Roasted Veggie Tart
Flaky puff pastry loaded with roasted zucchini, peppers, red onion and cherry tomatoes, finished with mozzarella and crumbled goat cheese. Rustic, colourful and mostly hands-off.
By Hanan · Salt & Hearth
Published August 17, 2026
Full quantities, times and temperatures · How we make this site
Prep
20 min
Cook
40 min
Total
60 min
Serves
6
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A sheet of puff pastry, a pile of vegetables roasted until their edges char, and two cheeses - one melted underneath to hold everything together, one crumbled over the top to brown. It looks like a lot more work than it is, and it comes out of the oven genuinely beautiful: red and yellow peppers, dark green zucchini, purple onion and blistered tomatoes on a deep golden, well-puffed crust. Serve it warm as a light dinner with a salad, cut it into squares for a party, or eat it cold from the fridge the next day.
Why you'll love this recipe
- One sheet of shop-bought pastry does all the structural work.
- Roasting the vegetables first concentrates their flavour and guarantees a crisp base.
- Endlessly flexible - almost any firm vegetable works with a small timing adjustment.
- Cuts into neat squares, so it serves as an appetizer or as a meal.
- Vegetarian as written, and easily made vegan with a plant-based cheese.
Ingredients
For the vegetables
- 1 medium zucchini, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds
- 1 red bell pepper, sliced into wide strips
- 1 yellow bell pepper, sliced into wide strips
- 1/2 red onion, cut into thin wedges
- 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves (or 1 teaspoon dried)
- 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
For the tart
- 1 sheet (about 11 oz / 320 g) ready-rolled puff pastry, thawed
- 1/2 cup shredded low-moisture mozzarella
- 1/3 cup crumbled goat cheese or feta
- 1 large egg, beaten, for the border
To finish (optional)
- Fresh basil or parsley leaves
- A drizzle of balsamic glaze
Ingredient notes & substitutions
- Zucchini:
- Slice into rounds about 1/4 inch thick. Thinner and it disappears in the roasting; thicker and it stays watery.
- Bell peppers:
- Two colours is worth it purely for how the finished tart looks. Cut into wide strips so they keep their shape.
- Mozzarella:
- Low-moisture and shredded, not the fresh kind packed in water. It melts into a seal over the pastry rather than releasing liquid onto it.
- Goat cheese:
- Crumbled over the top, it browns and turns creamy in the oven. Feta works and holds its shape more; ricotta salata is a good third option.
- Thyme:
- Goes on with the vegetables before roasting so it perfumes them rather than just sitting on top. Oregano or rosemary both work.
Method
- 1
Heat the oven to 425F and line two baking sheets with parchment.
- 2
Toss the zucchini, both peppers and the red onion on one sheet with the olive oil, thyme, salt and pepper. Spread them into a single layer with space between the pieces - crowded vegetables steam instead of roasting, and steaming is what leaves them watery.
- 3
Roast 15-18 minutes, until the edges are browned and lightly charred in places and the zucchini has visibly shrunk. Do not skip this step. Raw vegetables laid straight onto pastry release their water into the base as they cook, and no amount of oven time will crisp a base that is sitting in liquid. Roasting first drives that water off.
- 4
Turn the oven down to 400F. Unroll the pastry onto the second lined sheet, keeping it on its own parchment.
- 5
Fold the outer 3/4 inch of pastry over onto itself on all four sides to make a raised rim, then prick the base inside the rim all over with a fork so the centre stays flat while the edges puff.
- 6
Scatter the mozzarella evenly over the base inside the rim. This layer sits between the pastry and the vegetables and acts as a seal as it melts.
- 7
Arrange the roasted vegetables over the cheese, spreading the colours around rather than grouping them. Tuck the halved cherry tomatoes in cut side up so they hold their juice instead of releasing it into the tart.
- 8
Scatter the goat cheese over the top in rough crumbles and brush the folded rim with beaten egg.
- 9
Bake 20-25 minutes, until the pastry is deep golden and well puffed at the edges and the goat cheese has taken on colour. If the rim darkens before the centre is ready, lay a strip of foil along the edges.
- 10
Rest 5 minutes so the base firms up, then scatter with fresh basil or parsley and drizzle with balsamic glaze if using. Cut into squares and serve warm.
Tips
- Roast the vegetables first. It is the difference between a crisp tart and a soggy one, and it is the step most versions of this recipe skip.
- Cut everything to a similar thickness so it all roasts in the same time. Zucchini and peppers are ready long before thick onion wedges.
- Use low-moisture shredded mozzarella, not fresh mozzarella in water - fresh releases far too much liquid onto the pastry.
- Halve the cherry tomatoes and lay them cut side up. Whole tomatoes burst in the oven and flood the tart.
- Let the baked tart sit 5 minutes before cutting. Straight out of the oven the base is still soft and the slices tear.
Variations to try
- Add sliced eggplant or mushrooms to the roasting tray - both need a couple of extra minutes.
- Spread a thin layer of pesto or sun-dried tomato paste over the base before the cheese.
- Swap the goat cheese for torn burrata added after baking rather than before.
- Scatter pine nuts over the tart for the last 5 minutes for crunch.
- Add thinly sliced garlic to the roasting tray for the final 5 minutes, so it colours without burning.
Storage & make-ahead
Keeps in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Sit a paper towel underneath to absorb the moisture the vegetables release as they sit. Reheat in a 350F oven for 10 minutes to bring the pastry back - do not microwave, which turns it chewy. Freezing is possible for up to a month but the pastry never fully recovers its crispness, so eat it fresh if you can.
Frequently asked questions
- Can I use different vegetables?
- Yes - eggplant, mushrooms, asparagus and thinly sliced potato all work well. Adjust the roasting time to the firmness of what you use, and roast everything before it goes on the pastry.
- Why did my base go soggy?
- Almost always raw vegetables laid straight onto the pastry, or fresh mozzarella instead of low-moisture. Roast the vegetables first and use shredded low-moisture mozzarella.
- Can I make it vegan?
- Yes. Most shop-bought puff pastry is already dairy-free - check the label - and a plant-based shredded cheese works in place of the mozzarella. Skip the egg wash or brush with plant milk.
- Can I prepare it ahead?
- Roast the vegetables up to a day ahead and refrigerate. Assemble and bake when you want to serve - assembled raw tarts sitting in the fridge soften the pastry.
- Can I make it gluten-free?
- Use a gluten-free puff pastry. The method is unchanged, though gluten-free pastry browns a little faster, so check it from 18 minutes.
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