These individual puff pastry breakfast tarts are filled with a savory combo of asparagus, prosciutto, and sharp cheddar cheese, with an egg in the center. Topped with Everything Bagel Seasoning, these flaky savory tarts will elevate your breakfast game and are show-stoppers for brunches and entertaining!
Why You'll Love This Breakfast Recipe
With Easter quickly approaching, I challenged myself to create a restaurant-worthy breakfast recipe that’s not only beautiful but also super easy to make. I already have a few breakfast favorites on my site, like this sweet potato and sausage frittata and reader-favorite ham and broccoli frittata, but I wanted something more gourmet that still uses standard breakfast ingredients. Well, here it is! This recipe uses store-bought puff pastry, eggs, asparagus, white cheddar, and can be made with either prosciutto or bacon. With buttery puff pastry layers, savory toppings, these savory tarts will be a perfect addition to your brunch line-up! I’d love to hear what you think of it in the comments!
Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
- Asparagus or Greens: Feel free to saute some greens like kale or chard, to replace the asparagus if you wish!
- Bacon or Proscuitto: You can use bacon instead of prosciutto if you’d like! Make sure to at least par-cook the bacon before using it to put onto your puff pastry rectangles. It should be fully cooked, but not crispy as it will continue to cook in the oven when baking.
- Cheese Options: You can substitute the sharp white cheddar cheese for feta, mild yellow cheddar, or parm if you like! You can even try Romano, mozzarella, or any semi hard or low moisture cheese. I recommend not using a thicker creamy cheese such as brie or it will overpower the entire puff pastry and possibly be too salty.
- Sesame seeds: You are welcome to replace the Everything Bagel seasoning with just white, black, or both sesame seeds. Don’t forget to sprinkle a little salt around the edges of the puff pastry as well!
- Herbs: I love using fresh basil, chervil, or other fresh herbs as alternatives to the parsley.
- Tip: The below photo depicts every single ingredient you need. Take a screenshot for your shopping list!
How to Make Puff Pastry Breakfast Egg Tarts
Here's a quick rundown of the recipe, complete with helpful step-by-step photos! Tip: For the full recipe & instructions please scroll down to the recipe card.
First, I whisked an egg with a splash of water for the egg wash and set up an ice bath. I also preheated the oven to 425°F and lined a baking sheet with parchment paper. The asparagus got a quick 1-minute blanch in salted boiling water, then straight into an ice bath like a fancy spa treatment before I patted them dry.
For the puff pastry, I stacked two thawed sheets, brushed the top with egg wash, and cut them into six even rectangles. Using a sharp knife, I scored a ½-inch border on each piece (careful not to cut all the way through!) and poked the centers with a fork to keep them from puffing up too much. Onto the baking sheet they went, with an extra egg wash on the borders and a generous sprinkle of Everything Bagel Seasoning. After about 15 minutes in the oven, they were golden and puffy.
I pressed down the centers to make space for the fillings—first a little sharp cheddar, then a scrunched-up slice of prosciutto on one side and asparagus on the other. The egg whites went in next, seasoned with plenty of black pepper and a little salt, plus an extra sprinkle of cheddar for good measure. Back into the oven for another 13-15 minutes until the whites were set.
The grand finale? I gently placed an egg yolk in the center of each pastry, then popped them back in—5-6 minutes for a beautifully runny yolk, or up to 10 if you like it more set. A sprinkle of fresh parsley, and boom—fancy brunch pastries that look like they came straight from a bakery.
My Top Tips for Perfect Puff Pastry Egg Tarts
- Keep Egg Yolks Fresh! When you separate your egg whites and yolks, make sure to grease the cups that will hold the egg yolks with cooking spray and also cover them with a kitchen towel. This helps to ensure they won’t dry out and stick to your cup once you’re ready to pour them onto your pastry.
- Flatten That Pastry! I really can’t stress enough how important it is to make the interior of the puff pastry as flat as you can. It helps keep all of the ingredients inside the pastry, especially the egg whites and yolks. Review the instructions and also look at the step-by-step photos I provide at the top.
- Par-Baking for Success! When you are par-cooking the puff pastry for the first time, it’s important that it has risen quite a bit and is slightly golden brown. If you remove it prior to it rising or browning, the dough will still be raw inside and take quite longer to cook when you return it to the oven.
- Cheddar Sharpness Level: Your Call! Sharp white cheddar cheese can be VERY sharp for some people so that is why I only use a minimal amount of it in this recipe. However, if you are a fan of the sharpness, feel free to add more!
Variations
- Vegetarian: Omit the prosciutto to make this vegetarian!
- Spicy: Add a little bit of crushed red pepper flakes or top with hot sauce once the puff pastries have been cooked!
- Pesto: If you have pesto, it would make a great addition to the pastries! Since it can tend to be well salted, use it sparingly at the bottom of the pastry before you sprinkle in the cheese.
Storage & Reheating Instructions
- To refrigerate, place the cooled puff pastries into an airtight container. You can store them for up to 3 days in the fridge.
- To freeze, wrap the cooled puff pastry in aluminum foil or place them in a freezer bag/s. You can keep them in the freezer for up to 2 months.
- To reheat, place the puff pastry (from the fridge or the freezer) either in a preheated oven at 250 F or toaster oven. Heat until it reaches your desired temperature.
More Breakfast Recipes
- Southwestern Breakfast Casserole
- Blueberry Lemon Bread with Lemon Glaze
- Sweet Potato & Sausage Frittata
- Breakfast Egg Muffins with Bacon and Spinach
- Strawberry Banana Bread Muffins
Puff Pastry Egg Tarts (Breakfast Recipe)
Ingredients
- 2 puff pastry sheets thawed (I used Pepperidge Farms brand)
- 7 eggs 6 egg whites and egg yolks separated into individual cups, 1 egg for egg wash *see tips
- 1 bunch asparagus cut into 2 inch pieces
- ¼ cup Everything Bagel Seasoning
- 3-4 ounces prosciutto
- ½ cup sharp white cheddar cheese shredded, divided
- salt and pepper to taste
- parsley fine chopped, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 425 F and prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper. Make an egg wash by cracking one egg into a small cup or bowl and whisk it together with 1 tablespoon of water. Prepare a small bowl with cold water and ice.
- Boil a small pot of water and salt well. Blanch the asparagus for 1 minute and transfer to a bowl of ice water. Remove the asparagus once chilled and dry with a paper towel or kitchen towel.
- Place 1 sheet of thawed puff pastry onto a cutting board and brush the entire piece with the egg wash. Next, place the other sheet of puff on top of the first so they match and are even. Cut into 6 even rectangles.
- With a very sharp knife, score each puff pastry rectangle with at least a ½” border. Make sure each cut goes through both layers, but not all the way through. With a fork, dock the center of each pastry.
- Transfer each piece to the parchment lined baking sheet, and brush the ½” borders of the puff pastry with the egg wash. Sprinkle the edges with Everything Bagel Seasoning.
- Place the puff pastry in the oven between 13-15 minutes or until the pastry has turned a slight golden brown and has risen up significantly. Remove from the oven (don’t forget to close the oven door!) and using a spoon, smash the center rectangle down well, making sure it is completely flat, leaving the ½” borders high.
- For each pastry, sprinkle a small amount of sharp cheddar cheese in the middle, scrunch a piece of prosciutto and place it along an inside edge, and place the cut asparagus on the opposite side. It’s OK if either the prosciutto and the asparagus stick out beyond the edges of the pastry, but make sure you are leaving a lot of room in the center for your egg whites so they don’t spill out of your pastry.
- Pour the egg whites into each pastry rectangle, sprinkle heavily with pepper. Salt to taste and sprinkle a small amount of the sharp cheddar cheese on the edge of the egg white. Bake for 13-15 minutes or until the egg white has set.
- Remove the pastries from the oven and place an egg yolk in the center of each pastry. Put the pastries back in the oven for the last time, between 5-6 minutes for a runny yolk, and 8-10 minutes for a more firm yolk.
- Sprinkle with freshly chopped parsley, serve, and enjoy!
Notes
You will need the following supplies:
- cutting board
- knife
- measuring spoons
- 12 small cups
- pot
- small bowl
- pastry brush
- viii.grater
- baking sheet
- parchment paper
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer:
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. It should not be used as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
I make these all the time for our early-morning book club gatherings every Sunday. The ladies love these, and there is never enough. Next time, I'll double the recipe.
Aww, I’m so flattered, Kelly!! Doubling the recipe next time is the ultimate compliment!! 🙂
My hubby loved them. He’s on a protein-forward diet with lots of veggies, and just a bit of carbs - so this recipe worked out great for us! Easy and very tasty. What is the best way to store/ reheat these?
Hi Daniella - I am glad your husband loved these! 🙂 Refrigerate the cooled puff pastries in an airtight container for up to 3 days!