Enjoy the flavors of summer with this Yellow Squash and Zucchini Tart. This tart is topped with beautifully arranged thin slices of yellow squash and zucchini, over a flaky, buttery crust and a creamy cheese filling made from cream cheese, parmesan, and mozzarella. It’s a visually stunning dish that’s as delicious as it is beautiful.
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Ingredients for Yellow Squash and Zucchini Tart
- The Flaky, Buttery Crust: I used all-purpose flour, Kosher salt, unsalted butter, white wine vinegar, water, and vodka for the crust.
- The Cheesy Filling: The filling contained three cheeses – cream cheese, freshly grated Parmesan cheese, and shredded Mozzarella cheese. Its flavor was enhanced by minced garlic, dried thyme, and black pepper.
- The Veggies: As the name suggests, I used yellow squash and zucchini. To help in the cooking, I drizzled the veggies with olive oil.
Making the Crust – Step-by-Step
The crust was super easy to make using my food processor.
- I started by pulsing the flour and salt 3 or 4 times in my food processor until combined.
- Next, I added the cubed unsalted butter to the food processor. I pulsed the mixture around 10 times until the butter was the size of small peas.
- After that, I added the white wine vinegar, water, and vodka to the food processor. I pulsed the mixture 5 or 6 times until a shaggy dough formed.
- I transferred the dough to a floured piece of plastic wrap, formed it into a disc, wrapped it, and refrigerated it for about 30 minutes.
Preparing the Yellow Squash and Zucchini
- While the dough was chilling, I thinly sliced the yellow squash and zucchini using my food processor with a 3 mm slicing blade. I transferred the sliced veggies to a colander and sprinkled them with salt.
- I stirred the veggies to coat them with salt and let them sit for about 30 minutes. The salt helps to draw excess liquid from the squash and zucchini.
- After 30 minutes, I placed the squash and zucchini in a single layer on a paper towel-lined baking sheet. Then, I blotted them with another paper towel to remove additional moisture.
Making the Filling
I added room-temperature cream cheese, grated Parmesan cheese, freshly minced garlic, dried thyme, and black pepper to a medium-size bowl. Then, I beat the ingredients with my electric mixer until they were well combined and smooth, about 1 minute.
Assembling the Yellow Squash and Zucchini Tart
Once I had the three components of the yellow squash and zucchin tart prepped, it was time to assemble the tart.
- I started by rolling the chilled dough into a rough 12-inch circle on a floured silicone liner. I rolled the dough on the silicone liner to make it easier to transfer to the baking sheet.
- Then, I cut the rough circle into an 11-inch circle using a skillet lid.
- I lifted the silicone liner with the dough and placed it on a rimmed half-sheet pan. Then, I spread the cheese mixture over the dough to within ½-inch of the edges and sprinkle on Mozzarella cheese.
- Starting ½ inch from the edge of the pastry, I layered alternating slices of yellow squash and zucchini slices in a tightly overlapping circle. I continued the overlapping circles of squash and zucchini until the whole tart was covered.
- Once the tart was covered, I drizzled a tablespoon of olive oil on the squash and zucchini.
- I baked the yellow squash and zucchini tart in a preheated 400°F oven for about 40 minutes. After 40 minutes, the crust was golden brown, and the tart was perfectly cooked. I removed the tart from the oven and let it rest for about 10 minutes.
- After 10 minutes, I transferred the tart to a cutting board to serve.
This Yellow Squash and Zucchini Tart is a perfect way to enjoy the flavors of summer. With its flaky crust, creamy cheese filling, and beautifully arranged vegetables, it’s sure to become a family favorite. Yum!
Frequently Asked Questions
Vodka is 80% alcohol. It adds liquid to the pastry but does not contribute to gluten formation, resulting in a tender and flaky crust. You can substitute water for the vodka if you like, but the crust will still be delicious.
Feel free to substitute other types of cheese in the filling. If I have homemade ricotta cheese on hand, I’ll use that in place of the cream cheese. Swiss and Gruyère cheese are delicious substitutes for the mozzarella cheese.
You can prepare this tart a day in advance. Allow it to come to room temperature and store it in the refrigerator uncovered. The reason for refrigerating the tart uncovered is that it continues to cool and gives off condensation when placed in the refrigerator. The next day, reheat the tart in the oven before serving.
Feel free to use just yellow squash or zucchini in this tart.
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- For the best presentation, try to use yellow squash and zucchini, which are roughly the same diameter.
- In general, the zucchini slices better than the yellow squash because of the seeds in the squash. Therefore, consider getting extra squash to ensure that you have pretty slices. Sauté the leftover squash with onions and olive oil for a quick and delicious side dish.
- Use a mandoline slicer or sharp knife if you don’t have a food processor to slice the squash and zucchini. If using a knife, cut the veggies into even slices about ⅛-inch thick.
- Don’t skip the step of salting the squash and zucchini. Both veggies contain a lot of water, and the salt helps to draw out the excess moisture.
Other Delicious Squash and Zucchini Dishes
Here are some of my favorite recipe using either yellow squash or zucchini.
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Yellow Squash and Zucchini Tart – Summer’s Bounty
Equipment
- Food Processor with a steel blade and 3 mm slicing blade
- Rimmed half-sheet pan with silicone liner
- Electric hand mixer
Ingredients
The Crust
- 1 ¼ cups (6.25 ounces, 177 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon Kosher salt
- 10 Tablespoons 5 ounces, 142 grams) cold unsalted butter cut into ½-inch pieces
- ½ teaspoon white wine vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons (2 ounces, 57 grams) chilled water
- 2 Tablespoons (2 ounces, 57 grans) chilled vodka (See Tip 1)
The Filling
- 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature (See Tip 2)
- ½ cup (2 ounces, 57 grams) freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
The Veggies
- 1 pound (16 ounces, 454 grams) yellow squash, sliced ⅛-inch thick (See Tips 3 and 4)
- 1 pound (16 ounces, 454 grams) zucchini, unpeeled and sliced ⅛-inch thick (See Tips 3)
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
Instructions
The Crust
- Add flour and salt to a food processor with a steel blade. Pulse 3 to 4 times to combine.
- Add butter; pulse 10 to 12 times until the mixture is the size of small peas.
- Add white wine vinegar, water, and vodka. Pulse 5 or 6 times until the dough comes together into a shaggy dough.
- Transfer the dough to a floured surface. Form it into a disc. Wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
The Filling
- Add the cream cheese, Parmesan cheese, garlic, thyme, and pepper to a medium bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until well combined and smooth, about one minute.
The Veggies
- Add the yellow squash and zucchini slices to a colander set over a bowl. Toss with one teaspoon of Kosher salt; let sit for 30 minutes.
- Place the squash and zucchini slices in a single layer on paper towels. Blot well with additional paper towels to remove as much moisture as possible.
Assembly
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Roll the chilled dough into a 12-inch rough circle on a lightly floured silicone mat. Trim to 11 inches.
- Transfer the silicone mat with the dough to a half-sheet pan.
- Spread the cheese mixture over the crust to within ½-inch of the edges. Sprinkle on Mozzarella cheese.
- Layer the yellow squash and zucchini slices in alternating tightly overlapping circles, starting ½ inch from the edge of the pastry. Continue overlapping circles of squash and zucchini until the whole tart is covered. Drizzle the top with 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
- Bake in a preheated 400°F oven for 40 5o 45 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and let it sit for 10 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board, cut into wedges, and serve.
- Yield: 6 servings.
Video
Tips/Notes
- May substitute chilled water for the vodka.
- I used low-fat cream cheese, but you can use full-fat cream cheese if you like.
- For the best presentation, try to find yellow squash and zucchini approximately the same diameter. I used a food processor with a 3 mm slicing blade to slice the squash and zucchini. You could also use a mandoline or a sharp knife.
- Yellow squash doesn’t slice as neatly as zucchini. Therefore, consider getting more yellow squash and only using the nice slices. Take the rest of the squash and sauté it with onions for a delicious side dish.
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