This butternut squash tart is made with a flaky puff pastry crust topped with creamy cashew cheese, roasted butternut squash, garlic and sage. It's absolutely delicious and can be served as an appetizer or vegan holiday main dish.
I just love dishes like this one. This butternut squash tart is a holiday dinner slam dunk. We're talking total crowd pleaser. Because who doesn't love a big flaky puff pastry tart covered with scrumptious toppings like roasted butternut squash, creamy cashew cheese, and roasted garlic?
It's one of those delicious dishes that happens to be vegan, but is totally meat-eater approved. It'll please anyone at your table.
But I also love the fact that this tart can be just about whatever you want it to be. Slice it into bite sized pieces and make an appetizer of it. Or serve more generous cuts and make it a main dish, or a side! Whatever course you happen to be looking for, this tart has a place at your table.
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Ingredients You'll Need
- Raw cashews. These will be the base for the dairy-free cheese layer. We'll be soaking them in water to soften them, then blending them up. Don't substitute roasted cashews or the texture and flavor will be off.
- Non-dairy milk. Use a milk that's unflavored and unsweetened. Almond milk, soy milk, oat milk and cashew milk will all work. Read my guide to dairy-free milks if you need help choosing one.
- Lemon juice. Fresh lemon juice will give your cashew cheese the best flavor.
- Garlic. Choose a nice big bulb of garlic so you have plenty of cloves to roast and top your tart with.
- Salt and pepper.
- Butternut squash. Have another variety of winter squash you'd like to use? Go for it! This recipe will work with acorn squash, kabocha squash, and delicata squash, among others!
- Olive oil.
- Vegan puff pastry. Pepperidge Farm brand puff pastry is vegan, and available at most supermarkets.
- Balsamic vinegar. Use a good quality balsamic vinegar that's thick and syrupy with a touch of sweetness to it.
- Fresh sage.
How It's Made
Below is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you'd like to skip right to the recipe!
To make the cashew cheese, start by placing all of the ingredients into a food processor bowl or blender — preferably a high-powered one.
Blend everything until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Give it taste-test and add some more salt if you'd like.
Tip: Be patient when blending the cashew cheese, particularly if you're not using a high-powered blending device. It can take a few minutes to get completely smooth.
Next, prepare the butternut squash and garlic for roasting.
Peel the garlic cloves and place them into a small baking dish with a couple tablespoons of olive oil.
Slice the squash and toss the pieces with some olive oil on a baking sheet. Sprinkle them with salt and pepper.
Now roll out your puff pastry dough and place it on a baking sheet. Poke holes in the pastry with a fork. This will allow air to escape during baking.
Spread the cashew cheese evenly over the puff pastry, leaving a small border around the edges.
Pop everything into the oven! They should all take about the same amount of time to bake, but keep an eye on things just in case something looks done a little early.
Once everything is done baking you can assemble your butternut squash tart. Spread the squash slices and roasted garlic cloves over the cashew cheese, then give it a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Drizzle the toppings with balsamic vinegar and sprinkle them with chopped sage.
Your butternut squash tart is all ready to enjoy! Slice it up and dig in.
Leftovers & Storage
This tart is best served immediately, but if you have leftovers they'll keep in an airtight container in the fridge for about 4 days.
More Butternut Squash Recipes
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📖 Recipe
Butternut Squash Tart with Roasted Garlic & Sage
Ingredients
For the Cashew Cheese
- 1 ½ cups raw cashews, soaked in water 4 to 8 hours, drained and rinsed
- ½ cup unflavored and unsweetened non-dairy milk
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 garlic clove (Note 1)
- ½ teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
For the Roasted Squash
- 1 pound fresh butternut squash, sliced into bite-sized ¼ inch thick wedges (Note 2)
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- Salt and pepper, to taste
For the Roasted Garlic
- 1 garlic bulb, broken into cloves and peeled
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
For the Tart
- 1 (approximately 8 ounce) sheet frozen vegan puff pastry, thawed (Note 3)
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Place all of the ingredients for the cashew cheese into a blender or food processor bowl fitted with an s-blade. Blend until smooth. Taste-test the mixture and season it with more salt if needed.
- Arrange the butternut squash slices on a baking sheet and drizzle them with a teaspoon of olive oil. Sprinkle the squash lightly with salt and pepper.
- Place the garlic cloves into a small oven safe dish or skillet and toss them with 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
- Place the puff pastry on a lightly floured surface and use a rolling pin to roll it into a 9 x 13 inch rectangle. Carefully transfer the rectangle to a baking sheet.
- Use a fork to poke holes in the puff pastry, spacing them 1 to 2 inches apart, then spread the cashew mixture evenly over the puff pastry, leaving about a ½ inch border around the edges.
- Place the baking sheets with the puff pastry and squash into the oven, along with the dish containing the garlic and olive oil. (Note 4)
- Bake everything for about 20 minutes, but keep an eye on the oven just in case the items finish at different times. The puff pastry is done when it has puffed and turned golden brown around the edges. The squash is done when it can be easily pierced with a fork. The garlic is done when it turns golden brown.
- Distribute the roasted squash and garlic over the cashew cheese mixture on the puff pastry, discarding any excess oil used for cooking the garlic. Drizzle the squash with balsamic vinegar, sprinkle with salt and pepper, then with fresh sage.
- Slice and serve the tart.
Notes
- You can take one clove from the bulb of garlic that you use for roasting if you'd like.
- You can buy a 1 ½ pound butternut squash for this, or buy a larger squash and just use the neck, saving the rest for another purpose (preferred). If you choose the latter, cut the neck into ¼ inch thick rounds, then cut the rounds into quarters to create wedges. You should have about 3 cups of slices.
- Pepperidge Farm puff pastry is vegan.
- If you can, place the puff pastry and squash on the upper rack, and the garlic on the lower rack. Everything should fit in most ovens, but if you have a smaller oven you can roast the squash first.
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Amazing flavor. The directions were so easy to follow. The cashew cheese was easy to make and so good. This is a great option for non-vegans because it is tasty and the puff pastry makes it comfort food.