Summer’s here! It’s time to break out the grill and get cooking! Start your summer off with Grilled Pesto Tart with tomatoes. This easy vegan recipe is fun to serve at cookouts and barbecues, but it's great for weeknight dinner or weekend lunch.
Vegan Grilling
I’m actually not a big fan of summer. I know, I know—I’m weird. I just don’t do well in hot weather. The heat makes me cranky, I burn super easily, and don’t even get me started on mosquitos. One of the things I do really enjoy about the season, though, is cooking dinner on the grill in my backyard.
A few years ago, we bought our first house, and were delighted to find a propane-powered grill left behind the shed. It was a few years old, but it looked like it had only been used once. We gave it a good scrub, fired it up, and started cooking.
Some of my friends were surprised. “What kinds of food can vegans grill?” It should be more like “What kinds of foods can’t vegan’s grill?” because we were barbecuing just about everything we could get our hands on.
Grilled Pesto Tart with Tomatoes
A few years ago I received a copy of VBQ: The Ultimate Vegan Barbecue Cookbook, and I bookmarked just about every recipe. I had my eye on the Peppered Tofu Steaks, but the Grilled Veggie Subs also looked delicious. In the end I went with the Grilled Pesto Tart to start. I’m a total sucker for pizza with pesto, and I’ve wanted to cook a pizza on the grill for a long time. Plus, the grocery store had gorgeous heirloom tomatoes on sale.
What makes this dish a tart rather than a pizza is the base, which doesn’t include yeast, so it’s more of a flat bread than a crust. I loved this dish. The combination of herb pesto and juicy tomatoes is simply delicious.
Pizza is super easy to make on the barbecue with the help of a pizza stone, so I will definitely be grilling pizza again soon.
What You Need
- White spelt flour
- Olive oil
- Salt
- Parsley
- Garlic
- Kalamata olives
- Pine nuts
- Nutritional yeast
- Tomatoes
See the recipe card for exact amounts.
How to make Grilled Pesto Tart
This recipe is easy to make!
- First you make the the crust by mixing all of the ingredients together and then kneading it by hand for about 10 minutes. Then you should let the dough rest for 20 minutes in the fridge.
- Next you heat the pizza stone on the grill.
- You make the pesto by combining all of the ingredients together in a food processor.
- Now you roll the dough out on a floured surface and then carefully lay it out on the pizza stone.
- You then spread the pesto out on the pizza and then place the sliced tomatoes on top. If you're using the optional asparagus, you can add it now, too. Finish your tart by adding a drizzle of olive oil.
- Finally, you grill your tart for about 15 minutes.
Recipe Note
The recipe calls for ¼ cup of water, which I found wasn’t enough to make a dough. I ended up adding more water, ¼ at a time, until it reached a dough-like consistency.
Asparagus or parsnips can be added to your tart, if you like.
VBQ: The Ultimate Vegan Barbecue Cookbook
If you’re like my friends and you’re not sure what can be cooked on the barbecue, you’re in luck, because VBQ: The Ultimate Vegan Barbecue Cookbook by Nadine Horn and Jörg Mayer is here to help!
Veggie-grilling newbies will find the information in VBQ: The Ultimate Vegan Barbecue Cookbook invaluable. It’s loaded with information about grills, grilling accessories, and cooking vegan food on the grill. If you have a question about vegan barbecuing, VBQ has the answer.
Once you have your grill and you’re ready to cook, you’re ready to dig into VBQ’s recipes. You’ll find recipes for everything like the standard burger and skewer barbecue fare to things you might not have thought to cook on the grill, such as pizza and salad. (Yes, salad!) Marinades, sauces, and rubs are included too, of course.
Chapters in VBQ: The Ultimate Vegan Barbecue Cookbook include:
- About Barbecuing
- How to Barbecue Vegan Style
- Burgers, Sandwiches & Patties
- Steaks, Sausages & Skewers
- Vegetables—Stuffed, Grilled & Braised
- Pizzas, Wraps & Co.
- Salads—From the Grill… or Otherwise
- Sauces & Basics
- Bread & More
If you’re vegan and you plan on grilling this summer, or if you’re a grilling buff and you want to add more plant-based meals into your diet, you need VBQ: The Ultimate Vegan Barbecue Cookbook!
Grilled Pesto Tart (with assorted tomatoes)
Ingredients
For the tart crust
- 4¼ cups white spelt flour (500 g)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon salt
For the herb pesto
- 1 bunch parsley
- 4 garlic cloves
- 6 Kalamata olives pitted
- ¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon olive oil (75 ml)
- 2 tablespoons pine nuts
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon salt
For the topping
- 1 pound assorted tomatoes (500 g)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Instructions
- For the tart crust, mix all the ingredients with ¼ cup (60 ml) water, stirring with a wooden spoon. Knead the dough well by hand for 10 minutes on a floured work surface. Put the dough in a bowl, cover and rest in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.
- Preheat the pizza stone.
- For the pesto, combine all the ingredients in a blender and process until smooth.
- Roll the dough out on a floured work surface into a disk 2 mm thick, lay it on the preheated pizza stone and spread with the pesto.
- Slice the tomatoes, lay them over the tart crust and drizzle well with the oil.
- Place the pizza stone on the grill, close the lid and bake at 400°F (200°C) for 12 to 15 minutes.
Notes
More Grilled Recipes You Might Enjoy Include
- Grilled Tempeh Salad with Peaches and Pistachios
- Lemon-Rosemary Grilled Tofu Sandwich
- Grilled Summer Vegetables with Easy Romesco Sauce
- Grilled Wedge Salad
Susan
I love grilled pineapple.
KathyD
My favorite type of vegan barbecue is barbecued tofu.
jacquie
grilled fruit of some sort.
Karen D
I like barbecued seitan ribs and grilled squash and peppers
Lydia Claire
I love grilled veggies! Simple but delicious.
Kim
Oh my my it looks delicious and I love that colour!
charj
I really like grilled vegetables and barbecued tofu
Corrine
I love putting veggies and fruit on skewers on the grill.=)
Piper
My usual favorite to grill is fresh veggie kabobs, but this pesto tart looks so good that it could easily become a new fave!
Hena Tayeb
Sounds great. We are not vegan but are always looking to incorporate more meatless meals into our routine.
Cassandra D
My favorite type of vegan BBQ would be Peppered Tofu Steaks.