This effortless yet pretty and delicious vegan asparagus tart takes 10 minutes to put together and less 20 minutes to bake. Flaky puff pastry is layered with pesto, an easy cashew cheese and fresh asparagus. Some Everything bagel seasoning adds some extra brunch appeal to the crust. Serve with a 3 ingredient lemon arugula salad on top for a delicious vegan meal that comes together with minimal work in the kitchen. Plus, it will have everyone at your table swooning for more!
I love using store-bought puff-pastry. It’s gorgeous once baked up and is so versatile to use, from pretty desserts to glam savory tarts. Complimented up with fresh flavors of spring like asparagus and peppery arugula, this tart perfect for an easy brunch. One of the things I love most about it is that it’s vegan but not obviously so. The filling is creamy, almost quiche like. The pesto and Everything Bagel spice are delicious flavors paired with the asparagus. This dairy-free tart is complete with a super easy 3 ingredient salad served over the top!
Tips for a Perfect Vegan Asparagus Tart:
Defrost your puff pastry according to package instructions. This might take 40 minutes, so be sure to plan accordingly. I’ve had luck defrosting it for 30 minutes and then keeping it in the fridge overnight. The key is to keep the pastry cold. If it comes to room temperature, the fat will soften and the pastry will its ability to puff as nicely in the oven.
For the cashew cheese filling, if you have a high-speed blender (not a regular blender), you can forgo soaking the cashews. If doing so, you don’t need to drain the tofu as you’ll need a bit of moisture to get things blended nicely.
The tofu I use in this recipe is silken variety. It’s silky smooth and perfect for vegan cheese and quiche-like bases without imparting a paste like consistency. It’s available in most grocery stores.
This vegan brunch recipe makes 2 tarts. Each serves 6 people for a light meal, or 3 people who are a bit hungrier. You can half the recipe if you only want one tart by changing the number of servings in the recipe card to 6.
If you make this Vegan Asparagus and Pesto Cashew Cheese Tart with Lemon Arugula, be sure to let me know in the comments below and give it a rating in the recipe card! Also, I love connecting on Instagram where you can tag me in your creations using my recipes. Thank you for reading along!
Vegan Asparagus and Pesto Cashew Cheese Tart with Lemon Arugula
Ingredients
- 2 sheets vegan puff pastry, thawed according to package instructions
- 349 g silken tofu, drained (1 pkg shelf-stable tetra-pak variety)
- ½ cup cashews, quick soaked (see recipe notes)
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- 1 tbsp shiro or light miso
- ½ tsp dried thyme
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 4 tbsp vegan basil pesto
- 2 lbs fresh asparagus, tough bottoms trimmed (about 2 bunches)
- 1 ½ tsp Everything Bagel spice
For the Lemon Arugula:
- 4 cups arugula
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- zest of 1 lemon
- dried chili flakes
- coarse salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a high-speed blender or a food processor, blend the tofu, cashews, nutritional yeast, miso, and thyme until smooth.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out each sheet of puff pastry to about 1/4″ thick. Place each pastry on prepared baking sheet. Using a sharp knife, score a 1″ border on the puff pastry (this helps with a defined crust during baking.) Brush the border of each sheet with olive oil.
- Spread 2 tbsp of pesto on each sheet of pastry, leaving the pesto off the borders. Gently spread about 3/4 cup of the tofu-cashew mixture over the pesto. Place the asparagus over the tofu-cashew mixture, alternating tips to bases for a more balanced look. Sprinkle 3/4 tsp of the Everything Bagel spice over the borders of each tart. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until dark golden. For best and even baking results, bake the tarts separately, keeping one in the fridge until baking.
For the Lemon Arugula:
- In a medium sized bowl, toss the arugula with the olive oil, lemon juice and lemon zest.
- To serve, place half the arugula over each tart and sprinkle with additional coarse salt, pepper, and dried chili flakes as desired.
AJ
Tuesday 7th of July 2020
What would be an alternative tofu brand to use? Our supermarkets don’t carry this brand but seems like it’s important in your recipe. Will any soft tofu work? Or any silken tofu brand work? Looking forward to trying it out, thx
Crumbs & Caramel
Tuesday 7th of July 2020
Hi AJ! Thanks for your interest in trying the recipe! Any brand should work, but silken style is key. I find it has the mildest flavor and blends the smoothest. That said, I don't think the recipe would be a disaster with soft tofu, the cashew cheese will just be a bit thicker. If you try the tart out, I hope you love it! Let me know if you have any other questions :) ~Bronwyn