These little bite-sized mushroom tartlets are bursting with flavour and perfect for serving up at a party. Flakey puff pastry cups stuffed with caramelised onions, mushrooms and thyme and topped with stilton cheese and them baked until crispy. Make a double batch of these, as one is never enough!
Just 7 ingredients go in to making these little mushroom tartlets, but actually you could get away with making them with just the pastry, mushrooms and cheese. But, we wanted to make these a little extra and the thyme and the base of the caramelised onions really just add something special.
We think these are perfect for a Christmas party, but really they are great for any occasion. They are ready in just 30 minutes, and some of it can be prepared in advance, which is ideal when you don't want to spend the whole time in the kitchen.
Puff pastry tarts are always our go to for party food. There is just so much that you can do with puff pastry. If you are looking for other ways to use it, why not try our Tomato Puff Pastry Tart, Cheese Straws, Easy Asparagus Tart, Chocolate and Banana Pinwheels or Easy Sausage Rolls?
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Why should you try it?
- Perfect party food - These are so easy to put together, it doesn't matter if they look a bit messy, and you can make them whilst chatting to guests too. That, and they fact that they are delicious, makes them perfect for party food.
- A good way to use up mushrooms - Got lots of mushrooms left in your fridge? This is a really easy way to use up a lot of them. You can use any mushrooms in these too.
- Adaptable - Once you have the puff pastry, mushrooms and cheese, then these are really easy to adapt. Different mushrooms and cheese, there are a few options below.
- Can be made in advance - You can make the mushroom mixture in advance and store in the fridge until you are ready to making up the mushroom tartlets.
What you will need
- Puff pastry - Yes, we "cheated" and we used store bought ready rolled puff pastry. We have made it ourselves before, but honestly we couldn't taste any difference for the amount of effort it took. Using store bought pastry makes these super quick and easy to make.
- Mushrooms - The key to making this dish really delicious is using a selection of different mushrooms. This will ensure that the dish has plenty of texture. You can use just the cheapest mushrooms, which would make these budget friendly.
- Oil - We cooked the onions and mushrooms in olive oil.
- Onion - The caramelised onions, although they add to the cooking time, do add a nice layer to these mushroom tartlets. You could swap the onions for shallots, which would give a sweeter flavour.
- Garlic - Freshly crushed is always best, however you could use ready crushed in a jar, or even frozen garlic. If you are crushing it yourself, then make sure it is finely crushed, almost like a paste, as it will ensure an even distribution of the garlic in the mushrooms.
- Stilton - This is optional, but honestly we think it's essential. I know, that's a contradiction. Mushrooms and Stilton are a delicious combination and the Stilton on top of this adds SO much flavour, and makes them a little more special, perfect for the festive season. We have some options of other cheese you can use below too.
- Thyme - Like the Stilton, this is option. But thyme goes really well with mushrooms and we find that it adds a little freshness to the tartlets.
Step by step
One: Preheat your oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas 6. Heat the oil in a pan over a low heat. Add the onions and cook on low for 10 minutes, until golden brown.
Two: Add the mushrooms, garlic, thyme and salt and pepper. Cook for a further 5 minutes.
Three: Cut the pastry into twelve 7.5cm/3in disks. Brush a little oil into a twelve hole muffin tin and press the pastry disks in.
Four: Add two tablespoons of the mushroom mixture to the pastry and brush the edges of the pasty with egg. Crumble over the Stilton. Put in the oven for 15-18 minutes.
Health benefits of mushrooms
Mushrooms are a good source of vitamin D, and are actually one of the only non-animal sources of the vitamin. Whether grown inside or outside, they are exposed to UV light which increases their concentration of vitamin D.
Mushrooms are really nutritious too and a great source of B vitamins and potassium. Just be careful with how much cheese you load on top of them, as that can really bump the calories of these up.
What mushrooms to use
To make these mushroom tartlets really special, you want to use a selection of mushrooms that all have different textures. We have used chestnut mushrooms, shiitake and mini portobello mushrooms. But you can really use any kind of edible mushrooms. Oyster mushrooms add a great flavour too.
To make it as cheap as possible, I would use the standard white mushrooms that you find in the supermarket. But, if you budget does allow a little bit more, then using a selection of more exotic mushrooms will really make a difference to the dish.
How to clean mushrooms
You should just be able to give them a quick rinse and then use a paper towel to wipe away any dirt on the mushrooms. You don't want to put too much water on them though, as they will soak it up and you will have a lot of liquid in the pan.
If there is a lot of dirt on the mushrooms, then you could peel them.
Variations
Vegetables - As we have mentioned above, the mushrooms themselves can be changed and you can use any edible mushroom. Using a mixture of mushrooms gives a lovely mixture of textures. We have added a layer of caramelised onions, but you can leave these out if you are short on time.
If you wanted to give these mushroom tartlets a green vegetable boost, you can finely chop some spinach and add it to the pan near the end of the mushroom cooking time. You don't want to overload the puff pastry though, as it is quite fragile and this is meant to be finger food.
Cheese - The cheese is optional, but not only does it help to hold the mushrooms together, but it does make these a little more special. We used stilton, because it has a really strong flavour, and it goes so well with mushrooms. But you could swap it for a mature cheese, parmesan or gruyere.
Larger tart - We have served these are mini tartlets, however you could make it as one large tart and slice it up if you are serving it for a sit down meal. Make a boarder around the puff pastry sheet (so the sides puff up) and use a fork to prick the centre area of the pastry (so it doesn't puff up) and add the whole mixture to the middle and then put on a baking tray and bake for around 25 minutes.
What to serve with mushroom tartlets
These are meant to be served as party food, but if you wanted to serve them up as a meal with a few side dishes, then we have you covered. There mushroom tartlets go perfectly with the following:
- Garlic Spring Greens
- Roasted Tenderstem Broccoli
- Easy Hasselback Potatoes
- Celeriac Chips
- Crispy Garlic Smashed Potatoes
- Little Gem Salad
- French Fries with our Homemade French Fry Seasoning.
- Air Fryer Carrots
- Roasted Lemon Asparagus
Frequently Asked Questions
Mushrooms have lots of health benefits which have been discussed above. However these are quite high in calories due to the puff pastry and stilton, so portion control is key. However, you could lower the calories and fat by using reduced fat cheddar. Use a mature cheddar, as the strong flavour means that you can use less of it. Add some extra vegetables to give it a nutritional boost too.
We prefer to eat these warm, or just cooled, rather than cold from the fridge. So whilst we wouldn't recommend completely cooking them and putting in the fridge until ready to serve (although you can), you can make the mushroom mixture before and store it in the fridge until you are ready to make up the mushroom tartlets.
These are best eaten straight after cooking, however if you do have leftovers (this has never happened at any of our parties, in fact, I often have to make more), then they can be stored in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Yes, these freeze really well. We individually wrap them and then put them in a freezer bag and they keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Make sure they are fully defrosted and then you can put them in the oven for 5 minutes, until the cheese melts again and they are heated through. You can also put them in the microwave for 30 seconds.
If you use gluten free puff pastry and make sure that there is no cross contamination, then these can be gluten free.
Extra tips
- We have used a full 375g pack of puff pastry in the recipe, however you won't need to use all of it as you trim some of it off. The nutritional information reflects this.
- We recommend getting the puff pastry out of the fridge for 10 minutes before using, just so it doesn't crack. However, don't get it out of the fridge for more than 30 minutes before you are going to use it, as it becomes very soft and difficult to handle.
- Make sure to chop the mushrooms fairly small, so they can pack neatly in to the puff pastry cuts. Save time by chopping them all in a food processor, or even grating them. They don't need perfect shapes, as they all shrink when cooking anyway.
- You don't even need to use a muffin tin for these. You could just put the circles of pastry on a lined baking tray and then add a spoonful of the mushroom mixture, leaving a boarder. These will still puff up to be little tartlets, they just won't be cups like in our photos.
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DON’T FORGET TO RATE THE RECIPE ↓
Recipe
Easy Mushroom Tartlets
Ingredients
- 375 g puff pastry
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion thinly sliced
- 2 garlic cloves crushed
- 230 g mixed mushrooms sliced
- 3 g fresh thyme leaves only
- 80 g Stilton cheese crumbled
- 1 pinch sea salt and black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas 6. Heat the oil in a pan over a low heat. Add the onions and cook on low for 10 minutes, until golden brown.2 tablespoon olive oil, 1 onion
- Add the mushrooms, garlic, thyme and salt and pepper. Cook for a further 5 minutes.2 garlic cloves, 230 g mixed mushrooms, 3 g fresh thyme, 1 pinch sea salt and black pepper
- Cut the pastry into twelve 7.5cm/3in disks. Brush a little oil into a twelve hole muffin tin and press the pastry disks in.375 g puff pastry
- Add two tablespoons of the mushroom mixture to the pastry and brush the edges of the pasty with egg. Crumble over the Stilton.80 g Stilton cheese
- Put in the oven for 15-18 minutes.
Notes
- We have used a full 375g pack of puff pastry in the recipe, however you won't need to use all of it as you trim some of it off. The nutritional information reflects this.
- We recommend getting the puff pastry out of the fridge for 10 minutes before using, just so it doesn't crack. However, don't get it out of the fridge for more than 30 minutes before you are going to use it, as it becomes very soft and difficult to handle.
- Make sure to chop the mushrooms fairly small, so they can pack neatly in to the puff pastry cuts. Save time by chopping them all in a food processor, or even grating them. They don't need perfect shapes, as they all shrink when cooking anyway.
- You don't even need to use a muffin tin for these. You could just put the circles of pastry on a lined baking tray and then add a spoonful of the mushroom mixture, leaving a boarder. These will still puff up to be little tartlets, they just won't be cups like in our photos.
sue
We're big mushroom lovers in this house, so I know these will be a hit. Planning on making them this week!
Tavo
We love blue cheese and mushrooms. This looks like the perfect party food. The tartlets look so flaky and yummy!
Danielle Wolter
I just loooooove mushrooms! These tarts were so good and ultra easy to make - thanks!
Heather Perine
These are so pretty and elegant. I'm going to save these to make for a Thanksgiving appetizer! Can't wait to try :)
sonia
these mushroom tartlets are really delicious, all my family enjoyed them