy-Free Cheese Substitute, as long as it can be spread. Or you could also use a different spread like Hummus instead!

How to make Savory Pumpkin Pie

This Pumpkin Puff Pastry Tart is fairly easy to make, but requires a little bit of time to prepare the different elements.

First, the Pumpkin is sliced into small Cubes and roasted in the oven. While it is cooking, the Ricotta needs to be mixed with some Salt, Pepper and Spices and the Onion needs to be sliced. Then you will need to blind bake the Puff Pastry for about 10 minutes on its own.

Once those three steps are done, you can assemble the pie and bake it all together!

Let’s look at each step in detail:

• Preheat your oven on 180’C / 350’F and line a flat baking tray with baking paper or a baking mat.

• Take the Puff Pastry Sheet out of the freezer and leave at room temperature to thaw.

• Cut the Pumpkin to small Cubes. You can leave the skin or peel it if preferred. Place the Pumpkins on the baking tray and drizzle with the Olive Oil, Salt and Pepper. Gently toss to mix.

• Place the Pumpkin in the oven to cook for about 15 minutes. The cubes should be softer.

• While the Pumpkin is roasting, place the Ricotta Cheese in a small bowl and stir in the Salt, Pepper, Garlic and Cumin (or the spices of your choice). Set aside.

• Cut the Onion into thin slices and set aside (*)

• When the Pumpkin is ready, remove from the oven and set aside.

(*) Note that the onions will remain relatively crunchy. If you would prefer to have softer onion, you can roast them with the Pumpkin.

• Place the thawed Puff Pastry Sheet on a separate flat tray lined with Baking Paper. Fold each sides on about 1 cm / 0.4 inch to create a thicker edge. Use a fork to prick the centre of the pastry (aside from the edges).

• Place the Puff Pastry in the oven to blind bake (at the same 180’C/350’F temperature) for about 10 minutes. It should start to puff and the centre of the pastry should feel dry to the touch.

• Remove from the oven. Gently press on the centre of the Pastry to flatten it if it has puffed a lot. Spread the Ricotta Cheese all over the centre of the pastry. You can use the back of a spoon or a small offset spatula.

• Cover the Cheese with a mix of Roasted Pumpkin and sliced Onion. Finish with some fresh Rosemary, to taste.

Optional: Brush the edges of the Pastry with an egg Yolk for a golden finish.

• Place back in the oven to finish baking for about 15 to 20 minutes, or until the edges of the pastry are golden and the Pumpkin look more golden-brown.

Tips to make this recipe

• Cut the Pumpkin into small cubes so that they cook more quickly in the oven. This is to make sure they are fully cooked by the time the Puff Pastry is baked.

• If you want softer (less crunchy) Onions, roast them with the Pumpkin cubes before adding them over the pastry

• For a sharper taste, use Goat’s Cheese or Feta Cheese instead of Ricotta Cheese. If using feta cheese, you might need to add a little bit of cream to the cheese so that it is easier to spread over the pastry.

• Use the Spices you want to flavour the Ricotta Cheese. I simply used Salt, Pepper, Garlic and Cumin but you can really use any spices you’d like!

• Don’t forget to dock (which means pricking the pastry with a fork) the pastry before blind baking it. This is to make sure the central part of the pastry does not puff too much before you can add the fillings.

• Create a edge around the pastry by folding each sides on about 1 cm / 0.4 inch. This is to insure the filling does not melt over the edges of the pastry, and to give a nice looking crunchy edge to the tart.

• Brush a little bit of Egg Yolk over the edges of the pastry before baking it the second time to get a golden pastry.

Can I make this recipe ahead?

Because we are using Puff Pastry, this tart is best served straight away. Puff Pastry trend to become soggy and loose its crunch quickly. That being said, it will be fine if made a few hours in advance and re-heated in the oven just before serving.

I do not recommend making it more than 2 or 3 hours in advance, and definitely advise to re-heat it in the oven (and not the microwave) before serving to keep the pastry flakey and crunchy.

If you want to make this recipe more in advance, you can absolutely prep all the different elements up to 24 hours in advance. The Ricotta can be mixed with the Spices and kept in the fridge until ready to use. You can also pre-roast the Pumpkin in advance and keep them in the fridge too.

Can I freeze this tart?

I do not recommend freezing this tart because of the Puff Pastry.

Can I serve it in individual portions?

Absolutely! This tart will serve 1 or 2 as a main, depending on the meal and if you serve it on its own or not. But if you intend to serve this dish as an appetiser or an entree/first course for example, the tart can be sliced into smaller portions.

Alternatively, you can also cut the Puff Pastry into smaller squares before adding the fillings and bake them individually to make Mini Pumpkin Tarts – just like my friend Alex at It’s Not Complicated Recipe did with her Spinach and Feta Galettes.

More Savoury Tarts

• Caramelised Onion, Fig and Feta Tart
• Spinach and Mushroom Quiche
• Tomato Galette
• Cheddar Broccoli Quiche
• Onion and Leek Tart
• Spinach and Feta Quiche
• Beetroot and Goat’s Cheese Tart
• Cheese and Tomato Quiche