Feta, Caramelised Onion & Mushroom Tart

Name: Mushroom Tart
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 50 min
Ingredients: 1 quantity homemade shortcrust pastry; 1 store-bought pie shell; 2 sheets frozen shortcrust pastry (defrosted); 30 g (2 tbs) butter; 500 g mixed mushrooms (button, oyster, swiss brown etc); 1 tsp dried thyme (or fresh); 2 tsp minced garlic; 100 g goats cheese; 3 tbs caramelised onion; 4 eggs; 200 ml cream (cooking, heavy or thickened)

Jump to Recipe

A delicious Mushroom Tart with creamy soft goats cheese and sweet caramelised onion encased in buttery shortcrust pastry.

The rich mushroom flavours make this tart a tasty light lunch or dinner that is ready to serve in less than an hour.

A piece of tart on a plate with a gold fork.

Using any combination of your favourite mushrooms, this delicate quiche is also flavoured with caramelised onion and creamy goats cheese. A delicious taste combination!

For convenience, you can use frozen sheets of shortcrust, or purchase a pre-baked shortcrust pastry shell, however you can also make your own shortcrust pastry (my favourite option... but only if I have time) - the choice is yours!

Like my classic quiche lorraine recipe, this mushroom tart is perfect for a light family meal, but it's also impressive enough to serve as an entree when entertaining.

My caramelised onion, feta and roast pumpkin tart and ricotta and spinach tarts use puff pastry rather than shortcrust, but both are super quick, easy to make and taste sensational too!

A mushroom tart with one serve removed, placed on a cake stand.

Why You're Going To Love This Recipe

A buttery pastry shell with mushrooms as the 'hero ingredient' in this simple and elegant tart! Simply irresistible....

Vegetarian - whether you choose a vegetarian diet, or just like to go meat-free occasionally, this tart is such a flavourful vegetarian dish!
Healthy choice - serve as a light lunch or dinner with a simple rocket salad for a super fresh and healthy meal. Mushrooms are high in valuable vitamins and minerals.
Versatile - perfect for a light weekend lunch to share with friends, a special entree, or served with a side of salad or greens as a mid-week dinner, this mushroom tart is a versatile winner.

Mushroom tart served in front of a jar of caramelised onion relish.

What You Need

Depending on time (and convenience!) you can either make your own shortcrust pastry, use a store-bought pastry tart shell, or use two sheets of defrosted shortcrust pastry. It's that easy.

Note: Scroll to the recipe card at the bottom for the ingredients quantities and full detailed method!

For The Quiche Crust - Choose 1 Option

Homemade shortcrust pastry - 1 quantity.
Store bought shortcrust pie shell.
Frozen shortcrust pastry sheets - defrosted.

For The Filling

Butter - salted or unsalted.
Mixed mushrooms - you can use any mix of mushrooms, such as the common white button or cup, large flat, portobello or swiss brown, you could even include some shiitake or oyster mushrooms.
Thyme - dried or fresh.
Garlic - freshly minced or use store bought minced garlic.
Goats cheese - velvety and smooth yet with a subtle 'tang', a quality goats cheese such as Meredith's adds even more complex flavours to this simple tart.
Caramelised onion - easily purchased at the supermarket, but if you prefer you can make your own caramelised onion.
Eggs - use large eggs, approx 60g each.
Cream - use a cooking, heavy or thickened cream for the richest flavoured filling.

Ingredients set out on a marble bench top.

Equipment Required

Particularly if you are using defrosted pastry sheets or a store bought pie shell, there's very little equipment required to prep this savoury mushroom quiche.

Frying pan and stovetop.
Pie tin - round or oblong, or a baking tray to place pre-cooked pie shell on.
Oven - I specify fan-forced oven temperatures in my recipes, so if you have a conventional oven, increase the temperature by between 10 and 20 degrees Celsius.

Looking down on a mushroom tart baked golden.

Step By Step Instructions

For the small amount of time taken to assemble this mushroom tart, the results are well worth it - I'm sure you will agree!

Note: Scroll to the recipe card at the bottom for the ingredients quantities and full detailed method!

Step 1 - The Pastry

If using homemade shortcrust pastry then prepare as per this recipe and then blind bake.

If using defrosted shortcrust pastry sheets, blind-bake according to this recipe.

A store bought shortcrust pastry shell is pre-cooked and ready to use.

A pastry shell that has been blind baked.

Step 2 - Fry The Mushroom And Herbs

Preheat your oven to 180 degrees celsius (fan forced).

Melt the butter in a frying pan on the stove-top over high heat. Add the sliced mushrooms and cook until golden (and all of the liquid has evaporated).

Add the thyme and garlic and toss through the mushrooms until fragrant.

TIP: Frying mushrooms over a medium-high heat, quickly absorbs the water mushrooms release so that they don't 'stew'.

Step 3 - Add To The Pastry Shell

Spread the mushroom and herb mixture over the base of the pastry shell.

Place small dollops of goats cheese and caramelised onion on top of the mushrooms.

Fried mushrooms, goats cheese and caramelised onions spread over a cooked pastry shell.

Step 4 - Make The Tart Filling

Place the eggs and cream in a bowl and whisk until well combined.

Eggs and cream that have been whisked together in a mixing bowl.

Pour the egg mixture gently over the mushroom mixture in the pastry shell and bake for 35 minutes or until golden and cooked through.

Egg and cream mixture poured over mushroms in a pie dish.

Expert Tips

This super easy mushroom tart combines the savoury earthy flavours of mushrooms, balanced with the subtle smoothness of goats cheese, and the tang of sweet caramelised onions, all encased in a buttery pastry shell!

Cream – use cooking, heavy or thickened cream (not light cream).
Have your eggs and cream at room temperature, this helps the baking process.
Pastry options - you can either use my homemade shortcrust pastry recipe, 2 sheets of defrosted shortcrust pastry, or a store-bought pastry shell.
Blind baking - if using homemade pastry or defrosted pastry sheets, then blind-bake before adding the filling (using this recipe as a guide).
You can choose a selection of mushrooms - from everyday cup or button mushrooms, to the full flavoured portobello and swiss brown, as well as some of the more exotic types available.
Option - for a special entree dish, bake mushroom tart in small individual pie dishes or ramekins - they look gorgeous!
Storing - whilst I prefer to serve this mushroom tart freshly baked and eaten warm, you can store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Freezing - freeze whole or in portions for up to 3 months in an airtight container.

An overhead shot of a serve of mushroom quiche.

FAQs

What does blind bake mean?

Blind baking pastry is the process of partially baking a pie crust or other pastry prior to adding the filling. This helps to keep the pie crust from becoming soggy when a wet filling is added.
It's also used when the filling has a shorter bake time than the crust, as the crust is already par-baked. See my notes below on how to blind bake pastry.

How do I avoid soggy mushrooms?

Firstly, to prepare your mushrooms, they only need a wipe with a damp cloth.
As mushrooms contain a lot of water, frying them over a low heat means they tend to release this liquid and just simmer in it, which is not ideal.
By using a medium-high heat, the moisture is absorbed as it's released, intensifying the earthy flavours and turning them almost a caramelised golden brown. Avoid overcrowding the pan too - fry in batches if necessary.

What's the difference between puff pastry and shortcrust?

Puff pastry can generally be described as flaky, light and buttery, good for pies and pastries, while shortcrust pastry has a more crumbly, biscuit-like texture which is good for tart or quiche cases. However either can be used for both sweet and savoury dishes, depending on which best suits the filling.

Blind baking is the process of par-cooking the base of the pastry before adding filling and continuing to cook.

Blind baking keeps the pastry in shape when filling is added, stops the pastry from going soggy, and results in the BEST flaky puff pastry or buttery shortcrust.

Roll the chilled dough out and press into the baking tin.
Press a piece of baking paper (greaseproof paper) onto the top of the pastry.
Fill the base and sides with special ceramic baking beads (can be purchased from supermarkets or kitchenware stores). If you don't have baking weights, you can use uncooked rice or lentils instead.
Blind bake the pastry for about 10 minutes then remove the weights and parchment paper and continue to bake for a further 10 minutes or until the base is firm and lightly golden.
Once the base is blind baked, you can add the filling and top pastry (if covering your pie) when you're ready. Then bake until the filling is cooked, and the top pastry is golden.

A serve of pie on a white plate with a fork.

There's not many that can resist the temptation of a crispy flaky savoury pie, or a melt in your mouth fruit shortcrust.

Whichever your passion is for, I hope you will enjoy making a dish that your family or friends will absolutely adore!

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Mushroom Tart

Why You're Going To Love This Recipe