Spinach, Mushroom, Goat Cheese and Red Bell Pepper Tart

I was looking for something quick and easy for dinner the other night. Looking in the freezer I saw some frozen spinach (unfortunately the fresh spinach at the store hadn't looked too fresh when I had last gone, so frozen it was), and the box of puff pastry. Thinking I might be able to come up with something with these two items, I proceeded to take them out and let them thaw. Turning back to the fridge, I took a look inside to see what else I had, coming up with mushrooms and red bell peppers. At this point things were looking good, but I needed something creamy, something that would help the flavors blend together. Goat cheese was it.

Now if you've never had goat cheese, I'd say the texture is like a softened cream cheese, very spreadable and soft. The taste more sharp than a regular cheese or cheddar, some may say it's "tart" because of the goat milk instead of cow milk, but it's also very creamy.

The rest of the prep was easy. Slice about half of the red bell pepper into strips, grab some garlic and mince it, and slice the mushrooms. Roll the thawed puff pastry out on a cookie sheet and set the oven to 350F. Drain the spinach, making sure most of the liquid in it is squeezed out, spread it over the pastry leaving about a half inch of crust around the edges. Spread the mushrooms around on top of the spinach, then the bell pepper, and last the minced garlic. Now is when you get to put that delicious goat cheese on top of it all. Pull it apart in little chunks and just let it drop on top. Salt and pepper to taste and set it in the oven for approx. 15-20 minutes or till the puff pastry is a nice golden brown.


This can take about 5 minutes of prep as long as things are thawed out prior, and it looks pretty and tastes even better!