This Roasted Beet Tart with Lemon & Thyme is the kind of recipe that feels right at home across multiple seasons – it’s bright and fresh enough for spring, but grounded and cozy enough for fall. It’s colorful and layered, perfect for a slow weekend brunch, but just as good as part of the dinner table when you want something seasonal and satisfying.
It has a few components stacked together, but that’s kind of the fun of it. Flaky crust, tangy goat cheese, and beets that turn glossy and rich in the oven – nothing complicated, just really good layering that somehow turns into something way greater than the sum of its parts.
Plus, it’s flexible. You can always use store-bought pie dough (no one will judge!) or use my simpler all-butter pie crust.
Table of contents
The three components of this beet tart
This tart has three things that make it so, so good!
- A buttery, salty, extra-melt-in-your-mouth pie crust – tender and flaky, it’s the perfect base to hold everything together.
- A creamy goat cheese layer. Mixed with lemon, parmesan, garlic, and herbs, it adds a flavorful, tangy base that pairs perfectly with the beets.
- Roasted beets! They’re tossed with brown butter and lemon zest for even more flavor, bringing both richness and a pop of freshness to every bite.
Ingredients you’ll need for this recipe
- 4-5 (1 1/2 lbs) medium beets, assorted colors
- 1 lemon, for zest and juice
- 1/2 cup (2 oz) freshly grated parmesan
- 2/3 cup (4 oz) goat cheese
- 1/2 cup (1 1/2 oz) chopped parsley
- 2 garlic cloves
- Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- Freshly cracked black pepper
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 8-10 sprigs of thyme
- All-butter pie crust
- Egg wash, optional
How to make the all-butter pie crust
If you’re choosing to use a homemade crust as opposed to store-bought, yay! I recommend starting this first, as it needs to chill before you can use it. I have a full breakdown of how to make an all-butter pie crust, but here’s a quick overview:
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and optional sugar.
- Grate in very cold butter, then toss and press into flat pieces until the mixture is rough and shaggy. Add ice water gradually, mixing just until the dough comes together in clumps.
- Move the dough to a work surface and press the dough down until it is about 2″ high. Use a bench scraper to cut the dough in half. Pile the pieces on top of each other, and press them down. Rotate 90°, press down and repeat the process a few times, dusting with flour as needed.
- Flatten to about 1 inch thick, wrap tightly, and shape into a rectangle. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
How to prepare the beets
The toughest part of this recipe is that you need your beets fully cooked before you can start the rest of the process. Here’s how to cook them:
- Position a rack to the center of the oven and preheat to 425°F convection.
- Halve the beets lengthwise, wrap them tightly in foil, and roast for 25-30 minutes, or until fork tender.
- Remove them from the oven and let them cool while still wrapped in the foil, essentially using steam to loosen the skin.
- After they’ve cooled, gently peel the beets (the skin should come right off) and cut them into wedges. Add them to a large bowl. Add in the lemon zest and the leaves from 3 sprigs of thyme.
- Brown 2 tablespoons of butter and pour it over the beets and lemon zest. Toss to coat.
Making the goat cheese layer for this tart
While both the dough and beets are chilling, you’ll want to prep the goat cheese layer. This is just a bit of mixing, so it’s super easy!
In a small bowl, mix together the juice from the lemon, parmesan, goat cheese, parsley, grated garlic cloves, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and a few cracks of black pepper. Really mix to make it spreadable and set it aside.
How to assemble and bake the tart
Roll the pie crust into a 12-inch disc. Spread the cheese mixture to the edges, then casually layer the beets on top (letting them fall where they want will always make a prettier tart).
Brush the crust with egg wash, then bake for 40-45 minutes, or until the crust is golden and the cheese is puffed and beginning to brown.
Top with more thyme and serve warm.
Looking for similar recipes?
Pumpkin Tart with Caramelized Onions & Pumpkin Seed Gremolata
Peach Galette with Rosemary Blueberries
Courgette Tart with Lemon Ricotta
And that’s it for this Roasted Beet Tart with Lemon and Thyme!
If you make it, please tag me on Pinterest or Instagram so I can see! It’s my favorite thing to scroll through stories and see what you all are making.
And of course feel free to leave any questions, comments, or reviews! This is the best place to reach me, and I’d love to hear from you <3
Equipment
- 1 rolling pin
- 1 parchment paper
Ingredients
- 4-5 (1 1/2 lbs) medium beets, assorted colors
- 1 lemon, for zest and juice
- 1/2 cup (2 oz) freshly grated parmesan
- 2/3 cup (4 oz) goat cheese
- 1/2 cup (1 1/2 oz) chopped parsley
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- Freshly cracked black pepper
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 8-10 sprigs of thyme
- All-butter pie crust
- Egg wash, optional
- 1 tablespoon honey
Instructions
- Position a rack to the center of the oven and preheat to 425°F convection. Halve 4-5 beets lengthwise, wrap them tightly in foil and roast for 25-30 minutes, or until fork tender. Remove them from the oven and let them cool while still wrapped in the foil, essentially using steam to loosen the skin.
- Reduce the oven heat to 375°F convection.
- Zest 2 teaspoons of lemon zest and set it to the side.
- In a small bowl, mix together the juice from the lemon, 1/2 cup of parmesan, 2/3 cup of goat cheese, 1/2 cup of chopped parsley, 2 grated garlic cloves, 1/4 teaspoon of kosher salt and a few cracks of black pepper. Really mix to make it spreadable and set it aside.
- Gently peel the beets (the skin should come right off) and cut them into wedges. Add them to a large bowl. Add in the lemon zest and 3 sprigs worth of thyme leaves.
- In a small pan over medium heat, brown 2 tablespoons of butter then pour it over the beets and lemon zest. Season with salt and pepper and toss to coat.
- Roll out a pie crust into a 12-inch disc and transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet. Spread the cheese mixture to the edges, then casually layer the beets on top (letting them fall where they want will always make a prettier tart).
- Brush the crust with egg wash, then bake for 40-45 minutes, or until the crust is golden and the cheese is puffed and beginning to brown.
- Whisk together 1 tablespoon honey and 1 tablespoon water. Brush this over the beets when the tart is out of the oven so that they are nice and glossy. Top with more thyme and serve warm.
Old Version
Below is the original recipe that was first developed in 2023. For the updated recipe, please see the above.
Serves 6
Total cook time: 2 hours
Ingredients
For the crust
- 2 sticks salted butter (chilled)
- 2 packed cups whole wheat flour (300 grams)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/3 cup beet purée (see recipe process and notes below)
- 1 egg beaten (for egg wash)
For the filling & toppings
- 2 large red beets
- 2 small orange beets
- 2 cups fresh parsley (stems removed, finely chopped)
- 1 medium shallot (minced)
- 2 garlic cloves (sliced or grated)
- 1/2 preserved lemon (seeds removed, finely chopped into a paste)
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 1/4 cup olive oil (plus more as needed)
- Kosher salt to taste
Optional toppings
- 1 ounce ricotta salata (for grating)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Peel the beets. Wrap the red beets in one sheet of tinfoil and wrap the orange beets in another. Roast for 60-75 minutes or until soft. Let them cool.
- Make the beet purée for the crust. Take 1/2 cup of the cooked red beets from above and add it to a blender with 1/4 cup water. Blend until thick and smooth, and put 1/3 cup of the purée into the fridge to cool and use in the crust.
- To make the crust, cube the butter into small pieces. Add the butter to a bowl with the flour and salt. Working quickly, use your hands to smash and press the butter into flat pieces, tossing in the flour and mixing to create a sandy, shaggy dough. It won’t come together, but as soon as you can smash together chunks and they’ll hold for a few moments before crumbling, you are ready to add the beet purée.
- Add the beet purée into the bowl and mix with your hands. You’ll see the dough become sticky and start to form together, we love that! You can either work the dough until it is fully pink, or leave the beet coloring speckled throughout. I prefer the latter, but either works. Move the dough to a cool surface, press it down until it is about 1” high, wrap it with plastic wrap and use a rolling pin to roll it out into a smooth rectangle. Let this chill for 30 minutes or more while you prep the rest of the recipe.
- To make the salsa verde layer of the tart, mix together the chopped parsley, minced shallot, sliced garlic, preserved lemon and red pepper flakes to a bowl. Drizzle in the vinegar and olive oil and mix. Season with salt to taste. This should be a relatively dry, choppy sauce. Set aside.
- Thinly slice all your beets. Set 1/3 of the golden beet slices aside, and lay red beet slices on top of them to “dye” them pink.
- When the tart dough is fully chilled, lay it out on a floured surface. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Slice from one corner of dough rectangle and end in the center, this will be the indent of the heart shape. Begin to gently roll out the dough until it is about 1/2 cm thick.
- Evenly spread on the salsa verde, then layer the beets on top. I like to start with the red beets at the bottom, then the dyed pink beets, then the golden beets.
- Fold the tart crust over the edges. Brush the tart crust with the beaten egg. If you can chill the dough for another few minutes while the oven preheats, that’s great, but it can also go right into the oven.
- Bake for 35-45 minutes. Remove from the oven and drizzle a bit of oil and vinegar on top of the beets to create some extra shine. Grate on some ricotta salata, and serve warm!
Comments
This is beautiful!! I’m hoping to make it next week! Question: do you think I could use a mix of oat and almond flour for the crust, for a GF option? Also, do you think it would work to cook the beets and prepare the salsa verde the day before? Thank you <3
I always like using a 1:1 GF flour blend as the best sub! And both elements can be made the day before, that’s a great question – I’ll add that note to the recipe!
Added mint, a pinch of caster sugar just because and 3-4 ounces crumbled feta to the parsley mixture. Pure yum!
This is so delicious! The crust is unbelievable, the beet puree adds so much fun color and lightness!. I forgot about the puree and made marinated beets with what I thought was the “excess beets” so I ended up using it for the puree, turned out super! I couldn’t’ find the ricotta salada (at either trader Joe’s or Whole Foods) so I used feta, totally acceptable.The salsa verde ads such a superb freshness to the tart, parsley just sparkles. I literally cannot stop eating it.
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