Delicious tender-crisp asparagus on a flaky, buttery puff pastry crust with plenty of cheese and Dijon mustard, this easy Asparagus Tart is casually elegant and perfect for brunches, Mother’s Day, showers & parties, and more.
I’m so excited to be participating in the Spring edition of Freaky Friday hosted by Michela from An Affair from the Heart!
It’s a fun event where a group of bloggers get together and are secretly assigned another blog to recreate a recipe from. I had so much fun with the Winter Freaky Friday event making this awesome philly cheesesteak dip that I signed up again for another round. Here are all of my other Freaky Friday recipes!
This time I was assigned Madi’s blog, Mildly Meandering. Her blog is loaded with so many wonderful recipes and she focuses on recipes that are easy spins on classic dishes from around the world. Most of her recipes take 30 minutes or less, which is so helpful for this busy mama!
I chose to recreate Madi’s asparagus tart because asparagus is one of my favorite vegetables and it’s always at it’s best in the spring when it is in season.
When it comes to springtime entertaining, some of our other favorites are a Pineapple Upside Down Cake and Strawberry Scones!
And I know you guys love asparagus too, since my oven roasted asparagus with garlic, parmesan, & lemon has been one of the most popular recipes on the blog ever since I posted it a couple of years ago.
This would make a fantastic appetizer for a dinner party and can be cut into smaller squares. Or keep the squares bigger for a brunch portion or light lunch.
Tips for this Asparagus Tart
I love gruyere cheese (it’s one of the main cheeses I use in my favorite mac & cheese as well), but fontina is a great substitute. Freshly grated cheese is a must for this recipe because it melts so much better than the pre-grated kind.
You might also want to consider making a balsamic glaze and drizzling it over your asparagus tart for a punch of tangy sweetness. If you are unsure where to trim your asparagus, grasp one stalk on each end and bend it. It will snap on one end and that’s the perfect spot to trim most of the asparagus in your bunch so that the tough ends are removed.
How to Make An Asparagus Tart
It’s almost ridiculous how simple this is, and yet guests will be totally impressed.
1. Make sure to thaw your puff pastry on the counter so it is pliable. Then roll it out to be slightly larger than it comes in the package and prick it all over with a fork.
2. Brush the pastry with Dijon mustard using a pastry brush. Leave a 1-inch border all around the edges. I think this tart would be delicious even without the mustard, so I listed it as an optional ingredient below.
3. Sprinkle freshly grated gruyere cheese all over the pastry, then arrange the asparagus spears in a row. You can get fancier than I did and make a fancy pattern if you want.
I’ve seen tarts that are works out art with asparagus cut just-so to create zig-zags or diagonal lines, but I’m not that artistic. And actually, my 7-year old arranged the asparagus for me while I took photos. This blog has become something of a family affair.
4. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and bake until puff pastry is cooked through and golden brown and the asparagus is tender-crisp, about 20-25 minutes at 400°F.
5. Slice into squares and serve.
More Brunch Recipes You’ll Enjoy
- Copycat Waffle Love Liege Waffles
- Guava Cream Cheese Cuban Pastries
- Easy Chocolate Crepes
- Blackberry Scones
Did you make this recipe?
Let me know what you thought with a comment and rating below. You can also take a picture and tag me on Instagram @houseofnasheats or share it on the Pinterest pin so I can see.
Easy Asparagus Tart
Ingredients
- 1 sheet puff pastry thawed
- 2 Tablespoons dijon mustard (optional)
- 1 bunch asparagus tough ends trimmed
- 3 cups shredded gruyere cheese
- 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Use a rolling pin (affiliate link) to gently roll out puff pastry to an 11"x14" rectangle, then transfer to the parchment lined baking sheet. Dock (a fancy baking term meaning to prick all over) the puff pastry with a fork, then brush all over with the mustard.1 sheet puff pastry, 2 Tablespoons dijon mustard
- Sprinkle gruyere over the puff pastry, leaving a 1″ border on all sides. Arrange asparagus spears to be parallel with each other (or get fancy and arrange them on a diagonal!).3 cups shredded gruyere cheese, 1 bunch asparagus
- Sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and puffy. Slice into squares a serve. If desired, you can also drizzle a balsamic glaze (thicker and sweeter than balsamic vinegar) on top.½ cup shredded parmesan cheese
Notes
Nutrition
More Freaky Friday Recipes
- A Grande Life – Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Dip
- An Affair from the Heart – Margarita Dip with Salted Pretzels
- Aunt Bee’s Recipes – BLT Pasta Salad
- Bowl Me Over – Macaroni Pasta Salad
- Hostess at Heart – Blueberry Buckle Recipe – Incredibly Easy To Make
- Kylee Cooks – No Bake Blueberry Cheesecake
- LeMoine Family Kitchen – Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas Tacos
- Life Currents – Blackened Shrimp Pasta
- Lisa’s Dinnertime Dish – Spicy Thai Basil Slaw
- Mildly Meandering – Mediterranean Scalloped Potatoes
- Seduction in the Kitchen – Grilled Peach Caprese Salad
- Take Two Tapas – Spicy Bacon Wrapped Air Fryer Shrimp
- The Foodie Affair – Coconut Pie with Creamy Custard Filling
- The Speckled Palate – Instant Pot Macaroni and Cheese
- West Via Midwest – Air Fryer Cherry Pies
- Who Needs a Cape? – Slow Cooker Cheesy Taco Soup
That’s it…you didn’t even need a fancy tart pan? Easy and pretty, how wonderful is that! 🙂
This is so elegant and I can almost smell the melting cheese combined with the mustard on the pastry. I am just waiting for the formers market to get some fresh asparagus to try it!
I’m so glad you chose to make this recipe! It’s one that I love making for parties!
Asparagus is one of my favorite veggies as well. I make it all the time, but I’ve never made it as a tart like this. This looks amazing!
YUM! I’ve made a version of asparagus tart and it’s always devoured. Super easy to make with puff pastry and fresh asparagus taste amazing with cheese. Great recipe pick for Freaky Friday blog hop!
This is a fabulous appetizer! We love asparagus.
This is perfect for literally anytime of the day! I t would be awesome for brunch, it would make a great lunch or dinner or a perfect appetizer with a bottle of wine. I am in LOVE.
This tart is absolutely stunning! It’s so perfect for a spring brunch!
This may be the best ever Spring appetizer!!! It is absolutely GORGEOUS!
So elegant yet so so easy to make. I love the dijon paired with the cheeses and asparagus. So much great flavor.
This is going to be perfect for brunch on Mother’s Day!! I might make it just for me!!
AMY! This tart is utter perfection! I’d love to have it for any kind of gathering, and I wouldn’t turn my nose up at it for Mother’s Day, either. I don’t know why I never consider making asparagus because it’s always delicious, and that’s going to change right now.
What a beautiful tart! We love asparagus and this beauty looks amazing. I can’t wait to try it!
Mmmm this tart looks beautiful! I love to make this for brunch!
This recipe would be great for so many occasions. I love the simplicity and the flavors.
This looks very elegant! Perfect for a dinner party!
Can I make it a day ahead of time and bake day of event?
Sure! Just keep it cold until you bake it so the butter in the pastry doesn’t melt.
I made this for brunch today, so easy and delicious.
Want to make this recipe for a dinner party Saturday night but don’t wish to wait until the last minute.
Can this recipe be made in the afternoon and for the “final” bake” be put into the oven just before serving?
Yes, absolutely! Just be sure to cover it with plastic wrap so it doesn’t dry out.
I have made this 6-7 times and every time it is a hit! I always receive compliments and my guests want the recipe. I make it often while people gathered in kitchen as it is so easy.
If you like asparagus you will love this.
This is AMAZING! I made it today for brunch & it was a huge hit! I love to cook but I’m not much of a baker so I checked other recipes and their reviews for extra technique tips: “Score” (cut but not all the way through) the pastry appx 1″ from edge before baking- this will create a beautiful puffed edge. Alternate tip to base direction of the spears to help with space maximization and create a tip/base balance. Cool the tart on its cookie sheet at least 15 min before cutting with a chef’s knife or pizza cutter. Serve warm or @ room temp.
Can this be frozen after cooking?
I froze my leftover tart for about 2 months. Defrosted and reheated it on a pizza stone. Came out great!
I plan to make this tart for Easter brunch. Can you please tell me if you use raw asparagus or do you cook and blanch the speers in ice water quickly after cooking then lay them on the pastry?
Thank you.
I used raw asparagus.
I used it raw as well. It’s in the oven as we speak. Will review after dinner.
Just finished a dinner of your amazing tart and a spinach salad.
The only change I made was using half the amount of Gruyere. The Dijon is genius! Thanks so much!
So glad you loved it!
Absolutely delicious….but: my asparagus came out a bit dry/dehydrated and somewhat stringy. I made this on a whim using ingredients I had on hand: asparagus from Costco (maybe the asparagus was simply not fresh enough or of poor quality?), dijon on crescent roll dough; about 1.5 cups of high quality cheddar under the asparagus with about 1/2 cup of Havarti & a sprinkle of grated parmesan on top. I sprinkled the asparagus with a bit of black pepper & garlic powder, and used dried Thyme on top of the Havarti. The flavor was out-of-this-world delicious and more cheese would have made a gooey mess IMHO, but the toughness of the asparagus made the tart difficult to eat. Any thoughts on what went wrong? Maybe next time I will blanche the asparagus, or cut it in bite-size pieces before cooking (although this will probably not make the tart as “pretty”). Appreciate any guidance. I will for sure make this again. YUM.
Sounds to me like the woody stems were longer than normal. Rather than cutting your asparagus shorter, you can take a vegetable peeler to the bottom of the asparagus sticks and peel off the outer layer, which tends to be the woody, stringy bit. That should make it a lot easier to eat without sacrificing the appearance or as much of your asparagus!
Thank you! Great suggestion!
Made this for Easter and it was so delicious! I alternated the asparagus -tip up, tip town, tip up.. that way everyone had tips and stalk. Used the pizza cutter, divided into 8 pieces. Heavenly!
Love the idea about alternating the placement of the asparagus!
I rolled my puff pastry directly on a sheet of parchment paper and then simply lifted the sheet onto the pan before loading it up with toppings to avoid any potential issues with sticking. The mustard is a good twist – everybody loved the tart but couldn’t put their finger on the tangy flavor!
oh great! Yes, the mustard adds a fun twist to the flavor!
hi great recipe i used combo of cream cheese and tasty cheese as the Gruyère cheese is super expensive in Australia. i also added anchovies here and there on top and baked. Used a pizza tray with holes in it to cook so the bottom of the pastry was crisp. the tart was great! thanks for the inspiration.
Sounds great!
delicious & so easy to make
so yumm😉🥳
Made this for a party. i used 2 sheets of pastry on top of each other and cooked for a little longer. Absolutely was a hit!! I’ll probably use a little less cheese next time(I did pile it on).
Great! What a fun, savory dish to bring to a party!