Asparagus Puff Pastry Tart
Updated Jun 01, 2026
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Buttery puff pastry, tender asparagus, and melty cheese come together in this elegant yet surprisingly easy Asparagus Puff Pastry Tart. It’s the kind of recipe that looks impressive enough for brunch, lunch with friends, or a spring gathering, yet comes together with minimal effort thanks to store-bought puff pastry.
CHEF TIPS AND TRICKS:
- Spring onions are larger and more bulbous than scallions, but not large enough to make it to the onion bin. They will still have the tops attached. Look for them in the vegetable section near the scallions.
- For this tart, get the onions good and soft — not caramelized, as they’re already wonderfully sweet.
- To keep them from browning, I add small amounts of water as they’re cooking. Make sure all the water has evaporated before placing them on the tart.
- Puff pastry consists of numerous layers of dough made with flour and butter or other fat, such as shortening. When baked, the layers “puff up,” creating a light, flaky pastry. While the puff pastry is entirely doable from scratch, it’s time-consuming and must be kept very cold throughout. Good-quality frozen puff pastry sheets are available in the frozen dessert section of most supermarkets.
- To make the puff pastry sheet into a crust, unfold and place it on a lightly floured surface. Roll gently with a rolling pin to press and correct the folds. Score the pastry one inch from the edge on all four sides with a good, sharp knife, being careful not to cut all the way through, as shown here:
- After scoring the pastry, gently dock inside the scored area with a fork. In other words, poke it with a fork in several places. When you bake the crust before topping, the outside, undocked area of the crust will rise and remain so after cooling, while the inside docked area will sink a bit, creating a perfect bed for the filling.
- To finish the tart, add some lemon zest and a drizzle of good-quality balsamic vinegar. Cut into quarters and serve hot or warm.
More lovely tart recipes:
- Caramelized Onion and Goat Cheese Tart with Thyme
- Cherry Tomato Tart with Herbed Ricotta
- Asparagus Tart with Prosciutto and Fontina
- Butternut Squash Leek and Gruyere Tart
Get all my quiche and tart recipes at Quiche and Tart Recipes – From A Chef’s Kitchen.
Asparagus Puff Pastry Tart
Buttery puff pastry, tender asparagus, and melty cheese come together in this elegant yet surprisingly easy Asparagus Puff Pastry Tart. It’s the kind of recipe that looks impressive enough for brunch, lunch with friends, or a spring gathering, yet comes together with minimal effort thanks to store-bought puff pastry.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 bunch spring onions, usually 3 onions, white and light green part only, halved and thinly sliced (2-3 cups loosely packed)
- water, as needed
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 16-20 thin asparagus spears, as needed to fill the top of the tart
- all-purpose flour, for rolling out pastry
- 1 sheet puff pastry, from a 2-sheet package
- 2 cups shredded Fontina cheese, about 4 ounces
- Zest of 1 large lemon
- Good balsamic vinegar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Heat butter and oil in a skillet or saute pan over medium-high heat.
- Add onions, reduce heat to low and cook 12-15 minutes or until very soft but not browned. Add water as necessary to prevent browning. (Be sure all water has evaporated before placing on the tart.) Season onions with salt and black pepper.
- While the onions are cooking, bring a small saucepan of salted water to a boil. Prepare an ice bath.
- Cook the asparagus very briefly (10 seconds or until bright green). Immediately immerse in ice water. Drain and blot dry with paper towels.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry to smooth and correct the folds.
- Score the pastry all the way around about 1-inch from the edge being careful to not cut all the way through. Dock the interior in several places with a fork. (Do not dock outside of the scored area.) Place on a piece of parchment paper. Bake for 12-13 minutes or until lightly browned. Allow to cool at least 10 minutes.
- Spread shredded cheese over the interior of the crust. Top with onions then asparagus, pressing asparagus down gently into the cheese and onions.
- Return to oven, bake 12-14 minutes or until crust is golden and cheese has melted.
- To serve, sprinkle with lemon zest and drizzle with balsamic vinegar. Cut into quarters.
Notes
SUBSTITUTIONS:
- Can also use leeks in place of the spring onions. Be sure to rinse them well, as they can be muddy.
- Spring onions are larger and more bulbous than scallions, with the green tops still attached. Look for them near the scallions in the produce section.
- Cook the onions until very soft but not browned or caramelized—they’re naturally sweet already.
- Add small splashes of water as the onions cook to prevent browning, but let all the liquid evaporate before adding them to the tart.
- Puff pastry bakes up light and flaky thanks to its many buttery layers. Store-bought frozen puff pastry works beautifully and saves considerable time.
- To shape the crust, gently roll the thawed pastry to smooth the folds, then score a 1-inch border around the edges without cutting all the way through.
- After scoring, dock the inside of the pastry by poking it several times with a fork. This helps the center stay flatter while the border puffs up around the filling.
- Finish the tart with fresh lemon zest and a drizzle of good-quality balsamic vinegar. Serve hot or warm.
Nutrition
Serving: 4Calories: 678kcalCarbohydrates: 29gProtein: 22gFat: 53gSaturated Fat: 23gPolyunsaturated Fat: 5gMonounsaturated Fat: 23gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 92mgSodium: 732mgPotassium: 106mgFiber: 1gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 868IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 376mgIron: 2mg
Nutritional values are automatically calculated using unbranded products and are estimates only. Actual results may vary based on ingredients used and portion sizes. Adjust as needed for dietary restrictions, allergies, or health concerns.
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