Summer Squash Lattice Tart – Sharon Palmer, The Plant Powered Dietitian

You can create the most visually compelling vegan savory tart out of yellow and green summer squash (aka zucchini)! All you have to do is make a crisp whole wheat pastry crust, a velvety cashew cream filling mixed with sautéed leeks and summer squash, and then weave together slices of summer squash over the top. Then bake until golden, slice and enjoy! This Summer Squash Lattice Tart is so delicious and beautiful you won’t believe it’s vegan, plus it’s light and healthy to boot! It’s a great way to take advantage of your summer bounty of zucchini, too. Tote it along to a party, serve it for a summer brunch, and enjoy it for a special dinner. It can be the star of your meal, too.

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Summer Squash Lattice Tart

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  Author: The Plant-Powered Dietitian
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  Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes (not including soaking time for cashews or chilling time for pastry)
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  Yield: 8 servings 1x
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  Diet: Vegan

Description

Make this delicious, vegan Summer Squash Lattice Tart—a crunchy whole grain crust filled with a cashew cream leek filling topped with a lattice pattern of yellow and green zucchini—as a healthy brunch, picnic, or dinner recipe.

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Cashew Cream:

Whole Wheat Pastry Crust:

Summer Squash Filling:

• 4 small summer squash or zucchini (2 yellow, 2 green)
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 small leek, white and green parts, sliced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 tablespoon fresh or dried oregano
• Pinch salt and black pepper

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Instructions

1. Make Cashew Cream: Place raw cashews in a bowl and cover with water. Soak for at least 1 hour, or overnight. (You may also use the quick soak method by soaking cashews in boiling water for 15 minutes.)
2. Drain water and place in the container of a small blender. Add nutritional yeast, garlic, salt, white pepper, lemon juice, and plant-based milk. Process cashew cream until very smooth, thick, and creamy. Set aside.
3. Make the Whole Wheat Crust. Mix together flours and salt. With an electric mixer, mix in the vegan butter until crumbly, about 15 seconds (do not overmix).
4. Add the ice water, mixing with electric mixer just until smooth (about 20-30 seconds; do not overmix). Should make a cohesive dough that is not sticky. Chill the dough for about 30 minutes.
5. Preheat oven to 375 F.
6. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to fit into a 9-inch pie pan or tart pan with removable bottom. Press it into bottom and up the sides of the pan.
7. Prick the bottom of the pie crust with a fork. Place in the oven and parbake for 10 minutes. Remove the crust and set aside.
8. Make the Summer Squash Filling: Trim the ends of the squash, and slice them into thin vertical strips. Lay out enough strips to make a lattice pattern on the top of the tart (you can estimate how much you will need by laying out the pattern; see step 12), alternating colors (see photo above). Chop the remaining strips and pieces of the squash into small pieces to make 1 ½ cups chopped squash. Reserve remaining squash for another use.
9. Heat 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil in a large sauté pan and add leeks, garlic, and 1 ½ cups chopped squash. Sauté for about 9 minutes, until vegetables begin to soften. Add oregano, salt and pepper and stir while cooking for 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in the cashew cream, mixing well.
10. Preheat oven to 375 F.
11. Fill the parbaked pastry shell with the vegetable cashew cream mixture and smooth over surface with a spatula.
12. Gently create a lattice pattern of summer squash slices over the top of the tart. Start with the middle piece (horizontal), selecting a longer piece. Then top with a longer middle vertical piece. Work your way to the right, selecting pieces that fit (or trimming them as needed), weaving them into the pattern, and then do the same thing on the right of the tart. May add extra pieces of squash to create the desired length. Wipe away any filling on top with a clean cloth. Brush the remaining ½ tablespoon olive oil over the surface.
13. Place the tart on the top rack of the oven and bake for 45-50 minutes, until summer squash is golden on the top.
14. Remove, let stand for 10 minutes, then slice into 8 servings.

Notes

To make this recipe gluten-free use gluten-free flour blend instead of the wheat flours.

Use any extra unused summer squash pieces in a soup or stir-fry.

• Prep Time: 30 minutes
• Cook Time: 55 minutes
• Category: Entree
• Cuisine: American

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 serving
• Calories: 425
• Sugar: 4 g
• Sodium: 158 mg
• Fat: 30 g
• Saturated Fat: 6 g
• Carbohydrates: 32 g
• Fiber: 4 g
• Protein: 12 g

Keywords: vegan tart, summer squash tart, vegan entree

For other savory pie recipes, check out my favorites: 

Asparagus Dill Tofu Quiche
Green Bean Mushroom Pot Pies with Mashed Potatoes
Vegetable Pot Pie with Whole Wheat Biscuit Topping