Italian Bread Tart — with a decadent béchamel filling, colorful veggies, and bubbly cheese, this is a go-to weeknight meal that packs all the flavor! Totally customizable with all the fillings and still not too heavy, I can’t get enough of it!

WATCH HOW TO MAKE ITALIAN BREAD TART:

You can use any bread of your choice and we’ll start by cutting off the sides. Roll these out gently to help flatten them. In a greased tart mold, layer the slices of bread and press with a small glass or your hands to help them keep their shape. Trim off any excess, brush with oil, and let bake.

For our filling, we’ll make a white sauce starting with a cornstarch, butter, and oil roux. Add milk in and whisk vigorously to prevent lumps. Then in goes all our veggies along with some pineapple, spices, and cheese. This is totally customizable and I like adding a bit of spinach puree for a lovely green color.

In our half-baked tart, spread this filling and top with dollops of marinara sauce and some more parmesan cheese. Bake this until golden brown and bubbly and your Italian Bread Tart is ready! This is so decadent and rich but still isn’t too heavy – you’re going to love

If you like this, please try my other recipes:

• Herbed Olive & Pear Crinkle Cake
• Lasagna Roll-Ups With Truffle Cream
• Veggie Makhani Shepherd’s Pie
• Paneer Tikka Sushi Bake

5 from 1 vote

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Italian Bread Tart

Prep Time

20 mins

Cook Time

30 mins

 

Italian Bread Tart — with a decadent béchamel filling, colorful veggies, and bubbly cheese, this is a go-to weeknight meal that packs all the flavor! Totally customizable with all the fillings and still not too heavy, I can’t get enough of it!

Course: Baked, Dinner, Lunch, Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: baked

Custom Category: Baked, Dinner, Lunch, Main Course

Servings: 8

Calories: 156 kcal

Author: Nidhi Bothra

Ingredients

Tart Shell:

• 9 pcs bread , I used them in a 10" mold
• butter , or olive oil for brushing
• water , for sealing

Filling:

• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 clove garlic finely chopped
• 3 tbsp all purpose flour
• 4 cup milk
• 1/2 cup mixed color bell peppers , chopped
• 1/4 cup broccoli , chopped and boiled al dente
• 2 carrots , chopped and boiled al dente
• 1/4 cup corn , boiled al dente
• 1/2 cup pineapple , canned, chopped
• 1 1/2 cup spinach
• 1 tsp italian seasoning
• 1 tsp salt , more as needed
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/2 dried basil
• 1/2 tsp red chili flakes
• 2 tbsp parmesan cheese , grated

Topping:

• 1/3 cup mozzarella and parmesan cheese , grated
• 1/4 cup marinara sauce

Garnish:

• basil leaves , torn into pieces

Instructions

Tart Shell:

1. Remove the sides of the bread and arrange them on a flat surface in a circular shape. The slices should overlap each other slightly without any gaps in between. Make sure that the overall size is bigger than the tart pan that you will use for baking.
2. Brush the edges of the bread with some water. This will seal all the edges and it will become one large piece of bread.
3. Press the bread into the pan so that it takes the shape of the pan. Remove any extra pieces with the help of a knife or scissors. Check out the video in this recipe for making the bread tart shell.
4. Now, brush the tart shell with melted butter (or olive oil) and lightly bake in a pre-heated oven at 350°F/175°C for 8-10 minutes. Make sure that you only half bake the tart and take it out of the oven before it changes color as we will be baking them again with the sauce/veggie filling later.
5. Leave the half-baked tart in the pan as we will be baking it again later.

Vegetable Filling:

1. First, make your spinach puree by boiling spinach for 4-5 minutes and then shocking it in ice cold water. Then blend it into a paste. Keep it aside while we make the béchamel.

2. For the béchamel sauce, heat oil and butter in a large saucepan and allow them to melt. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant.

3. Add all purpose flour and whisk the mixture so that it becomes frothy with a slight change in color.
4. Reduce the heat to low and gradually whisk in milk, making sure to eliminate lumps from the mixture.
5. Add in your bell peppers, broccoli, corn, carrots, pineapple, along with all your seasonings. You can also add in any vegetables that you would like!

6. Incorporate your vegetables and then add in your parmesan cheese and spinach puree. Cook the filling for a few more minutes and then take it off the heat and let it cool.

Italian Bread Tart:

1. To assemble the tart, take the half-baked tart shell and fill it with the vegetable filling. Top it off with marinara sauce and the mix of mozzarella and parmesan cheese.
2. Bake the tart in a preheated oven at 350°F/175°C for 10-15 minutes or until it is crispy and the edges are golden.
3. Then, remove the pan from the oven and leave it for 5 minutes on the counter.
4. Now, unmold the tart. An easy way to do this is to place the cooled tart pan on top of a couple of glasses. Then hold the pan ring and gently pull it down.
5. Ganish with some basil and your Italian Bread Tart is ready, enjoy!

Recipe Video

Recipe Notes

• You can make the tart shell a day before too. Just make sure that it is half-baked and still in the tart pan.
• You can also make the béchamel sauce/veggie filling in advance.

Nutrition Facts

Italian Bread Tart

Amount Per Serving

Calories 156 Calories from Fat 72

% Daily Value*

Fat 8g12%

Saturated Fat 4g25%

Trans Fat 0.2g

Polyunsaturated Fat 1g

Monounsaturated Fat 3g

Cholesterol 21mg7%

Sodium 478mg21%

Potassium 341mg10%

Carbohydrates 15g5%

Fiber 2g8%

Sugar 9g10%

Protein 7g14%

Vitamin A 3463IU69%

Vitamin C 19mg23%

Calcium 223mg22%

Iron 1mg6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.