If rich, sweet caramelized onions and salty kalamata olives atop a crispy, crunchy, pizza-like crust sounds like your kind of eats, I've got the perfect recipe for you! This caramelized onion tart is elegant enough for adults, and fun enough for kids. And it couldn't be easier to make.
A fun and easy caramelized onion tart
I've made this caramelized onion tart for dinner more times than I can remember, but I don't recall a single time I've had to deal with leftovers. It's just that good.
As the cook I love that I can put it together in minutes, especially when I have pizza dough on hand. The only work I actually need to do to make this tart is to cut the onions and caramelize them until they are richly golden and sweet.
That sweetness of the onions makes a winning combination with the seductive saltiness of the olives. The pizza crust turns golden and crunchy and crispy. It's a delightful procession of flavors and textures for your tastebuds to savor.
Use store bought pizza dough to make this recipe faster. If you want to make your own I've included my foolproof recipe. The recipe makes two crusts, so you can bake one now and freeze the other for later. You can also make the crust healthier, if you want to, by replacing half the flour with whole wheat flour. This will result in a slightly chewier crust but still a very tasty one!
-Vaishali
Recipe card
Caramelized Onion Tart With Olives
Ingredients
For the tart dough
- 3 cups all purpose flour (can use ½ whole wheat and half all purpose)
- 2 ¼ teaspoon active dry yeast
- 1 ¼ cup lukewarm water
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
For the topping:
- 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (divided)
- 4 cloves garlic (thinly sliced)
- 3 yellow onions (about 1 ½ pounds, thinly sliced)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- ½ cup kalamata olives (pitted, then left whole or coarsely chopped)
- Salt and ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
Make the tart dough
- Place the yeast in a bowl with 1 cup water and the sugar and wait for the yeast to "bloom"
- Add the flour to the bowl along with the salt and oil and knead into a soft but supple dough. If it appears too stiff, add more water, a tablespoon at a time.
- Coat the dough with oil or cooking spray and set aside in a bowl to rise, about 1 ½ hours.
- In a small bowl, mix the sliced garlic with 1 tablespoon olive oil.
Make the caramelized onions
- Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet
- Add the onions and saute for about five minutes on medium-high heat. Add the salt and continue to saute until the onions turn a rich golden-brown, about 15-20 minutes. If they stick to the bottom after browning, deglaze the pan with a tiny bit of water. Wait until all of the water has evaporated before turning off the heat.
- Preheat the oven to 500 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Divide the tart dough into two. You can freeze one portion for later use. Punch down the other portion and roll it out, about 11 inches long and 8 inches wide. Use a rolling pin or just use your fingers to shape it. Leave the edges slightly thicker than the center. Sprinkle cornmeal on a baking sheet and transfer the dough carefully to the baking sheet.
- Spread the caramelized onions in a thin layer on top of the tart base.
- Sprinkle the garlic on top, and use the remaining oil the garlic was soaked in to brush the edges of the tart.
- Sprinkle on salt and pepper to taste. I don't really find that I need this, but do it if you want.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 14 minutes or until the sides are golden and the tart comes easily off the cookie sheet with a spatula.
- Cut and serve hot.
Nutrition Information
To print recipe card without images, uncheck "instruction images" after clicking the "print recipe" button.
Kathy says
This looks really good! I'm thinking of trying it on Naan bread as a time saver. Could use the garlic naan to get a head start on that garlicky flavor. Naan works well for individual pizzas as well.
Vaishali says
Great idea. A manakish bread would work well too. You can find a recipe for manakish on my blog--use the search bar!
Vaishali says
Jabs, you definitely could-- a sourdough pizza crust would taste amazing. You would have to reduce the yeast, water and flour content accordingly. For two cups of sourdough starter I'd cut out 1 tsp of yeast, 3/4 of a cup of water and a cup of flour. But play it by ear--add more water or flour if needed. I've not made a sourdough pizza crust before, so I'm only guesstimating the proportions here. Good luck!
JABS says
Hi! I want to make this, but you got me completely obsessed with sourdough. Do you think I could convert the pizza dough recipe to sourdough?
Vaishali says
Hi, absolutely! Replace 3/4 cup of the flour with 1/2 cup sourdough and reduce water. I would recommend using some yeast--about a teaspoon--to help ensure a quicker rise than sourdough might give you, unless you are willing to wait.
Samarpita says
Hey, happy birthday! I have been way too busy and hence not been trying out anything new and therefore not commenting on your posts. But I continue to read. And I would thank you and holy cow for helping me take the plunge to go vegan.
Vaishali says
Dear Sunila, Richa, Priya, Thank you!
Nisha, thank you! I don't refrigerate the vital wheat gluten, but in a warm temperature it would definitely be a good idea to.
Dear Susana, thank you-- and hugging you right back. 🙂
Farrah, JB, Ameya, Thanks!
Miri, you are kind. Thanks very much!
Miri says
Happy Blog Birthday Vaishali _ i love your enthusiastice writing and really innovative recipes - Keep going! 🙂 The tart looks like it would make a great snack when cut up..
Miri
Ameya says
Congrats, Vaishali, and happy birthday to your blog!! The tart looks scrumptious 🙂
jb says
Happy four years! That is quite an accomplishment! This caramelized onion tart looks just wonderful
Farrah P says
Happy Birthday! Wish you many years of delicious blogging. This recipes looks wonderful. I love anything with olives and onions. mmm.
Daisy says
Happy Birthday dear Holy Cow! 🙂
Thank you Vaishali for sharing your amazing, delicious and vibrant vegan recipes with us, as well as your stories and the way you see and feel the world, being a real support for all of us!
A heartfelt hug to all and my wishes of many many years of blogging!
Susana.
Priya says
Congrats and happy birthday to Holy Cow,keep on rocking..tart looks extremely fabulous and inviting.
Anonymous says
Hi vaishali,
Happy Birthday to holycow and your mission to veganism.
Delicious looking tart.
what is the shelf life of vital wheat gluten and can it be refrigerated for a longer shelf life?
God Bless
Nisha.
Richa says
Happy Bloggoversary!! and wish you many more years of blogging, making yummylicious food and reaching and changing many more!
the caramelized onions look amazing.. my mouth is already working up the taste!.
Vaishali says
Mihika, Thank you! 🙂
Vaishali says
Tibik, thanks!
Gayatri, yes, I went vegetarian about a year before I went vegan. It really helped ease the transition.
Mints, you are really sweet. Thanks very much!
Manju, Poornima, Rashmi, thanks!
Mihika says
Congratulations! Here's to many more 🙂
Rashmi says
Very easy and perfect for snack or light meal.
Poornima Nair says
Congratulations and the tart is a beautiful treat to celebrate. Looks yumm!
Manju says
Ohh Wow! Vaishali, that looks simply delicious! I have a soft spot for caramelized onions in anything 🙂
Mints! says
Happy birthday to my favorite blog! I have learned a lots of different things from you and always look forward to the 'feeds'!
Keep up the great work Vaishali!
Sunila says
Happy Birthday Holy Cow! and wishing you tons more to come.Thanks for sharing your recipes and anecdotes.
All the very best, always 🙂
Gayatri says
Happy blog birthday Vaishali. 4 years is a long time. Thanks for posting such amazing recipes day after day.
Just curious, did you first go vegetarian and then vegan or directly vegan?
Tibik says
Happy Birthday Holy Cow! and wish you many more to come. A heartfelt thank you for blogging and sharing.
Tibik