Rustic Vegan Tart with Spinach Pesto Recipe

 

Author of The Vegan Cookbook, Adele McConnell has been blogging vegan recipes on her award-winning website, Vegie Head, since 2010. Try her rustic vegan tart recipe this weekend, and discover vegan food that’s packed with flavour!

 

Adele McConnell’s recipes have been enjoyed and recreated by tens of thousands of people all over the world. She believes you can change people’s perspective on veganism and vegetarianism without scaring them away with statistics, facts or disturbing images, or by listing what they can’t do or eat. “Instead, you can show them what they can eat and that eating vegan food is an adventure in taste and ingredients” says Adele. “There’s no feeling of deprivation. There is only an abundance of healthy, filling, incredible food. Try my Rustic Vegan Tart with Spinach Pesto and you’ll be convinced”.

Rustic Vegan Tart with Spinach Pesto

Serves: 4

Preparation Time: 30 minutes

Cooking time: 1 hour 15 minutes

150g/5½oz sweet potato, thinly sliced into rounds
1 baby beetroot, thinly sliced
80g/2¾oz butternut squash, peeled and cut into dice
1 carrot, sliced
1 large onion, cut into thin wedges
1 tbsp safflower oil or sunflower oil
6 asparagus spears
1 sheet of vegan ready-rolled puff pastry, defrosted if frozen
15 cherry tomatoes, cut in half
70g/2½oz/½ cup hazelnuts, chopped

green salad, to serve

 
Tomato spread
3 tbsp olive oil or melted coconut oil
2 garlic cloves
120g/4¼oz/¾ cup drained sun-dried tomatoes in oil
1 tsp dried thyme
 
Spinach pesto
100g/3½oz baby spinach leaves
1 handful of parsley leaves
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

 

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas 6. Put the sweet potato on a baking sheet and add the beetroot, squash, carrot and onion, then drizzle with the oil. Roast for 45 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, snap off any woody ends from the asparagus stalks at the point where they break easily, then cut the tender spears into short pieces. Leave to one side.

3. Put all the ingredients for the tomato spread into a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Leave to one side.

4. To make the spinach pesto, put all the ingredients in a blender or food processor and process until finely chopped. Add a little water if the mixture is too thick.

5. After 45 minutes of roasting the vegetables, add the asparagus to the baking sheet and roast for a further 10 minutes. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and leave to one side.

6. Lay the pastry sheet on a clean baking sheet, and spread with the tomato spread, leaving a 4cm/1½in border. Arrange the vegetables in a pile in the centre of the pastry, and gently fold in the edges to make a pastry border. Scatter over the cherry tomatoes. Bake the tart for 15 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown. Drizzle the tart with the spinach pesto, then sprinkle with the chopped nuts. Serve with a big green salad.

Adele McConnell is the founder of the hugely successful vegan food blog, vegiehead.com, and was the winner of the prestigious ‘Vegan Food Blogger Award’ by The Vegan Woman 2012. She loves sharing her passion for vegan food. Watch her inspiring, easy-to-follow cookery demonstrations on her YouTube channel.

“Feed your soul, taste the love: 100 of the best vegan recipes”

The Vegan Cookbook by Adele McConnell

176 pages • Illustrated • £14.99

AUS $28.00 NZ $35.00

Pre-order now!