Savory Asparagus Galette With Vegan Ricotta

It’s an easy and rustic yet impressive recipe that’s perfect for summer al fresco dining, whether you serve it for dinner, at weekend brunch, or as an appetizer at a summer party. Looking for a knockout sweet brunch recipe to pair this with for a weekend brunch party? Try my diner-style Vegan Pancakes or Vegan French Toast! Table of contents:1. Why you’re going to like this recipe2. Ingredient notes3. How to make this galette4. Tips for making this recipe5. Recipe card with notes

Why you’re going to like this recipe

Extremely delicious. If you’ve ever had some sort of cheesy or eggy savory pastry, you know how delicious they can be. This recipe is just that, but it’s 100% vegan. Flaky, buttery pie crust with a creamy and cheesy homemade ricotta, perfectly roasted asparagus, and lots of fresh herbs and lemon. Easy to make. You don’t need to be an expert baker to bake a galette! It’s very free-form and doesn’t require any prior pie-baking experience. Versatile. This savory galette is a great dinner idea (perfect with a lightly dressed side salad), but it’s equally delicious served at weekend brunch (serve with a side of fresh fruit). But you don’t have to serve it just as a main course. You can stretch it further by serving smaller pieces as an appetizer or side dish. If serving at dinner, serve alongside roasted tofu or a lentil salad. If serving at brunch, serve with fruit smoothies or yogurt + fruit bowls. Rustic and imperfect. Making pie crust is stressful. Making galettes is not! Galettes are rustic and casual, and this recipe is quite easy to throw together. Best of all, it doesn’t have to look perfect and every single galette looks different and has its own character. Low-effort, high reward. This is a treat that’ll impress your family and friends, but as I mentioned, it’s a very easy and simple meal to make.

Ingredient notes

The crust

Vegan Butter. With pie dough, when you want the lightest, flakiest texture and richest flavor, butter is the best option (as opposed to shortening or oil). Of course, we’re using vegan butter, but I promise you won’t notice the difference. It is important to use cold (vegan) butter. I like to cut my butter into cubes, then stick that back in the freezer to get colder. All-Purpose Flour. All purpose-flour makes the structure of most pie crusts, as well as galettes. It yields a tender, flaky crust and is my go-to for pie/galette dough. Cornmeal. One of my favorite summer salads to make features grilled or charred corn with grilled or roasted asparagus. I just absolutely love the corn-asparagus combo, which is what inspired me to make this a cornmeal crust. It adds a slightly sweet, nutty almost-cornbread-like flavor that is incredible in this savory rustic galette. It also lends a delightful crunch and helps crisp the crust up to a nice golden color. Ice Water. Ice water is often used in pie crust as well, so it’s a natural addition to this galette dough. Ice water (1) keeps the (vegan) butter cold so it doesn’t melt (melted butter = your crust won’t get flaky); and (2) sort of acts as a binder and helps the dough hold its shape when you roll it out. The precise amount of ice water needed will depend on a few factors, including if you use a combination of all-purpose flour and spelt flour (as in the recipe) or just all-purpose flour, as well as the temperature and quality of your vegan butter. I recommend keeping a bowl or glass of ice water handy so you can measure out a teaspoon at a time. Apple Cider Vinegar. I use a bit of apple cider vinegar in this galette dough because vinegar helps hydrate and tenderize the dough and can prevent the formation of too much gluten, which results in tough crusts. You could also use lemon juice. Sea Salt. Absolutely essential in any pie or galette crust. No salt = cardboard crust.

Tofu Ricotta Filling

The inspiration for this galette is a savory cheesy galette, but of course I had to make it vegan. I chose to use my tried-and-tested and very-much-loved tofu ricotta recipe. I have a few variations of this recipe on my blog, but this recipe features my favorite version (used in the Vegan Lasagna recipe in my cookbook). I do add a little fresh dill to the ricotta, as the asparagus-dill pairing is really lovely and fresh. The best part about this ricotta is that it’s incredibly easy, takes 5 minutes to make, and all you need is a food processor. No need to press the tofu and everything gets pureed in a food processor. As I mention in the recipe, the tofu ricotta makes more ricotta than you’ll need to use. I recommend using between 1/2 and 2/3 of the ricotta. The leftovers stay good in the fridge for at least a week. Or, you can just cut the recipe in half.

Asparagus Filling

One of my favorite seasonal vegetables in spring-early summer is asparagus. It’s fresh and mellow yet distinctive and vegetal. Also, it’s so good for you and packed with vitamins. Here, raw asparagus gets lightly coated in olive oil and seasoned with salt and pepper and added directly on top of the tofu ricotta filling. It couldn’t be easier! I do recommend avoiding asparagus spears that are very fat or thick, as those won’t get roasted as nicely and as fully as skinny or medium-sized spears. As you can see in the photos, I left the asparagus whole for presentation purposes, but for eating purposes, it’s a bit easier to cut and eat the galette if you cut the asparagus before adding it to the filling.

How to make this galette

Cold butter + water. First, cut your vegan butter into cubes, then stick that back in the freezer or fridge to get colder. Take it out of the freezer/fridge only once you’re ready to add it to the flour mixture. Meanwhile, mix some ice with water in a bowl or glass for your ice water mixture. Cut the vegan butter into the flour mixture. Once the cubed butter is cold, add it to your flour/salt mixture. I use a pastry cutter (affiliate link) to cut the cold vegan butter into the flour until the butter is the size of peas. If you don’t have a pastry cutter, you can use a fork to mash the butter into the flour or use 2 butter knives to mix the butter into the flour mixture until well combined. Add ice water and vinegar. Start by adding 2 tablespoons of ice water with the apple cider vinegar and stir to combine. Add more of the ice water as needed, just a teaspoon at a time, until the dough comes together when you squeeze it and you can form a ball that doesn’t crumble when you pull it apart. The dough shouldn’t be wet, and just ever so slightly sticky. Chill the dough. This is when you cover the dough or wrap it in plastic, and then refrigerate for at least 1 hour. This crust is make-ahead, so you can prep it and store it in the fridge for up to 48 hours, or pop it in the freezer for a later time. Roll out the dough. Once done chilling, remove the galette dough and let it sit at room temperature for 10-15 minutes to make it pliable enough to roll.

You have two options for rolling out the dough — rolling it on a floured surface and transferring it to your pan using a rolling pin, or rolling the dough directly on a piece of parchment paper. Both methods are outlined in the directions. Add the filling. Spoon your tofu ricotta into the center of the dough and spread it out. Keep a border of 1 1/2 to 2 inches wide so you can fold the crust over. Then top with the olive oil-massaged asparagus. Fold the dough. Fold the empty edges of the dough up over the filling to form a crust, ensuring the asparagus gets tucked into the dough. Finish the dough. Brush the crust with a little plant-based milk, then sprinkle with flaky sea salt on top of the crust and filling. This is similar to brushing a pie crust with an egg white wash. Bake the crust. After you pile on the fillings, bake the galette in a preheated oven at 400°F/200°C for 40-45 minutes. The crust should be slightly puffed up and golden brown. If your oven is much hotter in the back, try to rotate the baking sheet 180° halfway during baking

Tips for making this recipe

Keep everything cold. Keeping the (vegan) butter as cold as you can is important for a good flaky crust. If the butter is too warm it will make it hard to work the dough and the crust will be tougher than flaky. First step – cool down your kitchen. If it’s summertime, turn on the AC. Next, cube your vegan butter and put it back in the freezer or fridge to chill (the freezer makes the chilling process quicker). After that, make your flour mixture, followed by the ice water. If you have the space in your freezer or fridge, even chill the mixing bowl that you’ll make the dough in. Along with your pastry cutter or tool of choice. Only once you’ve mixed your flour mixture and made your ice water, remove the vegan butter from the freezer/fridge. If your doughs feel warm after you roll out the galette, make space to chill it in in your freezer/fridge until cool to the touch before baking. Sift the cornmeal (or not). Medium-grind cornmeal has crunchy bits in it, and personally, I love the crunchy bits. They add a nice texture to this already-rustic crust. But, if you are making this for someone with sensitive teeth or don’t want a few little crunchy bits throughout the crust, I recommend sifting the cornmeal first. No rolling pin? Use a wine bottle. It works quite similarly to a rolling pin. And if your wine bottle is chilled, even better because you want to keep the dough cool while rolling so. Don’t use all the tofu ricotta. As I mentioned above and in the recipe, you don’t need to or want to use all of the tofu ricotta that the recipe makes. If you try to use it all, the dough won’t make all the way through and the galette will turn wet and soggy. You can halve the tofu ricotta recipe but I think it’s easiest to make the whole recipe and enjoy the tofu ricotta leftovers. It stays good in the fridge for a week, and it’s versatile: spread it on toast, use it in pizzas or pastas, use it as a topping for grain bowls, etc. Don’t skip the fresh herbs and flaky sea salt. The fresh herbs (basil and dill in the ricotta; basil, dill, and tarragon for garnishes) really perk up this dish and make it feel more summery. If you don’t have all three herbs, use at least one or two of them. If you give this Savory Asparagus Galette with Vegan Ricotta recipe a try, be sure to tag me on Instagram with your recreations and please comment with your feedback below!