These Pea and Ricotta Filo Tartlets are perfect for a light lunch or an elegant starter for dinner. Crispy filo pastry encases an egg and cream filling of leeks, peas and ricotta in these pretty-as-a-picture tartlets. Great for picnics too!
At what size is a tart a tartlet and a tartlet a tart?
These fresh and seasonal Pea and Ricotta Tartlets can actually be made into any size you like! Make smaller ones as canapes or grab-and-go breakfasts, or make one large one for family style sharing.
My go-to whenever I make these filo tarts is to use 4 x 10cm, loose-bottomed tart tins. If you don’t have those at hand, you can make smaller ones in a standard muffin tin or a bigger tart in a 22-26cm springform pan. Note that you will need more or less filo pastry as you scale the recipe up or down.
No matter what size you make, these tarts are creamy, crispy, minty, lemony and just sing of spring!
In this Post:
Why you’ll Love this Pea and Ricotta Filo Tartlets Recipe
- Light. Filo pastry is so thin it crisps up beautifully in the oven and is lighter than a lot of other tart and pie pastries. It’s perfectly suited to the light and fresh spring greens.
- Waste not. Got a half-used packet of filo pastry in the fridge? This recipe will help you use it up!
- They’re good hot or cold. Whether you serve them straight out of the oven as a starter for dinner or eat them at room temp for a quick and light lunch, they won’t disappoint.
- Freeze well. You can easily whip up a double batch and freeze half for future, fuss-free dinners.
- Size matters. Too big or small? Don’t have individual fluted tart tins? Use the same recipe to make smaller tartlets or one big tart instead.
Cook with me
What is filo pastry?
Filo, or phyllo, is a very thin and delicate pastry that crisps up when cooked. It doesn’t rise like puff pastry though, as there are no rising agents in filo pastry.
From the Greek work meaning leaf, filo pastry is a staple in Greek, Turkish and Baltic cuisines, where it’s used to make popular dishes such as spanakopita and baklava.
Making filo by hand requires a lot of patience to make sure you don’t rip it as you stretch it out so thin you can just about see through it! We’re lucky that modern convince now provides us with ready-made fresh and frozen filo sheets.
Pea and Ricotta Filo Tartlets Recipe Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this delightfully crispy yet creamy recipe:
- Eggs and cream form the savoury custard filling that sets and binds all the other ingredients together.
- To the custard base we add fresh (or frozen) peas, sautéed leek, lemon zest, fresh mint and creamy, good-quality, fresh ricotta.
- For the tart base we only need melted butter and filo pastry.
Find the exact quantities in the recipe card below.
How to Make this Pea and Ricotta Filo Tartlets Recipe
You can serve these tartlets just as they are or with a side salad for a light but satisfying meal. They’re also a great starter for a dinner party!
Here’s the quick rundown on how to make the recipe:
- Prepare the filling ingredients. Sauté the leeks, pod or defrost the peas, chop the mint and get everything else ready at hand.
- Combine and mix. In a medium sized bowl add the eggs and cream and whisk until combined. Add in the peas, lemon zest and mint. Crumble in the ricotta in medium sized chunks. Add the sautéed leek, season with salt and pepper to taste and gently mix to combine.
- Preheat, melt and grease. Preheat the oven to 200C. Melt the butter and use a little of it to lightly grease 4 x 10cm, loose-bottomed tart tins. Place the tins onto a baking tray and set aside.
- Butter and line. Working with one sheet of filo pastry at a time – while keeping the rest covered with a damp cloth – apply a light coating of butter to the whole sheet using a pastry brush. Fold the sheet in half and gently press it into a tart tin. Repeat with another sheet of filo pastry, this time adding it to the tart tin on an angle so you form a kind of cross shape.
- Fill and scrunch. Add spoonfuls of the filling mixture to the filo pastry-lined tart tin until just full. Next, gently scrunch up the pastry overhang to create a ruffled border, leaving the centre of the filling exposed. Repeat with the rest of the tart tins.
- Bake and enjoy!
Tips for Working with Filo Pastry
Filo pastry is incredibly easy to rip, but it is also an incredibly forgiving pastry that can be patched up, layered ad scrunched up easily.
Note: these tips are predominately for working with packaged fresh filo pastry you find in the refrigerator section of the supermarket, and not frozen filo pastry. For frozen, follow the instructions on the packet.
- Room temperature. Bring the filo pastry to room temperature before working with it. Trying to unroll cold filo pastry will lead to a lot more tears.
- Don’t let it dry out. Filo pastry is so thin and has very little fat in it that it can dry out quickly. Cover the unused filo pastry with a damp (NOT WET) towel while you work on a sheet.
- Don’t get it wet. Wet hands or a wet surface will cause the fragile pastry to rip and tear.
- Butter, oil or milk. To make the sheets of filo more pliable, to add flavour and to create the crispy result we’re after, filo sheets must be brushed with either melted butter (the traditional way), oil (if you want to make it vegan), or a combo of melted butter and milk (for those who baulk at the amount of butter needed to butter each sheet).
- Have everything ready to go. Make sure you have your butter melted, oil poured and pastry brush handy so you can work quickly.
- Patch it up. It’s handy to have one sheet set aside to patch up any tears. Just stick it back together using a little of the melted butter.
- Save for another bake. Any unused fresh filo sheets can be gently rolled back up and put back into the fridge to by used by the used by date. Just make sure the pastry is sealed so that it doesn’t dry out.
Love fresh, zingy, spring ingredients? Try these recipes too:
- Citrus Salmon with Green Olive Gremolata
- Avocado Green Goddess Dressing
- Roasted Zucchini with Pomegranate Molasses Dressing
- Asparagus Tart
- Green Beans Gremolata
- Yogurt Flatbread, Greens, Taramasalata and Finger Limes
Have you made these Pea and Ricotta Filo Tartlets yet? Be sure to leave me a comment and let me know. Or take a pic and tag me over on Instagram, I love seeing what you guys are making from the blog!
Pea and Ricotta Filo Tartlets
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 leek, sliced thinly into half moon rounds
- 3 eggs
- 125 ml heavy cream
- ½ cup peas, freshly podded or defrosted
- Zest of 1 lemon
- ¼ cup mint, finely chopped
- 100 g fresh ricotta
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 60 g butter, melted
- 8 sheets of fresh filo pastry
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the sliced leek and cook gently until soft and starting to caramalise, around 7-10 minutes. Set aside to cool.1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 leek
- Meanwhile, to a medium sixed bowl, add the eggs and cream and whisk until combined. Add in the peas, zest in the lemon and crumble in the ricotta in small to medium chunks. Add in the cooled leeks and season with salt and pepper.3 eggs, 125 ml heavy cream, ½ cup peas, Zest of 1 lemon, ¼ cup mint, 100 g fresh ricotta, Salt and pepper to taste
- Preheat the oven to 200C. Melt the butter and use a little of it to grease 4x10cm, loose-bottomed tart tins*. Place the tins onto a baking tray and set aside.60 g butter
- Working with 1 filo sheet at a time – while keeping the rest covered with a damp cloth – apply a light coating of butter to the whole sheet using a pastry brush. Fold the sheet in half so the butter is on the inside, and lightly butter only the top of the halved sheet before gently pressing it into the tart tin. Repeat with another sheet of filo pastry, this time adding it to the tart tin on an angle so you form a kind of cross shape.8 sheets of fresh filo pastry
- Add spoonfuls of the filling mixture to the filo pastry-lined tart tin until just full. Next, gently scrunch up the pastry overhang to create a ruffled border, leaving the centre of the filling exposed. Repeat with the rest of the tart tins.
- Butter the scrunched edges with the remaining butter and bake in the oven for 15 minutes or until the custard is set. Carefully and gently remove the tartlets from the tart tins before placing them onto the baking tray and back into the oven. Bake for a further 5-10 minutes or until the filo pastry is a crispy golden brown.
- Serve hot as an elegant starter to dinner or at room temperature for a light lunch.
