Beetroot, Blue Cheese & Walnut Tart

Made with simple ingredients, this savory beet, blue cheese and walnut tart has a great contrast of flavors and textures. Enjoy lukewarm with a side of lettuce.

All savory tarts and quiches have a special place in my heart. I like that they are so versatile, forgiving, allowing you to be creative, play with ingredients or simply use leftovers in the fridge sometimes. They are also easy to adapt to diet restrictions as you can make them gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan, among others.

The version I am sharing with you today is a basic vegetarian recipe that will please all cheese lovers. I tried it last year for the first time, using ingredients I had at hand, and I immediately loved it and promised to myself to bake it again – it took me a year (I cook too much!) but I baked it again and even had time to grab my camera this time so you can also make it at home.

Ok, so basically I have prepared a savory tart with beetroots, and I see that it can sound weird to you at first as beetroots are naturally sweet. To be honest, it would have been weird to me as well a few years ago but my endless curiosity in the kitchen enables me to try various combinations that can turn out just right.

And if you think about it, you are certainly already familiar with a beet, blue cheese and walnut salad from time to time, at least here in the US where it’s a common dish served in restaurants. Well, this tart is simply the ultimate version of the salad, except that we added a crust and a light batter made of cream and eggs to bind all the ingredients together.

Other beet recipes you might also like:

• Veggie Beet Pizza with Cauliflower Crust
• Beet Gnocchi with Walnutt Sage Butter
• Roasted Beet Pesto
• Beetroot Gazpacho with Goat Cheese Cream
• Simple Beet Avocado Toast
• Beet-Ginger Granola with Superfoods
• Vegan Pink Beet Pancakes

And while we often believe that beetroots are a winter root, they actually are in season between May and October. So we are exactly in the right time of the year to enjoy them, although they keep well through the winter as well which is probably why we eat them mostly during this season together with other root vegetables.

Coming back to the recipe, you really don’t have much to do. My first advice however would be to start with baking your own crust instead of going for a ready-to-use pie crust. We sometimes think that it’s quicker to purchase one but really it doesn’t require much effort to bake a crust, especially if you follow this recipe that I have been making for years. It always turns out perfect and the taste is just incredibly better than any crust you would find in a grocery store. Give it a try and let me know your feedback!

For the beets, you can either go for pre-cooked beetroots or cook them yourself either in the oven as indicated in the recipe or in a pressure cooker. Just make sur they are well cooked through (make the test with a knife; if it’s tender inside and goes through, your beets are cooked). I them simply add them to the pie crust and crumble cheese on top. Note that I use blue cheese but the recipe would work as well with goat cheese or feta cheese for instance.

I then add a few walnuts for texture and pour the batter over. Spinach are optional here and I don’t always use them. Feel free to do as it suits your own tastes. You can even add some mushrooms if you feel like it. Again, a savory tart is very forgiving and I invite you to see this one as an inspiration more than a revolutionary recipe in itself.

That being said, I hope you will like it as much as I do, and please don’t be scared by the use of beets in a savory tart, you will thank me for that. Serve lukewarm with a side of lettuce. Bon appétit!

Beetroot Blue Cheese & Walnut Tart

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• Author: Delphine Fortin
• Prep Time: 1 hour 30 mins
• Cook Time: 20 mins
• Total Time: 1 hour 50 mins
• Yield: 4 servings 1x
• Category: Savory
• Cuisine: Plant-based

Made with simple ingredients, this savory beet, blue cheese and walnut tart has a great contrast of flavors and textures. Enjoy lukewarm with a side of lettuce.

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Ingredients

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For the pie crust:

• 1 stick (125g) unsalted butter
• 1½ cup (180g) all-purpose flour
• 2 Tablespoons cold water

For the filling:

• 2–3 medium beetroots, cooked, peeled and diced
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium red onion, sliced
• 5 oz (150g) spinach (optional)
• 5 oz (150g) blue cheese, diced
• 1/2 cup (65g) raw walnuts
• 1 garlic love, minced
• 3 large eggs
• 1/2 cup (12,5 cl) heavy liquid cream
• 1/2 cup (12,5 cl) milk
• Salt & pepper

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Instructions

For the pie crust:

1. Preheat the oven to 390°F (200°C). Dice the butter and mix quickly with the flour and the water until the ingredients stick together and form a firm dough.
2. Roll a large disk and line a spring form with the crust, 8.6 inches (22 cm) in diameter.
3. Bake the pie crust in the oven for 15-20 minutes and let cool.

For the filling:

1. Wrap the raw beets in foil and bake in a prepared baking sheet at 375°F (190°C) in the oven, until cooked through, about 40-50 minutes. Remove, let cool a little, then peel and cut into medium-sized pieces.
2. In a sauté pan heat the olive oil, then stir-fry the onion for about 10 minutes until translucent. Add the spinach if using, and stir well. Add the minced garlic, stir, and cook for one more minute.
3. Place the onions mixture, beets, blue cheese and walnut into the prepared pie crust.
4. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the eggs with milk and cream. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Pour the cream over the pie and bake at 350°F (180°C) for about 20 minutes or until the filling is set and the tart slightly golden. Enjoy with a side of lettuce.

Cheese, Family-Friendly, Pizzas & Quiches, Vegetarian, Year Round

Did you make this recipe?

Lastly, if you make this Beetroot Blue Cheese & Walnut Tart, be sure to leave a comment and give this recipe a rating, letting me know how you liked it. And of course, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Thank you and enjoy!