It took me a year to get this one down pat, but this vegetarian tart has been a hit at dinner parties. Rosemary-roasted beets, butternut squash, parsnips, and carrots are tossed with roasted garlic and goat cheese, then baked in a savory pie crust. The crust and vegetables can be prepared ahead of time, which is especially useful with the awful commuter traffic in Seattle…

Make the dough first, and then prepare and cook the vegetables during the rest time.

Vegetarian. The filling is (cow) dairy free; the crust is vegan.

Time: ~2 hours
~90 min (vegetables and pie dough)
~45 min (final assembly and cooking)

Serves 6-8.

Savory Whole-Wheat Crust

Adapted from “Whole Wheat Mediterranean Pie Crust,” NYT Health 

Yields 2 crusts.

• 200 grams (~1.75  cups) whole wheat flour or whole wheat pastry flour
• 115 grams (~1 cup) unbleached all purpose flour
• 5 g (~3/4 tsp) salt
• 60 mL (1/4 cup) extra virgin olive oil
• 175 mL (3/4 cup) water
• 10 mL (2 tsp) red wine vinegar or strained lemon juice

Instructions: see website

Filling

Adapted from Eating Well‘s “Roasted Vegetable Galette with Olives”

Ingredients

• 1.5 cups diced peeled carrots, (3 medium)
• 1/2 ~1 cups diced peeled parsnips (1 large)
• 1.5 cups diced peeled butternut squash (1/2 medium)
• 1.5-2 cups diced peeled beet (1 large)
• 1 head garlic
• 2 TBSP extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary, or 1/2 teaspoon dried
• 1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
• Freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 1 cup (4 ounces, 115 g) crumbled creamy goat cheese, divided
• 1 egg mixed with 1 tablespoon water, for glazing

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400º F (200º C).

2. Prepare the pie crust per instructions in link.

3. Peel and dice vegetables as instructed. In a glass baking pan, toss with olive oil, rosemary, salt and pepper.

4. Fold foil into a square “boat” for the garlic, then fill with ~1/2 tsp water. Snip the tip off the clove of garlic and and set in the foil in the middle of the baking pan.

5. Roast for 35 minutes (use this time to make the crust), stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened and lightly brown and the garlic is soft. Remove the cloves from the head and dice or mash (you may need to wait for it to cool), then mix with the vegetables and 3/4 cup of the goat cheese.

6.  Grease a pie pan, arrange the dough (1 crust), crimp the edges, and glaze with egg mixture.

7. Fill the pie crust with the vegetable and cheese mixture, then top with the rest of the goat cheese. Bake till the crust is golden, about 30-35 minutes. Let rest 10 minutes and serve warm.