Cream Cheese Tart Recipe (Ready in 80 Min)

If you've got cheese, parmesan cheese and plum tomatoes, you're most of the way to this American starter: about 80 minutes of cooking across 10 steps. You'll find the full ingredient list (with a scaler to change the servings), 10 steps of method, substitutions, and ideas for what to serve alongside.

You'll mainly reach for oven and pan. At medium difficulty across 10 steps, it's manageable with a little attention. As written, it's meat-free.

How to make it

Crust: make a dough from 250g flour (I like mixing different flours like plain and wholegrain spelt flour), 125g butter, 1 egg and a pinch of salt, press it into a tart form and place it in the fridge.
Filling: stir 300g cream cheese and 100ml milk until smooth, add in 3 eggs, 100g grated parmesan cheese and season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.
Take the crust out of the fridge and prick the bottom with a fork.
Pour in the filling and bake at 175 degrees C for about 25 minutes.
Cover the tart with some aluminium foil after half the time.
In the mean time, slice about 350g mini tomatoes.
In a small pan heat 3tbsp olive oil, 3tbsp white vinegar, 1 tbsp honey, salt and pepper and combine well.
Pour over the tomato slices and mix well.
With a spoon, place the tomato slices on the tart, avoiding too much liquid on it.
Decorate with basil leaves and enjoy

You'll use: Oven · Pan

Ingredient substitutions

Butter: olive oil (¾ the amount) · coconut oil · margarine
Milk: any unsweetened plant milk · ½ cup evaporated milk + ½ cup water
Eggs: ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce (baking) · 1 tbsp ground flax + 3 tbsp water per egg
Parmesan: pecorino · grana padano · aged asiago

Tips & common questions

How long does Cream Cheese Tart take to make?

About 80 minutes from start to finish — an estimate based on the 10 steps and 12 ingredients. Times vary with your kitchen and how much prep you do ahead.

What can I use instead of butter?

Try olive oil (¾ the amount). See the substitutions section above for more swaps.

Can I scale this recipe up or down?

Yes — use the servings control above the ingredients and every quantity rescales automatically (fractions included). Cooking times stay roughly the same; very large batches may need a little longer.

Is Cream Cheese Tart vegetarian?

Its ingredients contain no meat or fish, so it's suitable for vegetarians. Check any cheeses for animal rennet if that matters to you.