This charred asparagus tart with butter bean paste and baby leeks celebrates spring produce with bright, herbal flavours. It’s an easy, adaptable puff-pastry tart that makes the most of asparagus, peas and fresh herbs.
Spring is a great time for simple, seasonal dishes. This tart combines asparagus, baby leeks, peas, pea shoots, toasted pine nuts, herbs and a creamy butter bean paste into one satisfying savoury slice.
When I launched this blog I pushed myself to publish a lot and try to invent constantly. After some time I burned out and realised I don’t need to reinvent everything. Recreating and adapting recipes is a perfectly valid way to cook, and it’s how many great dishes come to life. Inspiration can come from many places — printed magazines, other blogs, TV, podcasts and visual platforms like Pinterest. Each source offers ideas you can adapt and make your own.
If you feel stuck, try switching your routine. Reading a food magazine, browsing a few favourite blogs, watching a cooking show or collecting images on Pinterest can all help unblock creativity. There’s no shame in being inspired by others — just credit the original where appropriate and then add your own twist.
Now, on to the tart. This charred asparagus tart with baby leeks and butter bean paste is likely to become a seasonal favourite. It’s straightforward to prepare, and ingredients can be swapped to suit what you have on hand. Serve it warm or at room temperature as a snack, light lunch or party dish.
I hope you enjoy it — have a lovely weekend!
xo A
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Charred Asparagus Tart with Butter Bean and Baby Leeks
Ingredients
- 320 g ready- rolled puff pastry
- 300 g fresh asparugus (woody ends trimmed)
- 200 g baby leeks
- 200 g peas
- 50 g pea shoots
- 1 small handful of toasted pine nuts
- 200 g vegan mozzarella (optional)
For the filling:
- 3 tablespoon olive oil (plus extra for griddling)
- 1 small onion (finely chopped)
- 1 small garlic clove (crushed)
- 300 g butter beans (drained and rinsed)
- 1 teaspoon dried sumac
- ½ medium lemon (zest and juice)
- ½ bunch fresh mint (chopped)
- ½ bunch fresh parsley or corriander (chopped)
Instructions
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Heat the oven to 200°C. Unroll the puff pastry on a baking sheet and, using a small sharp knife, score a rectangle about 2 cm in from the edge to create a raised border. You can score a pattern on the border if you like.
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Brush the border with nut milk (or beaten egg yolk if not vegan) and bake for about 20 minutes until golden. Remove and set aside.
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Bring a pan of water to the boil. Blanch the asparagus and baby leeks for a couple of minutes until just tender, then plunge into cold water and drain on kitchen paper. Add the peas to the boiling water, cook for 2–3 minutes, then cool and drain.
To make the filling:
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Heat 3 tbsp olive oil in a saucepan and cook the finely chopped onion over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Add the crushed garlic and cook for another 2–3 minutes, then remove from the heat.
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Transfer the cooked onion and garlic to a food processor. Add the butter beans, 1 tsp dried sumac, the lemon zest and juice, a splash of tahini (optional), half the chopped herbs and the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and blitz to a smooth paste.
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Heat a griddle or heavy pan until very hot, add a little oil and char the blanched asparagus and baby leeks for 5–8 minutes until they have good sear marks and are cooked through.
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To assemble, press down the centre of the baked pastry rectangle to form a well, leaving the raised border. Spoon the butter bean puree into the centre and spread evenly. Top with charred asparagus, baby leeks, peas and pea shoots. Scatter toasted pine nuts and torn vegan mozzarella if using. Finish with a pinch of sumac and the remaining chopped herbs.
Please note that all my recipes are developed and tested in metric grams. I recommend using digital scales for accuracy. I have provided conversions elsewhere but metric measurements are what I tested.
Notes
Nutrition
