Savory agretti tart baked or in the air fryer. Short on time but craving something tasty? This savory tart is the solution. “Minimal spend, ready in a snap, disappears in a second!”

If you’re looking for a dish that smells like spring but stays light, this Agretti Savory Tart baked (or in the air fryer)

Here is the final answer.
We focus on softness thanks to a secret ingredient, ricotta, which makes it tall, fluffy and almost soufflé-like.

The star is agretti (also called “barba di frate”), with its slightly tangy, mineral flavor, enhanced by the sweetness of a just-sweated green onion.

The secret of this version? Adding Gruyère cubes for an irresistible melty center and a special trick for super-crispy edges.

It’s the perfect recipe for a quick lunch, a picnic or a gourmet office lunchbox.

If you’ve never tried agretti, this is the right chance to fall in love with them, not just for their mineral and slightly tart flavor, but for the amazing boost of well-being they give to our body.

Agretti are champions of detox: made of almost 90% water, they are a natural ally for the kidneys and help reduce bloating after winter.

But that’s not all! They are a mine of fiber, potassium and vitamins (A, B and C), with a very low calorie content (only 17-20 kcal per 100 g).

It’s the perfect recipe for anyone who wants to get back in shape without giving up the pleasure of a tasty, complete dish.

Let’s discover together how to prepare it!

Difficulty: Easy
Cost: Budget-friendly
Preparation time: 15 Minutes
Cooking time: 30 Minutes
Portions: 4People
Cooking methods: Electric oven, Air fryer
Cuisine: Italian
Seasonality: Spring

Ingredients

Savory agretti tart baked or in the air fryer

1 puff pastry (round)
2 bunches agretti (about 1.1 lb whole (approx. 500 g) · about 12–14 oz cleaned (350–400 g))
3 eggs
1 cup ricotta (well drained (about 9 oz – 250 g))
1.8 oz emmentaler (or a Galbanino-type cheese cut into cubes (about 50 g))
1 green onion (or leek/shallot)
tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
to taste salt
to taste pepper
to taste extra virgin olive oil (for brushing the edges)

Tools

1 Baking Dish
Pan
Pot
Colander
Bowl
Air Fryers

Steps

Savory agretti tart baked or in the air fryer

Clean the agretti: remove the red root end and wash them repeatedly under running water to remove any dirt.
Blanch them in lightly salted boiling water and cook for 5 minutes. Drain and immediately rinse under cold water to fix the bright green color.
Important: squeeze them well with your hands to remove excess water and roughly chop.
Thinly slice the green onion and sweat it in a nonstick pan with a drizzle of oil and one tablespoon of water for 2-3 minutes. It should become tender and translucent, not browned.
In a large bowl, break the eggs and beat them lightly with a fork.
Add the ricotta and work the mixture until you obtain a smooth cream (a few small ricotta lumps are normal and will make the tart even more pleasant to bite).

Stir in the grated cheese, a pinch of salt (don’t overdo it, cheese is already salty) and a generous grind of black pepper.
When the mixture is smooth, add the agretti and the Gruyère cubes.
Mix quickly: the cheese cubes should be distributed everywhere.
Lay the puff pastry into the pan (keeping its parchment paper underneath).
Prick the bottom with a fork and pour in the filling.
Fold the pastry edges inward to create a rustic rim.
Take a kitchen brush and brush a drizzle of EVOO on the pastry edges.
This small gesture will make them incredibly crispy and fragrant while baking.
Oven baking.
Mode: Static or Convection.
Temperature: * 392°F if the oven is static. 356°F if the oven is convection.
Time: 30-35 minutes.
Placement: Put the baking dish on the lower-middle rack of the oven for the first 20 minutes (so the base cooks well), then move it to the center for the last 10-15 minutes to brown the rim.
Air fryer cooking
Perfect for those short on time: the circulating air makes the pastry extremely crispy in about half the time.
Temperature: 338°F (do not go higher, otherwise the pastry will burn outside and stay raw inside).
Time: 18-22 minutes.
Preheat the air fryer for 3 minutes.
Insert the 9.5-inch baking dish into the basket.
Halfway through cooking (after about 10 minutes), check the browning: if the edges are getting too dark, you can cover them with a little foil and continue.
Even though it’s a savory tart, you can insert a skewer in the center: if it comes out clean and the egg/ricotta mixture no longer “wobbles”, it’s ready!
Let it rest 5-10 minutes: the Gruyère will settle and the ricotta will firm up, allowing you to cut perfect slices.
Enjoy your meal.

Tips

My secret for a super crunchy crust?

For a lighter version, use a kitchen brush and lightly brush EVOO on the tart edges before baking. You’ll get a perfect golden color and a much flakier texture compared to the classic egg wash, while keeping it much lighter and easier to digest. Try it to believe it!

The pan: For these quantities, use a round pan of 9.5 in diameter. This way you’ll get the inviting thickness you see in my photo.

If the ricotta is very watery, let it drain a little in a colander before adding it to the eggs: this will prevent the tart from releasing liquids during baking.

Notes

One fundamental tip: watch the cooking!
Remember that the times I indicate are purely indicative. Every oven and every air fryer has its own timings and power.
Do the skewer test: Just like with cakes, if the skewer comes out dry the center is cooked.
Check the browning: If the surface seems ready but the inside is still soft, slightly lower the temperature or cover with a sheet of aluminum foil.
Trust your eye and your oven: the tart will be ready when it looks puffed, golden and firm to the touch!

Shopping advice

When buying them, check that the stalk is firm, a bright green and that the soil at the base is still slightly damp. If the tips are yellowed or limp, better skip them!

How to clean agretti (without going crazy!)

Here are my 3 lifesaving steps:
Don’t clean them strand by strand! Take the whole bunch as it is (still tied with the elastic, if present) and place it on the cutting board. With a sharp knife, make a clean cut at the base, removing in one go all the red roots and the hardest, soil-covered part.
The “Settling” Bath: Put the agretti in a large basin with cold water and a pinch of baking soda. Let them rest for 10 minutes: the dirt will settle to the bottom on its own.
Lift the agretti with your hands (do not drain the water directly, or the dirt will rise again!) and move them to a colander. Rinse them one last time under fresh running water.

Tips for other recipes

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