Butter Bean Tomato Tart with Ricotta and Flaky Pastry
“Mashed beans hold the filling up off the pastry.”
Published by MommyCooking.org · Published September 30, 2026
Puff pastry does most of the work here, which leaves one real question: how to put a wet filling on it without ruining the base. The answer is beans.
Half of them are mashed into the ricotta, which thickens it enough to hold the tomatoes up. The rest stay whole for texture, and everything that goes on top is blotted first.
🍅 The promise: Filling reaches 160°F (71°C), pastry underside is crisp, and tomatoes do not flood the tart.
🍅 Everything you need, all in one look🧂 Ingredient notes & easy swaps
Cannellini beans substitute directly for butter beans, with smaller and firmer bites. Puff pastry made with butter browns better than the vegetable-oil kind and is worth the difference.
During “Spread a firm ricotta base,” use this checkpoint for Butter Bean Tomato Puff Pastry Tart: whisk ricotta, egg, Parmesan, and half the salt; spread inside the border.
Use “Bake to a safe set” to reach the final cue—filling reaches 160°F (71°C), pastry underside is crisp, and tomatoes do not flood the tart—and stop there.
🍳 What you actually need (equipment)
a parchment-lined rimmed sheet pan and an instant-read thermometer for the filling
Heat the oven to 400°F (205°C) and lay the cold thawed sheet (245 g) of puff pastry on a parchment-lined rimmed sheet pan. Run a knife ½ inch (1 cm) in from the edge all round, cutting halfway down, then prick the inner rectangle all over.
Heat oven and score pastry
Beat 1 cup (250 g) ricotta with 1 large egg (50 g), ½ cup (50 g) grated Parmesan, 1 tsp (1 g) dried thyme, and half the 1 tsp (6 g) kosher salt until smooth and pale, roughly the thickness of soft frosting.
Whip the ricotta filling
Tip the rinsed can (425 g) of butter beans onto a towel and pat them completely dry, then mash half of them into the ricotta with a fork. Leave the rest whole so the finished tart keeps some soft, starchy bite.
Crush the beans in
Spread the filling inside the scored border in a layer about ½ inch (1 cm) deep. Press 1½ cups (225 g) halved, blotted cherry tomatoes cut side up across the top, season with the remaining salt, and tuck the whole beans between them.
Spread and top the base
Bake 28 to 30 minutes, until the border has puffed into crisp golden layers and the filling no longer wobbles when the pan is nudged. A thermometer in the center of the custard should register 160°F (71°C).
Bake to a set center
Brush the hot border with 1 tbsp (15 ml) olive oil for shine, then tear ¼ cup (15 g) basil leaves over the tomatoes. Slide the tart onto a board and cut 8 squares with a serrated knife.
Finish with oil and basil
✅ How to know it's done
The base lifts crisp and dry underneath, the tomatoes have slumped and caramelized at their edges, and each square slices cleanly. At “Spread a firm ricotta base,” whisk ricotta, egg, Parmesan, and half the salt; spread inside the border; adjust ingredients only after comparing the batch with the cue that filling reaches 160°F (71°C), pastry underside is crisp, and tomatoes do not flood the tart.
💡 Practical tips (and what not to do)
Score half through, no further. A cut that goes all the way lets the filling escape and the border never lifts.
Prick the inner rectangle. Unpricked, the middle puffs up and pushes the filling over the edge in the first ten minutes.
Blot the tomato halves cut-side down. A pint of cherry tomatoes carries enough water to turn a set filling into soup.
Mash only half the beans. The mashed half thickens the ricotta while the whole half gives the tart something to bite.
Keep the pastry cold until it goes in. Warm puff pastry never separates into layers, and the border comes out dense.
Budget: Cannellini beans cost the same or less and work fine, though the bites come out smaller. Lighter: Use part-skim ricotta and cut the Parmesan to a third of a cup; the filling still sets. Kids: Leave the thyme out and cut the squares into fingers. Extra flavor: Scatter a tablespoon of capers or a few torn anchovies over the tomatoes before it bakes.
💛✨ Flavor boost
Dry the beans and the cut tomatoes on a towel before either touches the ricotta; nothing else protects the pastry as well.
🥔 What Goes Well With It
A peppery rocket salad with lemon, which is all this needs to be dinner.
Chilled gazpacho or a cold cucumber soup on a hot evening.
A dry white with some acidity, or sparkling water with a lot of lemon.
📦 Storage & Freezer Notes
Refrigerate cut squares in a covered single layer inside 2 hours; they hold 3 days, softening a little each day.
Crisp a square back up on a rack in a 375°F (190°C) oven for 8 minutes, which dries the base out again.
Do not freeze the baked tart, since the ricotta weeps and the pastry never recovers.
Unfold cold pastry on parchment and refrigerate while preparing toppings. After “Spread a firm ricotta base,” clear a heatproof landing spot and set the timers needed for “Bake to a safe set.”
Bake at 400°F (205°C) for 26–32 minutes until pastry is deep gold and filling reaches 160°F (71°C); rest 10 minutes and add basil. Move Butter Bean Tomato Puff Pastry Tart to the table while its browned top or edges are still distinct and add sharp cabbage or cucumber salad. Cool Butter Bean Tomato Puff Pastry Tart promptly in shallow containers, refrigerate it, and use it within 3–4 days.
🧒 Serving Ideas for Kids
Cut a square into fingers, easier to hold than a slab with a tall border.
Pull the basil off a child's portion, as it is the strongest thing on the tart.
Serve it just warm rather than hot, because the filling holds heat far longer than the pastry.
❓ Quick answers
Can I use fresh ricotta from a tub?
Yes, but drain it in a sieve for 30 minutes first if it looks wet, or the filling will go watery before it reaches 160°F (71°C).
Can I use larger tomatoes?
Slice them a quarter inch thick, salt them for 15 minutes, and blot them well, since slices carry far more water than halved cherries.
Why is my pastry soggy underneath?
The filling was spread too thick or the tomatoes went on wet. Keep the layer to about half an inch and blot everything that touches it.
Can I make it ahead?
Bake it on the day. The filling can be mixed and the tomatoes blotted up to a day ahead, but assembled pastry goes limp in the fridge within a couple of hours.
🥗 Nutrition, roughly: about 440 calories per serving. Estimates only; brands, cuts and portion sizes change the numbers.
Published by MommyCooking.org. This AI-assisted recipe passed automated checks for page consistency and required image files. The publisher confirms this recipe was tested before publication. The food images are AI-generated illustrations, not photographs of a cooking session. Cooking temperatures should be checked with a food thermometer; nutrition figures are estimates. How we make recipes · Report a problem with this recipe
