Savory Pumpkin Phyllo Tartlets

Pumpkin without the sugar and spice. Savory snacks for short days and long nights. Roast your own squash and heat up the kitchen (plus, bonus! pepitas!)

I love it when a plan (doesn’t) come together.

I lie.

I had a vision of what I was going to make with the tiny pumpkins I’ve been growing in the backyard. But then there was almost no flesh and two of the pumpkins were picked too soon and shredding pumpkin is a bitch and spiraling proved equally difficult. So everything got shoved in the oven and roasted instead, including the seeds.

In the interest of transparency I give you two sets of ingredients and instructions. The first is how I actually made these. The second is how I’d make them if I was thorough enough to do it all again.

Savory Pumpkin Phyllo Tartlets: the beta edition

as pictured, makes 12 mini tartlets, 3 film triangles, and one experimental cheesy bite

ingredients

• 6 ounces by weight fresh roasted mini pumpkin including one long spiral when you discovered the spiralizer will not hold a mini pumpkin safely
• the seeds of said pumpkin roasted following this recipe on food.com but using ground ancho for the spice because I like it’s rich color
• half a sweet onion cut into bite size slices
• 1 ounce grated Romano cheese
• some fresh rosemary, minced
• salt, pepper, and paprika to taste
• 1 egg
• four full size sheets #4 phyllo pastry

directions

1. Pick four mini pumpkins, discover two are not actually ripe and turn them in to wee jack o’lanterns – a laborious but oddly satisfying task.
2. Clean and roast the pumpkin seeds at 300F for about 40 minutes (see above)
3. Attempt to grate, then spiralize the pumpkins, curse the gods then chastise yourself for frustration at such a mundane problem, toss the pumpkins and the onion in the oven with the seeds.
4. Realize the seeds are done but the onion and pumpkin need more time so up the temp to 350F and bake for another 15 minutes or so (it might be twenty, watch the GBBO online at this point so caramelization really does seem to take fifteen minutes, time flies when someone else is baking!)
5. Cool squash, scoop squash, combine with onion and egg and cheese. Oh maybe some rosemary?
6. Phyllo! This bit is straight forward enough but if you remember you’ve got a can of spray olive oil in the cupboard you will make it go much faster, yay for you!
7. Up the oven to 350
8. Make the tartlets. Realize there is just a quarter of filling left and make some triangles. Dang, one more tablespoon of filling left. How about some grated romano topped with filling. Genius! Salty!
9. Top with that little spiral bit of pumpkin and some pepitas.
10. Bake all until filling is set and phyllo begins to turn golden brown.
11. Eat warm, garnished with some fresh rosemary. More rosemary! Paprika? The pepitas are pretty but sort of distracting texturally.

notes:

I almost always roast the seeds when using fresh winter squash. Great snack and attractive garnish.

Using a oil mister or spray olive oil to coat the phyllo may create an oily sheen around your work space but it still takes much less time than brushing.

Before roasting if using a thin skinned squash like delicate (Or my mini pumpkins) you can cut a few thin slices to roast as whole rounds and use for garnish when baking.

Savory Pumpkin Phyllo Tartlets

makes approximately 2 dozen mini tartlets

ingredients

• 9 ounces by weight grated/shredded pumpkin  fresh roasted or canned pumpkin- delicata or butternut squash would also work nicely.
• one small or half of a large sweet white onion thinly sliced
• olive oil for tossing with the onions and brushing on the squash before roasting plus more to brush on the phyllo sheets
• 2 ounces grated hard cheese like romano or parmesan
• 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, minced
• approximately 1/2 teaspoon medium hot paprika or ancho chile powder
• 1 egg
• one package full size sheets #4 phyllo pastry

directions

1. If using fresh squash, cut in half and de-seed. 
2. Lightly brush with olive oil and place cut side down on a baking tray. Tossed the sliced onion with about 2 teaspoon olive oil and add to the baking tray. Roast until the squash is soft to the touch and the onions are just beginning to brown. About an hour at 325F. (If roasting the pumpkin seeds, see notes and recipe above)
3. Allow squash and onions to cool. Scoop the squash from its skin and mix with grated cheese, egg, and 2/3s of the rosemary, reserving the rest for garnish.
4. Raise the oven temperature to 375F
5. Prepare the phyllo: layer 8-10 sheets of phyllo pastry, brushing each sheet with olive oil (I like to use a mister instead). Be sure to cover the phyllo dough not in use with a damp cloth so it doesn’t dry out. Cut the layered phyllo into 3-inch squares & place into muffin tins.
6. Fill each cup with 1 tablespoon filling. Top with squash slice (optional) and a sprinkle of paprika.
7. Bake at 375 for 12-18 minutes, until filling is set and phyllo has begun to brown around the edges.
8. Serve warm sprinkles with the remaining fresh rosemary.
9. Can be made ahead and reheated before service (10-15 minutes at 325)

Savory Pumpkin Phyllo Tartlets

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 mins

Cook Time 30 mins

Total Time 40 mins

Course Appetizer, Side Dish

Cuisine Vegetarian

Servings 24 tarts

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 9 ounces by weight grated/shredded pumpkin fresh roasted or canned pumpkin- delicata or butternut squash would also work nicely.
• one small or half of a large sweet white onion thinly sliced
• olive oil for tossing with the onions and brushing on the squash before roasting plus more to brush on the phyllo sheets
• 2 ounces grated hard cheese like romano or parmesan
• 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary minced
• approximately 1/2 teaspoon medium hot paprika or ancho chile powder
• 1 egg
• one package full size sheets #4 phyllo pastry

Instructions

 

• If using fresh squash, cut in half and de-seed.
• Lightly brush with olive oil and place cut side down on a baking tray. Tossed the sliced onion with about 2 teaspoon olive oil and add to the baking tray. Roast until the squash is soft to the touch and the onions are just beginning to brown. About an hour at 325F. (If roasting the pumpkin seeds, see notes and recipe above)
• Allow squash and onions to cool. Scoop the squash from its skin and mix with grated cheese, egg, and 2/3s of the rosemary, reserving the rest for garnish.
• Raise the oven temperature to 375F
• Prepare the phyllo: layer 8-10 sheets of phyllo pastry, brushing each sheet with olive oil (I like to use a mister instead). Be sure to cover the phyllo dough not in use with a damp cloth so it doesn’t dry out. Cut the layered phyllo into 3-inch squares & place into muffin tins.
• Fill each cup with 1 tablespoon filling. Top with squash slice (optional) and a sprinkle of paprika.
• Bake at 375 for 12-18 minutes, until filling is set and phyllo has begun to brown around the edges.
• Serve warm sprinkles with the remaining fresh rosemary.
• Can be made ahead and reheated before service (10-15 minutes at 325)

Notes

I almost always roast the seeds when using fresh winter squash. Great snack and attractive garnish.
Using a oil mister or spray olive oil to coat the phyllo may create an oily sheen around your work space but it still takes much less time than brushing.
Before roasting if using a thin skinned squash like delicate (Or my mini pumpkins) you can cut a few thin slices to roast as whole rounds and use for garnish when baking.

Tried this recipe?Mention @recipefiction or tag #recipefiction!