Basil Tomato Tarts topped with fresh tomatoes and basil in a no-bake crust of almond flour and sundried tomatoes, filled with a vegetable mix of leafy greens, herbs, scallions and more. Perfect for the summer fresh tomato season, but also comforting in the winter with emphasis on sundried tomatoes.
Raw Savory Tomato Basil Tarts.
As a child, one of my fondest memories was growing up with a row of tomato plants lining one side of our house. I would go out with my father early on Saturday morning, and we'd lift the leaves and hunt for an orange treasure amidst the bright green tomatoes weighing down the vines.
I remember I didn't even like to eat them as a child, but I loved the pungent smell of picking them fresh off the vine.
Now, as an adult, I love tomato flavors, and try to chop and toss them in every savory recipe that works. And as always, the tomato's nutritional value is also an attraction.
How Healthy are Tomatoes?
Tomatoes are known to be nutritious, very high in vitamin C and more.
But this year, I was surprised to learn that sundried tomatoes actually have more bio-available nutrition than raw. And because raw tomatoes have a few different nutrients, a recipe with both is a bounty.
For instance, lycopene is a nutrient that is known to prevent many diseases. Sun-dried tomatoes contain more than 20 percent more bioavailable lycopene than raw tomatoes. Sundried tomatoes are actually tomatoes dried in the sun.
As such, they are concentrated sources of nutrients. Primarily they are rich in vitamins C and K, iron and vitamin A.
Raw tomatoes have some of the same vitamins and some different anti-oxidants so having a recipe that uses both raw and sundried is a great idea.
And that is this recipe.
These tarts have a savory crust made of almond flour bound together with sundried tomatoes, scallions and more.
Nestled inside the tart is a veggie mix of spinach, basil, juicy diced tomatoes and nutritional yeast.
How to Make These Basil Tomato Tarts
It's very easy to make these tarts once you gather the rather long list of ingredients. Hopefully most of the ingredients are already in your stores. If not, feel free to substitute. I am always swapping ingredients for those that I have available.
And I suggest you mix up both the crust and the filling with a bowl and fork. Not even a food processor. That's because you want both recipes to have chunks of flavorful ingredients to bite into. Machinery would turn both recipes into a puree.
So, are we ready to make some tarts? Let's go!
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Basil Tomato Tarts
Ingredients
crust
- 1 cup sundried tomatoes
- 1 cup almond flour or cooked quinoa
- 1 scallion bulb chopped
- 1 tbsp sunflower seeds
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 small tomato
- ½ cup zucchini chopped
- 2 fresh basil leaves
- 1 tbsp cilantro chopped
- pinch each of Himalayan salt and black pepper
- 1 tsp lemon juice
filling
- ¼ cup chopped spinach
- 3-4 basil leaves chopped
- a few cilantro leaves chopped
- 1 tsp nutritional yeast
- 1 - 2 tomatos diced (heirloom if possible, yum!)
- 1 tbsp crushed sunflower seeds
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp olive oil
- pinch each of Himalayan salt and black pepper
Equipment
Instructions
Prep
- Rub the tarts with olive oil. If you are adding the quinoa, first cook it by simmering in 2 cups of water for 15 minutes.
Make the Crust
- Process ingredients until well blended, and a bit sticky but can form a ball. (Add a bit more olive oil if the texture is too dry; add more flour if it is too sticky).
- Press into the tart pans to form crusts, and refrigerate uncovered.
Make the Filling
- Hand stir all ingredients until well mixed. I would not use a blender or food processor because the mixture will turn soupy. You want it to be chunky.
- Spoon mixture into chilled tart crusts, and top with heirloom tomato slices and basil leaves.
- Serve chilled or even slightly warmed.