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This Mushroom and Leek Tart is rich and hearty, an absolute delight for true mushroom lovers. The puff pastry crust keeps things simple, and the cheesy, creamy filling is full of flavor and absolutely delicious.
Puff pastry is a type of laminated dough similar to croissants. It’s made by layering dough with fat (usually butter in homemade versions and vegetable fats in store-bought) which gives it a light, flaky texture.
It’s delicious! And it’s easy to work with too. You buy it frozen from the store, thaw it at room temperature, and it’s ready to go. Here, we use it to make a free-form crust filled with creamy, cheesy, mushroom-and-leek filling. If you don’t feel like handling puff pastry, try this mushroom and leek filling in a tart crust.
It’s hearty and rich and perfect for special lunches, dinner parties, or a lazy weekend of therapeutic time in the kitchen.
Table of Contents
Recipe ingredients
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
Ingredient notes
- Leeks: Leeks are grown by having sand and dirt piled up around the base of the plant (the part under the dirt stays white). Because of this, leeks tend to be quite dirty and need to be washed carefully. To clean leeks, trim both the root end and the top where the dark green leaves begin. Cut the remaining white section in half lengthwise to expose the layers. Rinse the layers thoroughly in a basin of water until no dirt remains. Transfer to a cutting board and slice thinly.
- Mushrooms: Use any combination of baby portobello, white button, or wild mushrooms, aiming for 8 ounces total. If you hate mushrooms, substitute 8 ounces of soft, quick-cooking vegetables you DO love such as bell peppers, asparagus, or zucchini. Just sauté the vegetables with the leeks in Step 2.
- Havarti cheese: Or substitute Monterey jack cheese.
Step-by-step instructions
- Arrange two oven racks to the upper and lower middle positions and preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats. In a large skillet, melt butter until foaming. Add mushrooms, leeks, and a pinch of salt and sauté until tender, about 10 minutes (the first 7 minutes will be the mushrooms releasing their liquid, and then it will evaporate). Stir in the garlic until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Add Havarti cheese, thyme, basil, and the heavy cream. Bring the mixture to a boil and stir until the mixture has thickened, about 2 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper (I used just a pinch of salt because the cheese was rather salty). Remove from heat and cool slightly (you’ll have about 2 cups filling).
- Unfold both sheets of puff pastry and place one on each prepared baking sheet.
- Spoon half the cheese mixture onto the middle of each crust (about 1 cup per crust). Fold the edges over to form the rim of the tart.
- In a small bowl, whisk the egg and water together to create an egg wash. Using a pastry brush, brush the edges of each of the tarts. Divide the Parmesan between the tarts, sprinkling it over the top.
- Bake until the pastry is deep golden brown in color, approximately 20 to 25 minutes. Cool 5 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield: This recipe makes 2 tarts, enough for 8 servings, ¼ tart each.
- Storage: Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- No mushrooms: Hate mushrooms? Substitute 8 ounces of soft, quick-cooking vegetables you DO love such as bell peppers, asparagus, or zucchini. Just sauté the vegetables with the leeks in Step 2.
- Finger food: For parties, consider cutting each tart in half and then into strips so everyone has a piece of the crust to hold (or cut into wedges like pizza).
Recipe FAQs
Leeks are grown by having sand and dirt piled up around the base of the plant (the part under the dirt stays white). Because of this, leeks tend to be quite dirty and need to be washed carefully. To clean leeks, trim both the root end and the top where the dark green leaves begin. Cut the remaining white section in half lengthwise to expose the layers. Rinse the layers thoroughly in a basin of water until no dirt remains.
To thaw puff pastry, unwrap any packaging and let it stand at room temperature for 30 to 40 minutes. It should bend easily without cracking, but not be so warm that it becomes sticky.
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Mushroom and Leek Tart
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 8 ounces baby Portobello mushrooms or other mushrooms, sliced (see note 2)
- 1 leek white part only, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced (see note 1)
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 8 ounces havarti cheese shredded (see note 3)
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme or ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/4 cup heavy cream (2 ounces)
- 1 package frozen puff pastry thawed (about 1 pound)
- 1 egg plus 1 tablespoon water, lightly beaten
- 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese (1 ounce)
Instructions
- Arrange two oven racks to the upper and lower middle positions and preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
- In a large skillet, melt butter until foaming. Add mushrooms, leeks, and a pinch of salt and sauté until tender, about 10 minutes (the first 7 minutes will be the mushrooms releasing their liquid, and then it will evaporate). Stir in the garlic until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Add havarti cheese, thyme, basil, and the heavy cream. Bring the mixture to a boil and stir until the mixture has thickened, about 2 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper (I used just a pinch of salt because the cheese was rather salty). Remove from heat and cool slightly (you'll have about 2 cups filling).
- Unfold both sheets of puff pastry and place one on each prepared baking sheet. Spoon half the cheese mixture onto the middle of each crust (about 1 cup per crust). Fold the edges over to form the rim of the tart.
- In a small bowl, whisk the egg and water together to create an egg wash. Using a pastry brush, brush the edges of the each of the tarts. Divide the Parmesan between the tarts, sprinkling it over the top.
- Bake until the pastry is deep golden brown in color, approximately 20 to 25 minutes. Cool 5 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
- Leeks: Leeks are grown by having sand and dirt piled up around the base of the plant (the part under the dirt stays white). Because of this, leeks tend to be quite dirty and need to be washed carefully. To clean leeks, trim both the root end and the top where the dark green leaves begin. Cut the remaining white section in half lengthwise to expose the layers. Rinse the layers thoroughly in a basin of water until no dirt remains. Transfer to a cutting board and slice thinly.
- Mushrooms: Use any combination of baby portobello, white button, or wild mushrooms, aiming for 8 ounces total. If you hate mushrooms, substitute 8 ounces of soft, quick-cooking vegetables you DO love such as bell peppers, asparagus, or zucchini. Just sauté the vegetables with the leeks in Step 2.
- Havarti cheese: Or substitute Monterey jack cheese.
- Yield: This recipe makes 2 tarts, enough for 8 servings, ¼ tart each.
- Storage: Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Nutrition
Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.
I wish I had taken a before and after photo of this recipe. These tarts were AMAZING! Had to shred my own Harvati, as the store didn’t sell pre-shredded. But no worries. Totally worth it. VERY savory! Everyone loved it when I served it on Easter.
Thanks Jen, so glad you loved them. Next time share on social media and tag us! – Meggan
Perfect side-dish for Easter.
Everyone loved it!
I can’t wait to try the cheese and leek tart. I made the crab stuffed mushrooms. I have made them 3 times already and also took it to a party to be used as a dip with water crackers and chunks of pumpernickel bread. I found excellent real lump crab meat and use that every time. Thank you for a great receipe! It’s quick , the ingredients are wonderful and everyone loves it.Â
I have a quick question. I’m going to make the leek and onion tart. Just In case, any suggestions on what cheese to use just in case I can’t find the Wisconsin Havarti (sp?)
Cheese. I love Wisconsin cheese. Sometimes I can get it and sometimes not. So any suggestions would really be helpful if I can’t find that cheese. Thank you very much.Â
Barbara
Hi Barbara, thank you for such a lovely comment!!! You made my day. Those mushrooms are MY FAVORITE too (finding good lump crab meat makes all the difference), and I think you’re really going to like this Mushroom and Leek Tart. The same thing happens to me, sometimes I can find Wisconsin Cheese and sometimes not. If you can’t find it, I would say use whatever Havarti you can find. This would also be delicious with Gouda if you can’t find Havarti. I made this tart in culinary school in my first class, knife skills, and it was one of my most favorite things ever! Happy New Year and please let me know if you need anything else. -Meggan
These are delicious! Great for a snack or even a whole meal!
This sounds rich, buttery and yummy! I love leeks.