Feeling like having some comfort food? Let’s bake an Argentinean Vegan Savory Carrot Tart. When I was living in Argentina, I would always make a big one and freeze the portions to have them readily available for quick lunches or lazy dinners. This is a vegan version!
Making it Vegan:
I was looking for Carrot Main Dish Recipes and Argentineans usually make tarts using eggs as the binding ingredient. Today we are replacing eggs with “chia eggs.” Although sometimes we use them, we often replace them with different options, depending on the function they play in a recipe.
In this case, it is the binding feature that we are going after, and both chia and flax seeds are great at binding.
Savoury Tart Recipes Ideas
Tarts are free forms versions of open fruit tarts and you can find them in various shapes and fillings.
The most common options of tarts include Verdura (Spinach and chard), Butternut Squash, Ham and Cheese, Tuna, Cheese, and Onion, but you can find endless combinations.
A savoury tart is a very cheap and convenient option for a mid-day lunch, and it is common to find them in fixed-priced menus . Rotiserias (ready-made food-to-go stores) also have them as a very common, fast, jet healthy option.
Tarts are so common there that some food delivery restaurants only make empanadas (filled pastry), pizzas, and tarts. As a result, a lot of Rotiserias survive entirely on these three menu options.
Why a Savory Carrot Tart?
The idea of creating this delicious carrot recipe came from Argentinean memories. About fifteen years, a friend there, used to make a cheese and carrot tart that I could never get enough from.
I remembered this tart a couple of months ago while in quarantine in Joaco’s parents, and re-created it replacing the eggs for the chia seeds and the mozzarella cheese, for a vegan mozzarella and voilà! It became an instant favorite and started making it every week.
Carrots are a particularly good source of beta carotene, fiber, and antioxidants. They also have a number of health benefits and have been linked to lower cholesterol levels and improved eye health.
Carrot Tip (how to better absorb the carrot’s nutrients):
Beta carotenes are fat-soluble and insoluble in water, so make sure to eat them with some healthy oil such as coconut oil when cooked or extra virgin oil in your salads.
A simple carrot recipe that works both as a main dish or a side dish when paired with nice salad. That way you have a full meal.
Savory Carrot Tart
Equipment
- Baking Pan
Ingredients
- 4 medium carrots
- 1 store-bought pastry crust
- 1 medium white onion
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 celery stalks
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1/3 cup chia seeds
- 8 ounces vegan mozzarella cheese
- ½ teaspoon thyme
- ½ teaspoon rosemary
- ½ teaspoon oregano
- Pinch of nutmeg
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Optional:
- 2 tablespoons oats
Serve with a green salad, I suggest Rucola and cherry tomatoes.
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven at 400ºF (200ºC) for 10 mins.
- Hydrate the chia seeds in one cup of warm water for 5 mins.
- Oil an 8” pan and place the pie crust on it. Pinch with a fork (this will ensure it gets cooked evenly).
- Peel and shred the carrots.
- Chop the rest of the vegetables and stir fry them in a pan.
- Add the carrots, herbs, and spices and stir for a couple of minutes.
- Take the Mix off the fire and let it cool down for 5 mins and remove any excess liquid.
- Cut the vegan mozzarella into cubes.
- Add the hydrated chia to the Mix, along with the cheese cubes.
- Put the oats flakes in the baking pan (this with absorbing any residual moisture from the carrots mix, ensuring your crust is cooked well and doesn’t end up mushy).
- Pour the mix into the baking pan.
- Bake for 30-40 mins.
- Let it rest for 10 mins before serving.
Nutrition
More Argentine Favorites?
Pickled Eggplants (Berenjenas al Escabeche)
To learn more about the benefits of Carrots Click here
