Spinach Tart with Peas, Feta and Pine Nuts

This Spinach Tart is an easy, vegetarian lunch or supper dish. The filling consists of fresh spinach combined with peas which add a note of sweetness plus nuggets of salty feta cheese. The tart is topped with toasted pine nuts which add a crunchy texture as well as their delicious, nutty flavour.

Nutmeg

Pretty much all of my recipes use some kind of herb or spice. I love the way that they transform simple ingredients. If you choose flavourings that really work with your ingredients, adding herbs and spices is a way to make your recipes extra-special with very little additional effort.

In this Spinach Tart recipe, I have used nutmeg as the main flavouring as I think it goes particularly well with spinach. If you have only used ready-powdered nutmeg, I really recommend that you buy a jar of whole nutmegs, which can be found in every supermarket. When you have done this, use an ordinary kitchen grater to grate a little piece off one of the nutmegs. Hold the shavings in your hand and inhale. That is the real scent of nutmeg! You can shave a little nutmeg into your dishes whenever you need it and it will have that wonderful, spicy aroma and taste.

Although nutmeg is often associated with sweet dishes and desserts, such as Bread and Butter Pudding or Baked Custard, I think it works very well in savoury dishes. I think it is particularly good in savoury dishes with a hint of sweetness such as Caramelised Onion Tart which uses slow-cooked onions.

Other savoury tarts and quiches

Savoury tarts and quiches are a fantastic, cook-ahead simple supper or lunch. They are easy to make and are great either hot or at room temperature. They can also be easily divided into portions if you are feeding a large number of people. Easily transportable, they also make a good addition to lunch-boxes or basis for a picnic. Some of my favourites are listed below.

Asparagus Quiche is a simple quiche-style savoury tart that highlights the taste of fresh asparagus. I also have a very simple Asparagus and Herb Cheese Tart which uses ready-made puff pastry.
Two kinds of onion tart – Caramelised Onion Tart which is based on sweet, slow-cooked onions and another version, Onion Tart with Wild Garlic, which has the addition of fresh herbs. I also have an easy Shallot Tart with Thyme and Anchovy which uses ready-made puff pastry.
I also have two very different carrot-based tarts. Carrot and Coriander Tart combines these two classic flavours in a simple quiche-style savoury tart. Carrot Tart uses ready-made puff pastry and combines large pieces of carrot with orange and soft cheese.
Beetroot Tart is deliciously sweet and earthy. Tomato Tart, which is made from fresh tomatoes, is similarly sweet but is a lighter recipe.
Butternut Squash Tart with Chilli and Sage also has a sweetness to it but this is off-set by the addition of a little hot chilli.
Feta Quiche with Roasted Peppers is a fantastic comination of rich, smoky roasted peppers with salty feta cheese.
If you love garlic, you will like my Garlic Tart which is a celebration of one of my favourite flavours!
I also have a couple of fish-based recipes. My Crab and Prawn Tart has Asian-inspired flavours of coriander, lime and chilli. My Smoked Salmon Tart with Prawns is easy to make and is perfect for a celebratory meal or party.
In addition to larger quiches and tarts, I also have a recipe for individual Herb Tartlets which are great as canapes or snacks.

Recipe for Spinach Tart with Peas, Feta and Pinenuts

Spinach Tart

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Author: Tastebotanical
Prep Time: 20
Cook Time: 35
Total Time: 55 minutes
Yield: 1 tart 1x
Category: Savoury tart
Method: Baking
Cuisine: English

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Description

This Spinach Tart combines fresh, green spinach with the sweetness of peas, salty feta and crunchy pine nuts. It is perfect for a vegetarian light lunch or supper.

Ingredients

Scale

For the pastry:

275 g plain flour
125 g fat (I use a mix of half butter and half Trex as I think this makes the lightest pastry)
Salt
A little water

For the filling:

1 onion
300 g fresh spinach
100 g frozen peas (defrosted)
125 g ricotta
100 ml double cream
2 eggs (beaten)
Grated nutmeg to taste
Salt and Pepper
50 g feta cheese
1 tablespoon pine nuts

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Instructions

Set your oven to 180 C, 350 F or Gas Mark 4.
Make the pastry. Put the flour in a bowl. Add the fat and combine – either by “rubbing in” by hand or processing – until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Season with salt and pepper. Add a little cold water (2-3 tbsp) and shape the mixture into a dough.
Roll out your pastry and use it to line your quiche or flan dish. Bake for 10 minutes in the oven to allow the pastry to “set”. This will stop the filling making it soggy.
Peel and chop the onion. Heat the butter and oil in your frying pan. It helps if the pan is good quality with a thick bottom as this will disseminate the heat evenly and prevent burning. Add the onion to the pan, season with salt and pepper, and cook at a very low heat for about 10 minutes until soft.
Place the spinach in a saucepan with a little water and cook gently, with the lid on, for about 5 minutes until the leaves are wilted. Remove the spinach leaves from the pan and, as soon as they are cool enough, squeeze to remove excess moisture and then roughly chop them.
Put the softened onion, chopped spinach and defrosted peas into a large mixing bowl. Mix in the ricotta, cream and eggs. Season with salt and pepper and nutmeg.
Spread the mixture in the pastry case.
Crumble the feta cheese and sprinkle on top of the mixture.
Place your quiche or flan dish in the oven and cook for 25 minutes. After it has been cooking for 15 minutes, sprinkle the pine nuts on top and return it to the oven.