A deliciously creamy Courgette & Halloumi Tart. Perfect for a meat free meal.
My main fussy eater (aka my husband) is a bit of a meatarian and regards many vegetables with the same suspicion as our little one. To help both of them eat more greens I often use simple tricks and clever presentation.
Although he would happily eat meat every day, I try to include a few meat-free meals each week for health and environmental reasons. Recently I made a Courgette & Halloumi Tart that turned out to be a winner with the whole family.
Halloumi is one of my favourites because it has a firm, meaty texture that holds up well when cooked, making it an ideal vegetarian substitute. Our little one had refused to try halloumi until now, so I hoped combining it in a tart might encourage her to taste it.
Courgettes have also been a challenging vegetable, so I sliced them into pretty ribbons to disguise them and make the tart more appealing.
Thankfully the tart was a hit: the little one ate most of her portion without a fuss and the grown-up went back for seconds. A definite result!
Pastry!
If you’re thinking you don’t have time to make pastry from scratch, here’s a practical tip: there is no shame in using ready-rolled pastry. It saves time, reduces hassle and still produces excellent results. Even champions of home cooking sometimes use ready-made pastry when it makes sense.
This recipe uses ready-rolled shortcrust pastry that needs chilling and blind-baking before adding the filling. Both steps are quick and can be done ahead of time—the pastry can be prepared in the morning and finished later in the day.
I’m pleased with how the tart turned out the first time I made it. The filling is versatile and can be adapted with different vegetables and cheeses—think asparagus and Gruyère, or tomato, mozzarella and basil for a different flavour profile.
If you make this tart, I’d love to hear how it goes—leave a comment or share a photo on Instagram. Seeing your variations and adaptations is always inspiring.
Courgette & Halloumi Tart
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5 from 3 reviews
Prep Time: 1 hour
Cook Time: 40 mins
Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
Yield: 6 1x
Category: Lunch
Cuisine: European
Description
A rich, creamy tart that’s ideal for meat-free days and family meals.
Ingredients
Scale
- 375g ready-rolled shortcrust pastry
- 300ml crème fraîche
- 3 eggs
- 25g Parmesan, finely grated
- 1 shallot, finely chopped
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- ¼ tsp fresh thyme
- 250g halloumi, cut into approx. 10 slices (for baking)
- ½ tbsp olive oil
- 3 courgettes
- 250g halloumi (for grilling)
Instructions
- Unroll the pastry and fit it into a tart or flan dish. You may need to roll it widthways to fit. Trim the excess and prick the base several times with a fork.
- Chill the pastry in the fridge for 30 minutes and preheat the oven to 170°C (fan).
- Line the chilled pastry with baking parchment and fill with baking beans or dried rice.
- Blind bake for 15 minutes. Remove the parchment and beans and bake for another 5 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 140°C (fan).
- Whisk the crème fraîche and eggs together. Stir in the Parmesan, shallot, garlic and thyme, and season with black pepper. Do not add salt—halloumi is quite salty on its own.
- Arrange eight slices of halloumi on the pastry base and pour the crème fraîche mixture over them. Bake for 15–20 minutes until the filling is set.
- Meanwhile, use a vegetable peeler to slice the courgettes into ribbons. Toss the ribbons in olive oil and char-grill in small batches on a hot griddle pan for 2–3 minutes until marked and slightly tender.
- Griddle the remaining halloumi slices until golden on both sides.
- When the tart filling has set, remove it from the oven. Top with the grilled courgette ribbons and halloumi, then return to the oven for a further 5 minutes to warm everything through.
- Allow the tart to rest for about 10 minutes before slicing and serving.