Tuscan Tomato Tart

I have always wanted to make a tart using simple ingredients packed with flavor. I was inspired by a recipe I saw in the Taste of Home magazine. There was a recipe for a Pesto Tomato Tart which uses feta cheese instead of mozzarella and they used Rhodes dinner rolls dough as the crust. I tweaked the recipe by adding different seasonings, store bought frozen pie crust, mozzarella cheese, and fresh basil leaves! It was very fast and easy to make. This is a good recipe for nights when you feel like relaxing after a long day of work and don't feel like making a complex dinner.

Tuscan Tomato Tart
1 frozen store bought pie crust dough
1-2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp pesto sauce
1 tomato, cut into 1/4th inch slices
6 small mozzarella cheese sliced
1 cup fresh basil leaves, stems removed
Red pepper flakes as a topping

Gently unfold the pie crust dough out of the package and flatten onto a non-stick cookie sheet. Try to knead it out flat rather than stretching the dough as it would just tear. Brush some olive oil over the crust. Using a fork, poke some holes in the crust to prevent it from rising too much. Then pre-bake the crust for 8-10 minutes at 450 degrees.

Remove the pie crust from the oven and then liberally spread some pesto sauce all over the crust. Line up the slices of tomatoes in a horizontal row across the crust then season with parsley,oregano,rosemary,onion powder, salt, and pepper. Then place each mozzarella cheese slice on top of each slice of tomato. Place the fresh basil leaves on top of the cheese. Before putting the tart in the oven, rub some olive oil on the outer crust to prevent excessive browning.

Bake for 25-30 minutes at 375 degrees. Keep checking to make sure it does not burn. Each oven is different and bakes differently. If your oven gets hot quickly, chances are you only have to bake the tart for about 22 minutes.

Let the tart cool off for at least 10 minutes before serving. Top with red pepper flakes to enhance the flavors of the tart!

Enjoy!