This spinach and ricotta puff pastry tart is a true lifesaver when you crave something elegant but are short on time for culinary heroics. We make it using high-quality convenience ingredients that make a modern cook's life so much easier: all you need is ready-made puff pastry and frozen spinach. The combination of spinach and soft cheese is a Mediterranean classic, cherished for its perfect harmony of textures-a crispy, buttery crust yielding to a creamy, savory center. To achieve the perfect filling, it is crucial to properly prepare the greens by evaporating excess moisture, while freshly grated nutmeg adds that noble, aromatic depth that makes the dish unforgettable.
A perfectly golden tart featuring a vibrant green filling and a beautifully crisp crust.
Ingredients
- 800 g (1.7 lbs) store-bought puff pastry
- 400 g (14 oz) frozen spinach
- 250 g (8.8 oz) ricotta cheese
- 200 g (7 oz) baked milk cheese (or Gouda)
- 3 large eggs
- 100 g (3.5 oz) breadcrumbs
- 50 g (3.5 tbsp) butter
- 2 garlic cloves
- Nutmeg
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- Black and white sesame seeds
How to make spinach and ricotta puff pastry tart
Prepare the filling. Melt the butter in a deep skillet, add finely chopped garlic, and toss in the spinach. Season with salt to taste and bring to a simmer. Cook for about 10 minutes until the moisture evaporates. Be careful not to overcook, or the vibrant green color of the spinach will turn brown.
It is crucial to cook off all the excess moisture from the spinach so the pastry does not become soggy.
Drain any excess moisture from the ricotta, transfer it to a mixing bowl, and add grated Gouda or Havarti cheese (or another mildly sweet, nutty semi-hard cheese).
Ricotta and Gouda cheese create a beautifully tender base for our tart.
Whisk two eggs until smooth, then fold the beaten eggs into the filling.
The beaten eggs will bind all the filling components together during baking.
Cool the sautéed spinach to room temperature and stir it into the rest of the ingredients.
Fold the cooled spinach into the rest of the ingredients and mix until smooth.
Pour the breadcrumbs into the bowl. You can use store-bought breadcrumbs or simply dry out some white bread and pulse it in a blender.
Breadcrumbs help lock the juices inside the tart, keeping the filling stable.
Grate in fresh nutmeg—I highly recommend using fresh—you will need about 1/4 of a whole nutmeg. Mix the filling thoroughly, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.
Freshly grated nutmeg is the secret ingredient that perfectly enhances the flavor of spinach.
Roll out a 20×15 cm (8×6 inch) sheet of puff pastry on a lightly floured surface. Using a special pastry cutter, create a lattice pattern and gently stretch the dough. If you do not have a lattice cutter, simply make 2 cm (3/4 inch) slits at equal intervals, alternating them in a staggered pattern, then stretch the dough to form the mesh. Keep the distance between the cuts to about 1 cm (1/2 inch), and avoid cutting all the way to the edges so the sheet holds together.
Gently stretch the scored pastry dough to create a beautiful open lattice.
Roll out another pastry sheet of the same size. Spread the filling evenly, leaving a 1 cm (1/2 inch) border around the edges. Beat the remaining egg with a fork and brush it along the exposed pastry border.
Keep the edges of the pastry clean to make sealing the tart much easier.
Carefully place the lattice over the filling, crimping the edges with a fork to ensure a tight seal.
Crimp the edges with a fork to create a lovely pattern and ensure a tight seal.
Brush the entire tart with the beaten egg and sprinkle with sesame seeds. The color of the sesame seeds does not affect the taste, but I like using both black and white for a beautiful contrast. Repeat this process for all the tarts; a standard package of pre-cut puff pastry yields about 4 pieces.
A blend of black and white sesame seeds gives the tart a much more striking appearance.
Transfer the tarts to a baking sheet. Preheat your oven to 200°C (400°F). Bake the tarts in the preheated oven for 20-22 minutes until deeply golden. There is no need to grease the baking sheet, as the puff pastry is naturally rich in butter.
Bake until deeply golden. The rich puff pastry requires no extra greasing of the pan.
Serve the spinach and ricotta puff pastry tart warm. Bon appétit!
The tart is equally delicious served hot or cold. Bon appétit!
It is best to serve this spinach and ricotta puff pastry tart warm, when the pastry layers are at their fluffiest and the cheesy center remains perfectly soft. A cup of fragrant tea or a glass of dry white wine makes a wonderful accompaniment, especially if you are planning a romantic dinner. For a playful twist, try folding some sun-dried tomatoes or toasted pine nuts into the filling-they bring exciting new dimensions of flavor and texture. By the way, you can easily revive the tart the next day: simply warm it in the microwave or briefly heat it in a dry skillet with a lid, and it will taste fresh out of the oven. Store any leftovers in the refrigerator, wrapped tightly in parchment paper so the pastry does not absorb stray odors. This recipe is a fantastic canvas for your culinary creativity; you can easily substitute ricotta with full-fat tvorog (farmer's cheese) or swap the spinach for your favorite seasonal greens while keeping the core technique unchanged.
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