When someone hands you three absolutely massive courgettes, you have to get a bit creative in the kitchen. That’s exactly what happened here (a very generous gift, each one roughly the size of a small child), so this vegetarian puff pastry tart was born out of a very real need to use them up.
It’s a simple courgette tart with a lemony, garlicky cottage cheese base, a layer of spinach, and fine ribbons of courgette, all finished with a generous amount of grated hard cheese and black pepper. It looks impressive (in a rustic, didn’t-try-too-hard kind of way), but it takes about 15 minutes to get together and 20 in the oven.
It’s vegetarian, packed with greens, and good enough that you’ll want a second slice. I always do.
And if you’ve been handed a few giant courgettes of your own, I’ve got a few ideas for the leftovers further down.
why this courgette tart works
Puréed garlic goes further. I’m only using two cloves here, and anyone who knows me knows I’m a garlic girl. But when you purée garlic (I use a little ceramic grater plate I picked up in a pottery shop in Spain), you break down far more of its cells than when you chop it. That releases more of the compound that gives it its punch, so two puréed cloves taste a lot stronger than two chopped ones. A fine grater or garlic crusher does the same job.
Salting the courgette stops a soggy bottom. Courgettes are mostly water. Tossing the ribbons in olive oil and salt, then leaving them to sit, draws a lot of that water out. Drain it off before the courgette goes on the tart, and your pastry stays crisp.
The border and egg wash give you a proper crust. Scoring a 1cm border lets the edges puff up around the filling, and the egg wash turns them a deep golden brown.
Lemon and basil keep it fresh. Cottage cheese on its own can be a bit flat. Lemon juice, garlic, and basil turn it into something you’d happily eat with a spoon.
courgette tart ingredients: what you’ll need…
serves 4 | prep 15 minutes | cook 20 minutes
- 1 sheet ready-rolled puff pastry (approx. 320g)
- 1 egg, beaten
- 250g cottage cheese
- 2 garlic cloves
- Juice of half a lemon
- A small handful of fresh basil, finely chopped
- 1 medium courgette (or a chunk of a giant one)
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp salt
- A large handful of spinach (about 50g), chopped
- 30g vegetarian Italian-style hard cheese, grated (or parmesan if you’re not cooking vegetarian)
- Cracked black pepper
courgette tart recipe: how to make it…
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Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan) and line a baking tray with parchment.
- Make the filling: Purée the garlic on a grater plate or fine grater. Stir it into the cottage cheese with the lemon juice and chopped basil.
- Prep the courgette: Use a vegetable peeler to shave the courgette into long, fine ribbons. Put them in a bowl with the olive oil and salt, toss, and leave them to sit while you prep everything else.
- Chop the spinach roughly.
- Prep the pastry: Unroll the pastry onto the tray. Score a 1cm border around the edge (don’t cut all the way through) and brush the border with beaten egg.
- Build the tart: Spread the cottage cheese mixture evenly inside the border, then scatter over the spinach.
- Add the courgette: Drain the excess water from the courgette ribbons, then arrange them on top. Go neat and layered, or rustic squiggles as I did.
- Finish and bake: Sprinkle over the grated cheese and plenty of cracked black pepper. Bake for around 20 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown around the edges and underneath. Lift a corner to check the bottom.
- Serve on its own, or with a side salad and home-cut chips.
tips, swaps, and what to do with courgettes
don’t skip the draining
I’ll admit I forgot to film this step, but I promise I did it. It’s the difference between a crisp tart and a soggy one.
swaps?
Swap the cottage cheese for ricotta, and you’ve got a smoother, creamier base. Kale or chard can stand in for spinach, and mint is lovely in place of basil. For a vegan version, use vegan puff pastry (many shop-bought ones already are), a plant-based ricotta, and a vegan hard cheese, and brush the border with oat milk.
what to do with courgettes when you’ve got a few giants
One massive courgette can easily cover three dinners. I used what I needed for the tart, made soup with some, and chopped and froze the rest for pasta sauces throughout winter. Courgette freezes best when it’s going into something cooked, because it can thaw quite soggy.
storing leftovers
Keep any leftover tart in the fridge for up to 2 days and reheat it in the oven or air fryer (not the microwave) to crisp the pastry back up.
courgette tart faqs
How do you stop a courgette tart going soggy? Salt the courgette ribbons and leave them to sit, then drain off the water before they go on the pastry. Bake until the base is golden underneath, not just the edges.
Can I make this tart ahead? You can mix the cottage cheese filling a day ahead and keep it in the fridge. Build and bake the tart on the day so the pastry stays crisp.
Is this courgette tart vegetarian? Yes, as written. Traditional parmesan is made with animal rennet, so it isn’t vegetarian, which is why this recipe uses a vegetarian Italian-style hard cheese (most supermarkets stock one). If you’re not cooking for vegetarians, parmesan works just as well.
Can I freeze courgette and cottage cheese tart? I wouldn’t. The cottage cheese and courgette both release water when thawed. Freeze the raw courgette for soups and sauces instead.
Do I need to peel the courgette? No. The skin gives the ribbons their colour and helps them hold together.
Can I use shop-bought puff pastry for a courgette tart? Yes. Ready-rolled puff pastry makes this a 15-minute job. If you’re cooking for vegans, check the label, as some brands use butter.
Can I make a ricotta and courgette tart instead? Absolutely. Use the same amount of ricotta in place of the cottage cheese. It’s smoother and a little richer, and everything else stays the same.
enjoy
That’s it: one courgette, one sheet of pastry, and a tart that disappears faster than you’d expect. If you make it, I’d love to see it, so tag me on Instagram. And if you know someone who’s drowning in courgettes this year, send this their way.
Watch the full chef breff cooks video on Instagram, and pin this recipe for the next time you’re up to your eyes in courgettes. If you’re after more vegetarian puff pastry recipes or courgette recipes, have a look around the blog.