Treat yourself to this scrumptious Vegetable Galette! This savory, rustic tart is loaded with fresh summer veggies, tastes amazing, and is easy to prepare ... makes a wonderful lunch or dinner and great for entertaining, too!
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It's peak summer vegetable season, and I love finding creative ways to eat as many as possible. This is also my favorite time of year to make galettes, both sweet and savory, so creating a recipe combining these two faves was a must!
You are going to love this delicious Vegetable Galette! It's the perfect way to use up juicy tomatoes and a bountiful harvest of zucchini and summer squash. Other summer veggies can also be used, if you have them. And of course, you could adapt the filling for other seasons, too!
Homemade galettes easy to make, and the tart's rustic shape allows you to throw perfection out the window. This recipe is also a total crowd pleaser ... serve it for any summer party, and your guests are sure to be impressed! Don't save it just for get togethers though, you'll enjoy it for casual lunches and dinners, too.
A Galette is a type of French pastry. The name can refer to different kinds of pastries in France, ranging from a puff pastry king cake to buckwheat crêpes, but the type we're making today is a rustic, free form tart with a pastry crust and a sweet or savory filling.
Ready to get started? Keep reading for all the details, plus lots of helpful tips!
Ingredients
This recipe uses simple, fresh ingredients! Here's what you'll need:
- Veggies - A combination of tomatoes, zucchini and summer squash, and onions are used. The onions are caramelized and the other vegetables are uncooked before baking. This is perfect recipe for delicious heirloom tomatoes, which is what I used. You can also use just zucchini or just summer squash, if you prefer.
- Filling - You'll make a quick filling with sour cream, feta, lemon zest, and fresh thyme that goes underneath the veggies.
- Pastry - The homemade crust also is easy to make. You just need unsalted butter, all-purpose flour, salt, and cold water, and about five minutes (plus some chilling time), to make the flakey butter pastry.
This Tomato Zucchini Galette is naturally vegetarian!
You'll Also Need
If you have one, a food processor makes preparing the pastry quick and easy, although you can make it by hand, too. You'll also need rolling pin, a sharp knife and paper towels (or a bunch of clean dish towels) to prep the veggies, and a small bowl to mix the filling. This microplane zester is one of my most used kitchen tools, and it's super handy for zesting the lemon. You'll also need a large skillet (this nonstick frying pan set is my fave) to cook the onions, as well as a large baking sheet (or pizza pan) and some parchment paper to cook the galette.
How to Make the Vegetable Galette
This savory Vegetarian Galette has a few steps, but it really is easy to make! You'll find a detailed recipe card below, but here's an overview with photos:
- Make pastry. Because it needs to chill for a couple hours, begin by preparing the pastry. You'll combine the flour and salt, then cut the butter into the flour (using a pastry cutter, your fingers, or a food processor). The mixture should resemble course crumbs when you're done. Next, you'll add just enough ice water to form a ball of dough. Shape the pastry into a flat circle, then wrap it and chill it for at least one hour. Tip: Feel free to prepare the pastry a day or two in advance.
- Caramelize onions. Next you'll heat some olive oil in a large frying pan, then add the red onions (seasoning with a little salt and pepper). Cook the onions, stirring occasionally, until they are lightly browned. Add a tablespoon of water, then stir the onions well. When the pan seems dry, add more water. Repeat this process until the onions are dark brown and jammy looking. The whole process should take about 30 to 35 minutes. Tip: Adding water and cooking the onions at a higher heat (medium) speeds up the caramelization process.
- Prep veggies. While the onions cook, place the sliced tomatoes, zucchini, and summer squash in a single layer on a few sheets of paper towel (or clean kitchen towels). Sprinkle the veggies with salt and pepper, then set aside for at least 15 minutes. Once the time is up, use more paper towels (or kitchen towels) to blot the veggies dry. Tip: Salting the vegetables draws out excess water, which will help the squash stay crisp and also prevent the tart from getting soggy.
- Mix cheese filling. Next, stir together the sour cream, feta, lemon zest, and thyme. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Tip: This recipe only uses the zest ... use the lemon juice to make a delicious, refreshing Single Glass of Lemonade!
- Roll out crust. On a lightly floured surface, roll the chilled pastry into a 12-inch circle. Then transfer it to a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
- Top crust with cheese filling. Spread the feta filling evenly over the pastry, leaving about a 1 ½-inch border empty.
- Add caramelized onions. Top the filling with the caramelized onions.
- Layer on veggies. Next, you'll cover the onions with the vegetables. I layered the veggies around the outside of the tart first, then I filled in the center with veggies. Finally, I added another layer of vegetables in the center of the tart. Tip: You might have a few slices leftover, but try to squeeze on as many vegetables as possible.
- Fold pastry around filling. Fold the edges of the crust over the filling, overlapping as needed. Then brush the pastry with an egg wash. Tip: Don't worry if your tart isn't a perfect circle. It's meant to be a rustic-looking!
- Bake. Last but not least, bake the galette until the crust is deep golden brown and the veggies are tender-crisp. Tip: Don't skimp on baking time! It typically takes around 40 to 45 minutes for the pastry to cook all the way through, but every oven is different. If you undercook the tart, the crust will not be crisp in the middle.
Alright, time to enjoy your gorgeous Vegetable Galette! Doesn't it look delicious? This is the perfect recipe for showing off your favorite fresh summer produce!
Variations
This Savory Galette is fun and easy to customize! Here are some ideas to try:
- Veggies - This recipe can be made with other summer vegetables too, such as corn, greens, sweet peppers, eggplant, mushrooms, and more. Depending on the veg, I'd suggest lightly sautéing or roasting them briefly under your broiler, before adding them to the galette. This will tenderize the veggies and remove excess liquid.
- Cheese - Replace the sour cream with cream cheese or ricotta, or swap in goat cheese, blue cheese, parmesan, and cheddar for the feta.
- Herbs - Substitute fresh basil, oregano, rosemary, cilantro, dill, parsley, or another herb for the thyme.
Serving Suggestions
For an easy dinner or lunch, simply pair this Veggie Galette with a simple salad. It would be delish with this easy Nectarine Salad, a basic Green Salad, classic Salade au Chèvre Chaud, delish French Potato Salad, or this yummy Garden Veggie Salad. You could also add a tasty side dish, like Grilled Vegetables, Glazed Carrots, or even some homemade Garlic Bread.
Storage
Leftovers stored in an airtight container in your refrigerator will stay fresh for up to four days. You can rewarm the slices gently in your microwave or wrap them foil and reheat in your oven.
Related Recipes
If you loved this recipe here are some other tarts (sweet and savory) to try next:
- Tomato Galette - The perfect way to show off the tastiest summer tomatoes!
- Tart Soleil - An easy French "Sun Tart" appetizer that's sure to impress your guests.
- Roasted Veggie Tart - This delicious recipe pairs roasted vegetables with a creamy filling. Yum!
- Mini Cheese Tarts - These cute tartlets are easy to make and so delish.
- Cherry Tarts - This easy recipe is a family favorite and loved by Hello Little Home readers, too!
- Peanut Butter Tart (No Bake) - Calling all peanut butter + chocolate lovers ... this one's for you!
- No Bake Cheesecake Tart - Loaded with fruit and perfect for summer.
Searching for more French-inspired recipes? You'll love my Easy Croquembouche and Mushroom and Kale Quiche, too!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
A galette is a type of flat, rustic French tart, made by wrapping pie dough around a sweet or savory filling, then baking. Other types of galettes include: Galettes Bretonnes (buckwheat crêpes, traditionally filled with a ham, cheese, and egg); and Galette des Rois (a puff pastry king cake filled with a creamy almond custard).
Pies and galettes typically have similar ingredients, however pies are baked in a pastry-lined pie pan. Galettes, on the other hand, are flat and made by wrapping pastry around a filling and then cooked on a baking sheet. Because of this, galettes have more of a free form, rustic shape than pies do.
Yes, galette crust is the same as pie dough. You can use pie dough (pastry) to make both galettes and pies.
There are two reasons your galette may be soggy: either your filling released too much liquid as it cooked; or you didn't cook the galette long enough for the pastry crisp up. Depending on the ingredients, you can remove excess liquid from the filling by blotting it off with a paper towel, cooking the filling, or by mixing the filling with a thickener, such as cornstarch. The pastry should be a deep golden brown when the galette is done, although the crust around the edges typically cooks much faster the bottom does. One way to check the bottom, is to use a spatula to carefully lift the galette and look underneath. You should also let the finished galette sit for at least 10 to 15 minutes before cutting it, that way, any liquid in the filling will have a chance to thicken as the galette cools.
Vegetable Galette
Ingredients
For Pastry:
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter, cut into small cubes (cold)
- 2 to 4 tablespoons ice water
For Caramelized Onions:
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large red onion, quartered and thinly sliced
- pepper
For Filling:
- 2 large tomatoes, sliced ¼-inch thick
- 1 large zucchini, sliced ¼-inch thick
- 1 large summer squash, sliced ¼-inch thick
- ¼ cup sour cream
- ½ cup crumbled feta cheese
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (plus more for serving)
- 1 lemon, zested
- 1 large egg
Equipment
- Paper Towels
Instructions
Prepare Pastry:
- Whisk together flour and salt in a large bowl.
- Use a fork or pastry cutter to cut the butter into the flour, stopping when the mixture resembles course crumbs.
- Mix in water one tablespoon at a time, adding just enough for dough to clump together (typically 3 to 4 tablespoons total).
Prepare Caramelized Onions
- Heat olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat.
- Add onions to oil and season lightly with salt and pepper. Cook until lightly browned, stirring occasionally.
- Stir 1 tablespoon of water into onions. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally. When pan seems dry, add another tablespoons of water. Repeat this process until the onions are dark brown, tender, and jammy looking. Season with salt and pepper to taste. (If onions are browning too quickly, turn down heat slightly, so they don't burn.)
Prepare Filling:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- While onions cook, place sliced tomatoes, zucchini, and summer squash in a single layer on a few sheets of paper towel (or clean kitchen towels).
- Sprinkle the vegetables with salt and pepper, then set aside for 15 to 30 minutes. Once the time is up, use more paper towels (or kitchen towels) to press the veggies, blotting them dry.
- Mix together sour cream, feta, thyme, and lemon zest in a medium bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Assemble Galette:
- On a lightly floured surface, use a rolling pin to roll pastry into a 12-inch circle. Transfer to a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
- Spread feta-sour cream filling over pastry, leaving a 1 ½-inch border empty.
- Top feta with caramelized onions.
- Layer tomatoes, zucchini, and summer squash over onions, starting on the outside and working your way into the center. You will need to overlap the vegetables to get them all to fit.
- Fold pastry edge over veggies, overlapping where needed.
- Whisk together egg yolk (save white for another recipe) and 1 tablespoon water. Brush egg wash over pastry.
- Bake galette until dough is deep gold brown and crisp, and vegetables are tender-crisp (about 40 to 45 minutes).
- Let galette rest for 10 minutes, sprinkle with fresh thyme, then cut into wedges and serve. Enjoy!