When I was a little girl, my mother would cook a beetroot stew. I am not sure if there was a recipe or her own creation but I didn’t quite like the look of it. Beetroot was cooked in the pressure cooker with other vegetables and the resulting colour wasn’t very appealing. The potatoes would turn orange, spinach looked black, the onions were lost somewhere and then we would stand facing the mirror with our tongues out after consuming it . Without a doubt it tasted delicious, but that colour! Today, I love beetroot. I love the way it stains my hands and my kitchen counter. I love the way it looks and tastes. I use this root vegetable to pack variety and nutrition into the meals I make for my children. I feel an irresistible urge to take out the camera every time I notice it’s powerful purplish existence in a dish. It has the natural ability to make food look vibrant and attractive.
Beetroot is often paired with goat’s cheese. In tarts, especially. I think it’s an amazing combination but it does pair well with other cheeses as well. I like how it tastes with feta, mascarpone and ricotta. The saltiness and creamy texture of feta is just perfect to balance the sweet, moreish flavour of beetroot. Balsamic vinegar adds a lovely depth to the filling in this tart and thyme makes it aromatic. I adapted the concept of this tart from here but pretty much changed everything from the ingredients to the method of making it.
This is one tart that you would want to make over and over again. There is so much flavour in it. It makes for an impressive starter or a snack. If you are not comfortable making the tart shell, use a premade shell for the sake of the tart. You wont be disappointed. The filling can be made the day before and stored in the refrigerator. The tart is best baked the same day.
Beetroot And Feta Tart
Serves 8-10
2 large beetroot (about 400g), trimmed, peeled and coarsely grated
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 red onions thinly sliced
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons thyme leaves
1 tablespoon brown sugar
150g smooth feta
2 eggs, lightly beaten
150ml thickened cream
Extra thyme springs, to scatter
Fresh herbs, to serve
For the pastry
1 1/3 cups (200g) plain flour
100g chilled unsalted butter, chopped
To make the pastry, place flour, butter and a pinch salt in a food processor and whiz until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add 1/4 cup (60ml) chilled water, then process until the mixture comes together in a ball. Enclose in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes. Lightly grease a 23 cm loose-bottomed tart pan. On a lightly floured surface, roll out pastry to 5mm thick, then use to line the tart pan. Chill for 15 minutes.
Preheat oven to 180 degree C. Line pastry with baking paper and fill with pastry weights or uncooked rice. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove the paper and weights, then bake for 5 minutes or until dry and pale golden. Remove from oven and leave aside to cool.
Heat the oil in a fry pan over medium heat. Add onions and 1 teaspoon salt, then cook, stirring occasionally, for 6-8 minutes until softened. Add beetroot, vinegar, thyme, brown sugar and 1 cup water, then cook for 12-15 minutes (stirring in between to prevent burning) until thickened and tender. Cool the mixture.
Spread beetroot mixture over the tart base, then crumble over feta cheese. Whisk egg and cream together, then pour into tart case. Scatter with extra thyme. Bake for 35 minutes or until set. Slice and serve with a leafy green salad.
I just had to tell you how beautiful your photos are : )
Thank you so much Steph! Did you know I am a big fan of yours:-)
I just saw your reply. Thank you so much, that means a lot!!! : )
Wonderful recipe… sweetness of beetroot and little salty texture of feta makes it a perfect combination as said!
Wow this is gorgeous! So striking. Would make a beautiful addition to a brunch.
This tart looks so colourful and enticing – I am not a fan of beets but could enjoy ANY vegetable with feta 😀
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Oh wow, what a creation! I love this! I’m gonna try this for afternoon tea. Thanks for sharing!
Julie
Gourmet Getaways
Perfect combination of flavors: The sweetness from the beets and both the tanginess from the feta. What a gorgeous tart as well!
Love love the contrast of colors and yes to beets. Wow! never realise that you can elevate tart to a high level with those ingredients.
I thin we all have a beetroot childhood horror story. But this tart will eradicate all bad memories, it looks so colorful and superb.
This tart looks beautiful! I love the combination of beetroot and goats cheese. I used to love pickled beetroot as a little kid until one day my parents didn’t notice me sneak into the kitchen and eat almost an entire can. I was put off beetroot for a looooong time. Roasted here though it looks fantastic 🙂
This looks INCREDIBLE. I’m allergic to wheat, and just beginning to experiment with all the alternative kinds of flours. Any suggestions (from anyone) on what type of flour would work subbed into this recipe?
Thanks all.
Hi Aliya, not sure how I missed this comment. My sincere apologies. I am yet to try out a wheat alternative in a pastry shell but I have seen many recipes out there. Probably googling up a ‘gluten free tart’ might help. Thanks so much for writing in.
I can’t wait to try this – it’s so beautiful. Just one question, when to you add the cooked beetroot mixture to the tart, before or after you add the egg/cream?
Hi Erin, you add the beetroot mixture first and then pour the egg-cream mixture over the beetroot. Thanks a ton for stopping by!
Hello, this looks amazing and especially good as I have a glut of beetroot in the garden and a friend just gave me a few kilos of beautiful Tropea red onions! Just one question – how many onions do you use? You have a ! In place of a number! I am already making it (on the stove as I write – smelling delish) and used 2 in mine but thought I’d ask! Thanks!
Hi Sarah, hope it turned out great. You are lucky to have a glut of beetroot…such a beautiful thing to cook with. It is 1 onion but I don’t foresee a major difference in taste if you used two, I have made the correction. Here in Australia, our seasons and time zones are polar opposite of yours hence couldn’t respond faster. Thanks for writing in.
Gosh, this is a really late reply, sorry not to have replied sooner ! Thanks for your answer. Mine turned out really well and I made extra beetroot filling so that could have it even out of beetroot season – it froze beautifully and I now make this tart every year ! Thanks for a great recipe.
This looks amazing!
I will be making two tonigh, one for dinner and one for a work party tomorrow.
Do you put the feta in at the end? Should I just break it into pieces and sprinkle on top before baking?
Hi there! Spot on. The feta can be crumbled and sprinkled on top of the beet-root and egg mixture just before baking. I noticed that the step was missing in the method and I have updated it. Hope you enjoy the tart:-)
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Your photos are gorgeous!! I love how bright and healthy the tart looks!
I made this for dinner this evening. It is wonderful!
So happy it to hear that Lynda! Thank you so much for stopping by and giving the tart a try:-)
Wow, what a lovelyidea! I haven’t tried anything like this so far, I bet it tastes great!
It tastes delicious indeed! Isn’t the colour so unique too? Thank you so much!
This recipe made my grown daughter eat a beet! Enough said! And, she’s glutein-intolerant so said, “OMG this was delicious. And, to top it off, I made a cauliflower pastry crust so even more veggies crammed in there.” So, dear Sonali, I thank you for doing something I, as her mother, for almost 30 years, couldn’t do, which is make her try beets! Blessings to you and your family.
Yay! So happy to read this:-) Wow! I love the sound of a cauliflower pastry crust..I am certainly going to try it. Thank you so much for making the tart and taking time to share your feedback. Big love!
WOW. This looks so delicious! Is it possible to skip the cream? Or use almond milk instead?
Hi Sonali, I found this beautiful recipe on Pinterest and just want to say thank you!. I made it for Mothers day lunch today and everyone loved it : ) x Jen (Perth, WA)
Hi Jen! I am delighted to know that you made this tart and everyone loved it. It’s certainly my favorite too. Thanks so much for sharing your experience. Hope you have an amazing week:-)
Hello! I am planning on making this on Tuesday next week! After its baked and cooled do you think itbcould be frozen?? Have you ever made it using filo pastry??
Hi Lisa,happy to hear that you are making the tart. The flavours are delicious! I have not tried it with Filo pastry, nor frozen it. Do let me know how you go.
This tart is absolutely exquisite. I love the beautiful colors!
Hmm this look delicious, thanks for posting up this recipe, looks quite simple to make.
Simon
I am making this now! Hoping to impress the inlaws 🙂 At least if I mess up, it will still look pretty.
How awesome of you to make it for your in-laws! I hope you and your family loved it as much as I did:-)
Hi Sonali ,
Stumbled upon your site via epicurious and glad I did. Would love to make this tart as beets get wasted in my home can you pls let me know what can I sub the eggs for as would like to make it eggless for my dad
Thanks
Could you please tell me what thickened cream is please. We don’t have that in Ireland. Buckets of great cream though.
Hello, beautiful recipe! Can you please clarify what “thickened cream” is? Do I use regular cream and thicken it myself? If so, how?! Thanks very much!
Hi Anne, glad you liked the recipe. Thickened cream is nothing but heavy cream or double cream. I am not sure where you are based but it should be available in most supermarkets. Unfortunately, it can’t be made at home. I hope this helps.
Do you think I could freeze this if I doubled the recipe? If so, before or after baking?
This tart was super, super tasty and very easy to make! Thank you. 🙂
Magnifique, cette tarte est une pure merveille, merci pour le partage.
I made this tonight and my husband and I thoroughly enjoyed this. It’s absolutely beautiful. We had the beetroot leaves cooked with garlic and a dash of soy sauce to go with the tart. Yum! Thanks for sharing!
What temperature to cook the filled tart? Do not see it.
Love this recipe! Was a crowd pleaser at thanksgiving! We roasted the beets and caramalized the onions. Delish 🙂
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Made this recipe twice now the family favourite 😋
That’s so wonderful to hear! Thanks so much for sharing your feedback.
Have tried it multiple times, still one of my favorite recipes. Remember my first time, I was so proud! Never thought I could make a tart like this. Thahnk you!