This golden beetroot tart with mascarpone is a recipe that combines the earthy and mellow golden beetroot with the rich, creamy, and lemony mascarpone cheese - a great marriage of flavours. The beetroot leaf pesto adds another peppery layer of flavour. It is a way to cook sustainably - reducing food waste by using all parts of the vegetable often thrown away. This recipe is a no-fuss option, using store-bought puff pastry, and no pre-cooked beetroot is required; pile the thinly sliced raw beetroot onto the puff pastry slathered with mascarpone and bake in the oven. Many beetroot tart recipes focus on the bold combination of red beetroot and goat's cheese; I bring you its subtler cousin.
Why You'll Love This Golden beetroot and mascarpone tart
- This is a simple recipe requiring only basic cooking skills - a blender for the pesto, a mandolin slicer for the beetroot, and no pastry to make.
- A centrepiece-worthy main course vegetarian option.
- Uses mascarpone as opposed to goat's cheese used in other beetroot tarts: Milder, creamier and no tang.
- A zero-waste recipe using the beetroot leaves that are almost always thrown away, but they are edible.
- No pre-cooking of the beetroot required. The thinly sliced golden beetroot cooks in the tart.
Jump to:
key Ingredients & notes
The ingredients are divided into the main tart ingredients and the beetroot leaf pesto ingredients:
Beetroot tart ingredients
- Puff pastry - use pre-made pastry.
- Golden beetroot - a milder, less sweet beetroot compared to its red cousin.
- Mascarpone cheese, lemon juice, olive oil and chives - mascarpone is creamy and mild and does not overpower the golden beetroot. They complement and do not compete. Lemon juice and chives add more layers of interest.
Beetroot leaf pesto ingredients
- Beetroot leaves - edible and ideal for making into a pesto. Be a zero food waste hero!
- Walnut -more depth to the pesto
- Parmesan cheese -for that umami taste
- Olive oil -brings everything together
- Lemon juice- balances and sharpens all the flavours
See the recipe card for quantities.
how to make Golden beetroot and mascarpone tart with beetroot leaf pesto
- Use a mandolin slicer to slice the beetroot thinly (about 3mm) and evenly. If the slices are uneven, they will take different amounts of time to cook in the oven.
- Season the sliced beetroot with salt, pepper, olive oil and the juice of half a lemon. Coat the beetroot slices well and set aside.
- Finely chop the chives and zest half a lemon.
- In a bowl, add the mascarpone cheese, salt, pepper, the lemon zest and the chopped chives. Set aside.
- Thoroughly wash the beetroot leaves and stems.
- Peel the garlic and cut the parmesan cheese into small cubes.
- Put the beetroot leaves and stems, garlic, parmesan cheese and walnuts into a blender and blend to a rough puree.
- Preheat the oven to 200ºC.
- Roll out the puff pastry onto a baking tray.
- Score the edges, leaving half an inch all the way around.
- Spread the mascarpone cheese evenly over the pastry, within the scored edge.
- Lay the sliced beetroot onto the mascarpone cheese as shown in the photograph.
- Bake in the oven for 25 to 30 minutes.
- Once the tart is ready, add dollops of the beetroot leaf pesto.
Substitutions & variation
- You can swap the golden beetroot for red beetroot, but the colour will bleed onto the mascarpone cheese and the flavour balance will be affected - the red beetroot will overpower the mascarpone.
- Traditional parmesan is made with animal rennet, so if you want a strictly vegetarian beetroot tart, buy a certified vegetarian hard cheese.
- Swap the walnuts for hazelnuts. If you want nut-free, replace with sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds.
- If mascarpone is not available, swap it for cream cheese, though it will make the texture firmer and the taste tangier.
- You can use dill instead of chives.
Equipment
This recipe requires some specific equipment:
- Mandolin slicer - A mandolin slicer makes slicing vegetables quick and easy. You can effortlessly get thin, even slices, which is important for thorough, even cooking.
- Jug blender - Required to make the beetroot leaf pesto.
- Baking tray - To bake the beetroot tart in the oven.
- Digital scales - the best tool for accurate ingredient measurements.
Storage
Store all the components of the tart separately in the fridge for up to three days. Cover the beetroot leaf pesto with a thin layer of olive oil to stop it from darkening.
Recipe tips
- Thin, even beetroot slices are key for this recipe so they cook through when baking the tart without needing to pre-roast the beetroot. Using a mandolin slicer is a must.
- When making the pesto, use the pulse function on the blender - you are aiming for a rough purée.
- Ideally, this is a serve-immediately dish, so you eat the pastry at its best.
- Be mindful not to cut the pastry deeply when scoring. You still want the puff pastry to puff out on the edges whilst containing the filling.
- The salted beetroot slices may draw out water from the beetroot - be sure to drain off the slices before arranging them in the pastry so you don't get a soggy bottom.
- If you follow the prep sequence for this tart, it will be done in under an hour.
FAQ
This is deliberate for flavour and appearance. I was after a balanced flavour profile. Golden beetroot is milder than red beetroot, so it doesn't overpower the lemony mascarpone cheese. Also, the colour of golden beetroot doesn't bleed into the mascarpone like red beetroot would. So if you find red beetroot too bold, I recommend the golden variety.
If you end up with more pesto than you can use in this recipe, stir it through pasta, spread it on toast for a snack, or spoon it over roasted vegetables.
You can make the pesto and the mascarpone filling up to three days ahead - they will hold in the fridge. I suggest constructing and baking the tart, then eating it the same day, to keep the pastry at its best. Although I recommend eating it immediately after baking, this beetroot tart can still be added to a lunchbox and be eaten cold or reheated in an oven for 10 minutes at 160 degrees centigrade.
I peeled it because I grow my beetroot, and it had lots of small roots that needed removing. If your golden beetroot is shop-bought, then you can wash it, leave the skin on and slice with the mandolin slicer.
Yes, because we are slicing the beetroot thinly. It will not be as buttery soft as roasted beetroot, but it will not be chewy either. It will have a bite.
📖 Recipe
Golden Beetroot and Mascarpone Tart with Beetroot Leaf Pesto
Equipment
- Measuring spoons
- Baking tray
Ingredients
Tart
- 450 gms Golden beetroot
- 320 gm Pre-rolled puff pastry
- ½ nos Lemon
- 1 tbsp Olive oil
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Pepper
Mascarpone Cheese
- 250 gms Mascarpone cheese
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Black pepper
- 11 gms Chives
- ½ Lemon zest
Beetroot leaf pesto
- 90 gms Beetroot leaves
- 10 gms Garlic
- 20 gms Walnuts
- 35 gms Parmesan
- 2 tablespoon Olive oil
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ½ nos Lemon juice
Instructions
Beetroot Tart
- Wash, pat dry, and slice the beetroot on a mandolin, about 3mm thick. The important thing is that they are all even in thickness. Peeling is optional.
- Transfer the sliced beetroot to a bowl, then season with salt, pepper, olive oil, and the juice of half a lemon (save the zest for the mascarpone cheese). Mix well and set aside.
Mascarpone cheese
- Finely chop the chives. Zest half a lemon.
- In a bowl, add the mascarpone cheese, salt, pepper, lemon zest and chopped chives. Mix to combine. Set aside.
Beetroot Pesto
- Thoroughly wash the beetroot leaves and stems, and pat dry. Chop the stems and leaves.
- Peel the garlic.
- Cut the parmesan cheese into small cubes.
- In a blender, add the walnuts, garlic, cheese, beetroot stems, and leaves. Then add salt, the juice of half a lemon, and olive oil and blend into a rough purée.
- Transfer into a container and set aside.
Assembly
- Preheat oven to 200ºC
- Roll out the pre-made puff pastry onto a baking tray.
- Leaving a ½ inch gap around the edge, score on the four sides. See the method photo.
- Spread the mascarpone cheese mix evenly in the centre.
- Place the beetroot on top of the mascarpone cheese. See the method photo.
- Bake in the oven for about 25 to 30 minutes.
- Once the tart is ready, add dollops of beetroot leaf pesto and serve immediately.
More beetroot recipes
If you are a beetroot fan like me, then try these recipes. I'm particularly fond of the beetroot soup!
Food safety
- Wash your hands regularly while preparing, handling and cooking food.
- Wipe down countertops and high-contact points regularly.
- If you cook meat and fish, do not use the same utensils on cooked food that previously touched raw meat. Use separate chopping boards for meat and fish. Wash your chopping boards immediately after use.
- Thoroughly cook food to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C).
- Don't leave food at room temperature for extended periods (more than 2 hours).
- Store food correctly.
Leave a Reply