Simple and packed with refreshing flavors, this fresh herb tomato cheesecake tart will soon become a summer favorite. It features a crusty base, a generous cheesecake filling with herbs, and some juicy seasonal fresh tomatoes drizzled with pesto.
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Tomato Cheesecake Tart: a simple refreshing summer recipe
I couldn’t decide between a tart, a cheesecake or a toast, between cooked tomatoes or fresh tomatoes. So I did a mix of all the flavors and textures I loved together and came up with a recipe that is truly amazing for summer, yet very simple to make.
With just a few ingredients to throw together, you can prepare this delicious cheesecake tart with fresh tomatoes and pesto. One question comes to mind when you make it though: why didn’t I come up with this recipe idea earlier in life? Whether you serve it for lunch, dinner or bring it with you for a picnic, be sure to have this wow effect from everyone trying it!
Pre-bake the crust
This recipe calls for a pre-baked crust. The idea is to ensure the dough is strong enough to hold the cheese mixture and remains crusty at the same time. To pre-bake the crust, it is very simple:
- Mix all the ingredients of the dough until they form a firm ball. Then, wrap it up in plastic film, flatten a little with your hands, and chill the refrigerator for 1 hour (this last step is important). When approaching 1 hour, preheat the oven to 390°F (200°C).
- Roll out the dough to fit the tart tin. Cover with parchment paper and add pie weights, covering the entire surface (if you don’t have pie weight you can use dry beans or chickpeas).
- Bake for about 20 minutes or until the crust is slightly golden and crusty. Remove from the oven and let cool completely before adding the filling. If using a tart tin with detachable bottom, transfer the crust to a cooling rack to ensure it cools down quicker and remains crispy. And voilà, your crust is now ready to use!
How to make the cheesecake filling?
The cheese filling. Once the crust is ready, prepare the cheesecake filling. To do so, start with mixing ricotta cheese and mascarpone cheese with a rubber spatula in a large mixing bowl. Then, in a separate bowl, whip up cold heavy cream (whipping cream) to stiff peaks, using a hand mixer, and fold in into the cheese mixture, using the rubber spatula. Do not overmix, the mixture must remain light and airy. Don’t forget the herbs, chives, chopped, and season with salt and pepper. Spoon the cheese mixture over the crust and prepare the fresh tomatoes.
Tomatoes and pesto, the perfect combo! Take advantage of summer to use fresh and juicy tomatoes to top this perfect cheesecake tart. I recommend heirloom tomatoes, as they are large and juicy, but any other ripe tomatoes would do. Slice them thick enough and display them as it suits you on top of the cheese mixture. Then drizzle with pesto sauce, add a few toasted pine nuts if desired, and enjoy!
Meal prep: can I make this Tomato Cheesecake Tart in advance?
If you are planning to make this tomato cheesecake tart in advance, I recommend you make all the preparations separately and add them at the last minute just before serving. The cheese filling and the crust can be prepared the day before. Keep the cheese mixture in a covered bowl in the fridge and the crust wrapped with foil and kept on the counter at room temperature. About 1 hour before serving (or less), assemble the tomato cheesecake tart, and add the sliced tomatoes, pesto and pine nuts.
Variations around the recipe:
The cheese variations. Having ricotta cheese, mascarpone and whipping cream at home at the same time is not always an option. Do not worry, this recipe is really flexible and easy to adjust. Here’s how to substitute part or all of the ingredients in this recipe:
- Ricotta cheese. You can use fresh goat cheese instead. Keep in mind that goat cheese is very salty so you may need to adjust the seasoning a little bit.
- Mascarpone cheese. Mascarpone is used to firm up the filling a little bit. If you do not have mascarpone, you can use cream cheese instead.
- Heavy cream (aka whipping cream). This is a liquid cream that we use whipped up to give some lightness to the texture. You could replace with either crème fraîche or sour cream.
Top with other summer veggies. You can replace fresh tomatoes with sautéed zucchini. To do so, heat up some olive oil in a large skillet, then sauté sliced zucchini (about 2 zucchinis) until golden on both sides. Add 1 clove mince garlic, sauté for one more minute, then season with salt and pepper. Let cool slightly, then top your cheesecake tart with sliced zucchini. Drizzle the pesto sauce on top and enjoy!
More recipes to use up tomatoes:
- Balsamic Tomato Galette with Goat Cheese
- Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup
- Heirloom Tomato Ricotta Galette
- Spinach Ricotta Dumplings with Garlic Tomato Sauce
With summer veggies, try also:
- Mediterranean Quiche with Feta
- Grilled Veggie Gyros with Feta Yogurt Dip
- Zucchini Goat Cheese Crumble
Fresh Herb Tomato Cheesecake Tart
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Quiches and pizzas
- Diet: Vegetarian
Simple and packed with refreshing flavors, this fresh herb tomato cheesecake tart will soon become a summer favorite.
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Ingredients
For the crust:
- 1 stick (125g) unsalted butter
- 1 ½ cup (180g) all-purpose flour
- 1 pinch salt
- 2–3 Tablespoons cold water
For the filling:
- 1 cup (250g) fresh ricotta cheese*
- ½ cup (120 ml) heavy cream (whipping cream)*
- ½ cup (225g) mascarpone cheese*
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- A handful of fresh chives, chopped
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- 2–3 heirloom tomatoes, sliced
- A few Tablespoons pesto
- 1 Tablespoon pie nuts, toasted
- Basilic leaves, for serving
Instructions
For the crust:
- Dice butter and mix quickly with flour, salt and water until the ingredients stick together and form a firm dough. Wrap the dough in plastic film and place in the refrigerator to firm up for 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 390°F (200°C). Roll out the dough into a large rectangle and line a nonstick 11x 7-inch (28×18 cm) loose bottom tart pan**.
- Place a sheet of parchment paper over the crust, and add pie weights to cover all the surface.
- Pre-bake the crust for about 20 minutes, until slightly golden. Remove from the oven and let cool.
For the filling:
- In a medium bowl, whisk the whipping cream with a hand mixer until stiff peaks form. Set aside.
- In a separate large mixing bowl, combine the mascarpone and ricotta cheese, using a rubber spatula. Fold in the whipped cream, then add the chives and garlic. Season with salt and pepper.
- Add the cheese filling to the bottom of the pan in an even layer, smoothing out the surface with the rubber spatula. Display the sliced tomatoes on top, then drizzle some pesto over. Decorate with pine nuts, fresh basil leaves, and enjoy!
Notes
* Cheese substitutes: you can replace mascarpone cheese with cream cheese, fresh ricotta cheese with fresh goat cheese, and whipping cream with crème fraîche. This recipe is really flexible and it’s also easy to adjust the quantities depending on cheese leftovers you have in the fridge. Just make sure the texture is to your liking and not too heavy, not too wet/liquid.
** Alternatively, roll a large disk and line a 10-inch (25 cm) spring form pan.
Did you make this recipe?
Lastly, if you make this Fresh Herb Tomato Cheesecake 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!
