Fresh Cherry Tomato Tart

Anchored in a bed of nutty pesto, jammy caramelized onions, and salty feta, a bounty of fresh cherry tomatoes completes this delicious savory tart. Perfect as a hearty appetizer or a light summer meal.

Jump to:

• What's the Story Behind this Tomato Tart Recipe?
• Tomato Tart Ingredients
• How to Make this Tomato Onion Tart Recipe
• Equipment
• Storage
• Top Tip
• FAQ
• More Fresh Tomato Recipes
• Serving and Pairing
• Fresh Cherry Tomato Tart

What's the Story Behind this Tomato Tart Recipe?

Some years ago, my sister introduced me to a place in Vancouver, Washington called Leonardo's Pizzaria. Leonardo's creates amazing pizza, with a dependably delicious crust that has exactly the right amount of bite and chew. 

Our favorite variety of pizza at Leonardo's is Little Oven Annie, a savory-sweet fusion of caramelized onions, feta, spinach, and pesto. Little Oven Annie provided a perfect jumping off point for a unique savory tart. My introduction to this delicious combination happened to coincide with (a) my biennual tart-baking phase, and (b) a serious bumper crop of cherry tomatoes from our garden.

Tomato Tart Ingredients

• Onions: It may seem counterintuitive, but avoid using sweet onions for caramelizing. Sweet onions will work, but will take significantly longer to cook, and the end-product has less flavor than that made with red and/or yellow onions. (Check How to Caramelized Onions for more on the Science of Onions.)
  • The type of onions you use can affect both the cooking time and the sweetness level of your finished onions. We prefer to use a mixture of red and yellow onions. 
• Butter: We use salted butter. You can also use a 50/50 mix of butter and olive oil.
• Pesto: Use any prepared pesto. The original Little Oven Annie pizza had walnut pesto, but I believe that has since changed. Regular basil and pine nut pesto works just fine.
• Cherry tomatoes: We prefer to use cherry or grape tomatoes for this tart. They are self-contained, so they don't lose all their moisture or structure as cut tomatoes would do.
• Feta: Use fresh, crumbled feta.
• Fresh herbs: Basil, spinach, and arugula in any combination add flavor and freshness to the baked tart.
• Pie crust: Use homemade pastry or store-bought pie crust. You can also use puff pastry for this recipe.

How to Make this Tomato Onion Tart Recipe

Caramelizing the onions will take no less than 40 minutes; however, you can make them well in advance. (Hint: Caramelized onions freeze well.)

To caramelize the onions in a skillet, first peel and slice the onions about ⅛"-¼" inch thick, root to stem. Cutting the onions this way prevents them from breaking down too much during the caramelizing process.

Melt 2 tablespoons of salted butter in a large heavy skillet over MEDIUM heat. Add sliced onions and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until onions start becoming translucent.

Reduce the heat to MEDIUM-LOW, and continue to cook the onions, stirring occasionally for 40-50 minutes, or until they are soft, almost jammy, and rich brown in color. Remove from the heat and set them aside. 

Preheat oven.

• Standard aluminum pie plate - 450°F (235°C)
• Glass pie dish & anodized aluminum plate - 425° F (220°C)

Lay the pie crust into a shallow pie dish or tart pan. Crimp or trim edges. I like to use a rolling pin to cut a sharp edge on my tart pastry. 

For flakier pastry, place the prepared tart shell in the freezer for 10 minutes before proceeding. 

Spread pesto over the bottom of the cold tart shell. 

Layer on caramelized onions. Add tomatoes and feta to completely cover the onions.

This tomato tart is baked at a high temperature for a short amount of time. 

Place prepared tart into preheated oven and bake 20 minutes, checking crust edges after 15 minutes. If the crust is browning too quickly, cover it with a strip of aluminum foil or a pie shield before you return it to the oven.

The tart is done when the cherry tomatoes begin to burst and the crust is a light golden brown.

Remove tart from oven and allow to rest 10 minutes. Just before serving, sprinkle with a chiffonade of fresh spinach, fresh basil, and/or arugula.

Equipment

You can prepare this recipe using either a 9- or 10-inch tart pan. Tart pans, characterized by shallower depths and straight, fluted sides, not only impart an elegant look to your tart but also yields a crisper crust, and facilitates easier cutting and serving.

Storage

Store leftover tomato tart in an airtight container or wrap it tightly in plastic wrap to prevent it from drying out in the refrigerator.

Moisture can affect the crust and make it soggy. To prevent this, place a paper towel between the tart and the storage container to absorb excess moisture.

Properly store, this tomato onion tart can last up to 4 days in the refrigerator. We do not recommend freezing this tart.

Top Tip

Caramelizing onions the traditional way – on the stovetop, low and slow – can be frustrating and time-consuming. We usually make our caramelized onions ahead of time and freeze them for when we need them. We use a foolproof slow-cooker method that bypasses the skillet and stovetop altogether. 

FAQ

Do you love caramelized onions? Try our easy-to-make Classic French Onion Soup!

More Fresh Tomato Recipes

Be sure to try our savory chicken and mushroom tart recipe, too!

Serving and Pairing

Tomato tart makes an excellent appetizer for a summer or early fall gathering. Or serve it with salad or soup for a fresh, light lunch or dinner. For a more substantial meal, pair with dishes like ratatouille, stuffed eggplant, or panzanella salad.

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Originally published August 21, 2015. Post has been updated with new content, images, and recipe instructions to improve reader experience.