Cauliflower crust red pesto tart is one of the easiest healthy tarts that you can make. This savoury tart is perfect for lunch or supper and why not, it’s a great idea for breakfast as well. A combination of cauliflower, rosemary, homemade red pesto and ricotta is just delicious. To create it, you’ll need only 30 minutes. Stop waiting, go for it!
You will love this cauliflower crust red pesto tart. Besides being delicious and rich in flavour, it is also healthy and budget-friendly. It’s a win-win combo. Wink. I love savoury tarts. In fact, you can make different variations with just a little effort. Check out my carrot tart, celery-marroni tart and sweet potato crust tart.
The amazing thing about savoury tarts is that they taste lovely either warm or at room temperature. Therefore, they make a great “lunch to go”. How amazing is that? But let’s go back to our tart. As you can see it has a cauliflower crust, a red pesto filling and a ricotta topping. It’s perfect for everyone who loves savoury food.
On one hand, making the cauliflower crust is simple and quite quick, on the other hand, it might cause some mess in your kitchen. But, that’s part of the cooking, isn’t it? Wink. Anyway, you’ll need a cheese grater or a food processor. I used a grater, that’s why I mentioned a mess. He he he.
To make the crust, all you need to do is grate, steam, drain, mix and bake. You’ll find more details further on in the recipe. Keep reading. Another positive side of the cauliflower crust (besides being healthy) is that you don’t need to either wait for it to raise or to knead it.
For an additional Mediterranean flavour, I used fresh rosemary. Rosemary gives a fabulous aroma to the crust. I love rosemary. Therefore, there is plenty of it in the whole tart (crust and pesto). However, feel free to add any herb you like most.
Red pesto which you’ll love
Furthermore, I decided to fill the tart with a delicious red pesto. Probably you all think of basil when you hear pesto, right? Well, the red pesto is a combination of sun-dried tomatoes, rosemary, almonds and garlic. Originally it comes from Sicily and it is called “pesto rosso”.
However, I added some sunflower seeds and ricotta to it. The rich ricotta makes this delicious red pesto very creamy and flavourful. You will need only a minute of your time to make it. Fabulous! And if you have some left, try it with some grilled meat, cheese or simply spread it on bread. Try it out now!
Ingredients for one cauliflower crust red pesto tart (Ø 20cm):
- 1 cauliflower head (medium)
- 1 egg (beaten)
- fresh rosemary (chopped)
- nutmeg
- 1 jar sun-dried tomatoes (in oil)
- 2 Tbsp shredded almonds
- 1 Tbsp sunflower seeds
- 2 garlic cloves
- ricotta
Preheat the oven to 180º C.
Start with making the cauliflower crust. Cut the cauliflower head in half or into quarters. Then grate it using a grater (the side with bigger wholes) or use a food processor. Next, in a frying pan add about 0,5 cm water and bring it to boil. Add the cauliflower, cover and steam for about 5 minutes.
Once it gets tender, transfer it in a clean cotton kitchen towel and drain all the water out of it by folding the ends of the towel together, twisting and squeezing. Then, place the drained cauliflower in a bowl, season with salt and pepper, add some nutmeg, one beaten egg and fresh rosemary. Mix until well combined, put in the tart form and spread evenly around the form, in order to form the tart base.
Place the tart form in the oven and bake for 10 minutes. In the meantime, combine the dried tomatoes, garlic, rosemary, almonds, sunflower seeds and ricotta and blend for 30 seconds. You can decide how much ricotta, herbs or garlic you are going to use. It’ s a matter of taste. Once you get the desired consistency, season by tasting.
Furthermore, carefully take the tart crust out of the oven and fill it with the red pesto. Put back to bake for an additional 15 minutes. When you see a nice golden crust forming on the borders of the crust, it means it’s ready.
Serve this delicious cauliflower crust red pesto tart on a Sunday’s lunch or brunch and surprise your family with a new savoury dish. They will love the fresh rosemary aroma, the light cauliflower crust and the deep and rich flavoured red pesto. I topped the tart with some more ricotta, whole dried tomatoes and fresh rosemary. Exaggerated, I know! But I love it!
Enjoy!
PS:
If you like the recipe, if you make the recipe or if you have any new ideas how to improve or change it, let me know in the comments section below or alternatively share your photos and reactions with me on Instagram (@Passionspoon), Facebook or Twitter (@PassionSpoon1). Simply use the hashtag #passionspoonrecipes in your posts. I would love to see them! (wink)
