Heirloom Tomato Galette

A gorgeous tomato galette with colorful heirloom tomatoes, ricotta cheese, and a crisp, flaky pastry crust flecked with cheddar and mozzarella cheeses. This galette is a beautiful and delicious way to use up that bumper crop of tomatoes at the end of summer. Serve it with brunch, or add a simple side salad for a light summer supper.

You’ll also love this recipe for easy homemade pizza dough for a crispy, chewy pizza!

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Why You’ll Love This Galette

Simple Ingredients. The crust and filling uses standard pantry ingredients that most cooks and bakers will have on hand.

Easy and Versatile. The homemade pastry crust is easy to make, and you can change up the filling however you like. Use a variety of tomatoes for a colorful galette. Instead of ricotta cheese, try fresh mozzarella, goat cheese crumbles or feta. Or add a few vegetables like caramelized onions or roasted garlic. The baked galette is so fun to eat, too. Just pick up a piece by the edge, and eat it like a slice of pizza!

Uses Up Extra Tomatoes. My garden tends to get a surplus of ripe tomatoes right at the start of September. Besides tomato soup and homemade spaghetti sauce, this tomato galette makes a beautiful addition to brunch or a light supper.

High Altitude Tested. I develop all the recipes on my site for Denver’s altitude of 5,280 feet. If you’re at a lower or higher elevation, please see my FAQs for guidance on adjusting recipes for your altitude.

See the recipe card at the end of the post for the full ingredients list and instructions.

Ingredients

Crust

• Flour. All-purpose flour gives the pastry crust strength and structure.
• Sugar. Just a touch of granulated sugar adds a little sweetness, but you can leave it out if you like.
• Salt. Flavor.
• Butter. Makes the pastry flaky and crisp.
• Cheese. A blend of cheddar and mozzarella cheeses in the dough adds a wonderful savory cheesiness that’s delicious with the tomatoes.
• Milk. Binds the dough together.
• Apple Cider Vinegar. Tenderizes the dough for a flaky crust.
• Egg. A lightly beaten egg brushed over the dough before baking gives it a beautiful golden color.

TIP: Use a mixture of heirloom, cherry and grape tomatoes, since the different colors and sizes look prettiest in this tomato galette.

Filling

• Ricotta Cheese. A creamy layer of ricotta cheese under the tomatoes adds flavor and richness. You can substitute with fresh mozzarella, feta or goat cheese.
• Tomatoes.
• Olive Oil.
• Honey. Adds a touch of sweetness and shine.
• Thyme + Salt. Flavor.

Instructions

Crust

• In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar and salt.  Scatter the butter over the flour and use a pastry cutter to cut the butter into smaller chunks, about 1/4 inch in size.  Now use your fingers and smash each chunk of butter flat.
• Add the cheese and toss to combine.
• Drizzle the apple cider vinegar and milk over the flour mixture and toss to combine.  Dump the mixture out onto a clean work surface, and use your hands to gather the crumbs together.  Keep gathering and pressing the crumbs together until it comes together into a ball – this should only take a minute or two.  Use your bench scraper to scrape all the bits of dough off the work surface, if any of it sticks.
• Lightly flour your work surface, the ball of dough, and your rolling pin.  Roll the dough out, using using your bench scraper to loosen the dough from your work surface, and sprinkling more flour as needed to keep it from sticking, into a rough circle about 1/4 inch thick.  There may be a few cracks in the dough, and you should see visible chunks of butter throughout.
• Fold the dough into thirds, like a letter, and then in thirds again, so you have a neat little package of dough.  Roll the dough out again into a circle measuring about 12 inches in diameter.
• Line a baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper, and lay the dough on the paper. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.

TIP: For my full tutorial on making perfect all-butter pie dough, be sure to read this post.

Filling and Bake

• Preheat the oven to 375 F, and position a rack in the center of the oven.
• Remove the baking sheet from the fridge. Spread the ricotta cheese onto the dough, leaving a 1 inch border of dough all the way around.
• Slice the tomatoes, blot them with a paper towel to remove excess moisture, and lay them over the ricotta cheese. Drizzle the tomatoes with the olive oil and honey.
• Fold the edge of the dough up, overlapping and creasing it as needed. Brush the edge of the dough with the beaten egg.
• Bake the galette for about 45-55 minutes, until the crust is golden brown and crisp.
• Cool for about 30-45 minutes, and serve warm or at room temperature. Sprinkle with salt and fresh thyme before serving.

Recipe Variations

• Cheese. Fresh mozzarella, crumbled goat cheese or feta would all be fantastic instead of the ricotta cheese.
• Vegetables. Think caramelized onions, roasted garlic or chopped artichoke hearts scattered in with the tomatoes.
• Herbs. Oregano, basil, thyme, crushed red pepper, etc.

Be sure to read all of my BAKING FAQs where I discuss ingredients, substitutions and common baking questions, so that you can be successful in your own baking!

Frequently Asked Questions

Will this recipe work with store bought pie dough or puff pastry?

Either would work, but then you won’t be able to add the grated cheese into the dough.

Can I make the dough in advance?

Yes, you can make the dough, wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate it for up to 3 days, or freeze it for up to 3-6 months. Let it warm up to room temperature until pliable enough that you can roll it out without too much difficulty.

What kind of tomatoes should I use?

You can use anything you like, such as roma, on-the-vine, hothouse, cherry, grape, heirloom, to name a few. Heirloom tomatoes look gorgeous, with their many colors. The color remains pretty vibrant during baking, but I saved a few slices of fresh tomatoes to place on top of the galette after baking, for more vivid color.

How long does this galette stay fresh?

This is a recipe that’s best eaten the day it’s made, ideally within a few hours of baking. The moisture in the tomatoes just doesn’t lend well to keeping the galette fresh for longer than that, and it doesn’t reheat well.

How many servings does this make?

Since galettes are more petite than a deep-dish pie, I usually cut them into 6 servings. But if this is your main meal, or served with a simple side salad, you might only get 4 servings.

What’s the difference between a tomato tart and a tomato galette?

They’re really the same thing, but the difference is in how you form the crust. With a galette, the crust is “free form”, laid out on a baking sheet, layered with fillings, and the edges simply folded up. You can also bake this recipe in a tart pan with a removable bottom so the crust has pretty fluted edges.

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