Tomato Pie has become one of my favorite summer dishes! Fresh tomatoes layered over cheese and mayo filling make this an easy, but a scrumptious meal that I will be making as long as summer lasts, and I am hoping it lasts a lot longer! Take the pie a step further by making my Tomato and Corn Pie.
Tomato Pie
This classic tomato pie recipe is a keeper. The layer of cheeses over heirloom tomatoes makes for a perfect meal you have to try before summer is gone! Use your remaining heirloom tomatoes for my Tomato Galette.
Tomato Pie Ingredients
Heirloom tomatoes: Heirloom tomatoes are tomatoes that use seeds that have been passed down from generation to generation. They are a bit heavier than other tomatoes, and they come in a variety of colors. They are more expensive because they are not mass-produced, but they are worth purchasing for Tomato Pie. If you can’t find heirloom tomatoes, Roma tomatoes would work as well.
Pie shell: No need to bake the pie shell ahead of time. It will all bake together after you layer the tomatoes and cheese mixture. But, I would be all for you making your own pie crust if you so desired! I have a no-fail pie crust recipe that works for pies, hot or cold!
Cheeses: I chose to use a mixture of mozzarella, cheddar, and parmesan for this recipe. Feel free to use whichever cheeses are your favorite!
Mayonnaise: Whichever brand is your favorite will work great here, or you can make your own homemade mayonnaise!
How to Avoid Soupy Pie (DO NOT SKIP)
It is important to get as much moisture out of your tomatoes before baking. If too much is left behind, your Tomato Pie may get soggy, and we don’t want that! Here is a quick step-by-step process you can follow. Whatever you do, DO NOT skip this step! If you don’t dry the tomatoes your pie will be mushy!
- Slice the Heirloom tomatoes no more than 1/4 inch thick.
- Line a baking sheet with paper towels.
- Season the tomatoes with salt. This will help remove any extra liquid from your tomatoes, and enhance the flavor!
- Place the salted tomatoes on the paper towels to let the salt work its magic and pull out any extra liquid from the tomatoes.
- After 20-30 minutes, (or up to 8 hours) blot the tomatoes with dry paper towels. They are now ready to use for the pie!
How to Make Tomato Pie
You are going to see how easy Tomato Pie is to make. You don’t even have to bake the pie crust ahead of time! Bonus, I know! To get started, preheat the oven to 350°F. You should have your tomatoes ‘salting’ right now since they need 20-30 minutes to prepare. After the tomatoes are laid out and the oven is preheating, use a medium-sized bowl to combine the mozzarella, cheddar, and parmesan cheeses. Then, add the mayo, garlic powder, oregano, salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper to the cheeses. This is your flavorful pie filling if you will.
Place your pie crust in a 9-inch pie pan and start layering! First, take a 1 cup scoop of your cheese/mayo mixture and spread it over the bottom of the pie crust. Next, add your tomato slices, basil, and onion. Finish it off with the rest of your cheese/mayo mixture, add some salt and pepper, and bake for 35-40 minutes. Tomato Pie is best served warm, and if you do happen to have any leftovers, put it in the refrigerator to eat cold the next day!
Can I Add Meat to Tomato Pie?
There is always someone in the group that does not consider a meatless dish a ‘real meal’. Well, to satisfy this request, simply add bacon to the mix. Cook about 4 slices of bacon and crumble it into pieces to add to the cheese and mayo mixture. Complete the meal with a fresh garden salad or my grilled corn on the cob.
How to Store and Freeze Tomato Pie
Tomato pie is best eaten the same day you bake it. The longer those juicy tomatoes sit in the crust, the less crisp the crust will be. If you would like to refrigerate, place cover the tomato pie with foil and refrigerate for up to 2 days.
To freeze tomato pie, make sure the pie is completely cooled. (The next step is optional) Place in the freezer for about 30 minutes. Remove pie from the freezer and cover with foil. Place into a freezer-safe sealable plastic storage bag. Be sure to label and date.It should last 6 months. To reheat, set oven to 350° and bake for approximately 5-10 minutes.
Dinner Ideas
Tomato Pie
Ingredients
- 4 large heirloom tomatoes, sliced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 10 fresh basil leaves, chopped
- ½ cup green onion, chopped
- 1 9-inch pie shell, unbaked
- 1 ½ cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 1 ½ cup cheddar cheese, shredded
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese, grated
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoons dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F.
- Lay sliced tomatoes out on a baking sheet lined with paper towels. Sprinkle with salt and allow them to sit at room temperature for 20-30 minutes.*
- In a medium bowl, combine mozzarella, cheddar, parmesan, mayonnaise, garlic powder, oregano, salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper.
- Scoop 1 cup of the mixture into the pie shell. Spread to cover the bottom of the pie shell.
- Layer the tomato slices, basil, and onion on top of the mayo mixture. Season with salt and pepper.
- Spread the remaining mayo mixture on top of the tomatoes and bake for 35-40 minutes or until lightly browned.
- To serve, cut into slices and serve warm.
Notes
- Slice the Heirloom tomatoes no more than 1/4 inch thick.
- Line a baking sheet with paper towels.
- Season the tomatoes with salt. This will help remove any extra liquid from your tomatoes, and enhance the flavor!
- Place the salted tomatoes on the paper towels to let the salt work its magic and pull out any extra liquid from the tomatoes.
- After 20-30 minutes, (or up to 8 hours) blot the tomatoes with dry paper towels. They are now ready to use for the pie!
Did you make this recipe?
You can tag me at @iamhomesteader.
OMG! So good and easy!
The taste is delicious! I unfortunately missed the step where it says to let sit up to 8hrs. We only let it sit 30 minutes and it was soupy. I will definitely try this again!
Made this tonight and it was delicious!! I made it as a side dish but can easily be a meal itself!! Will definitely be making this again!!
I made this and it was total water and soupy. I feel that maybe there should have been some flour put into the mix so when it’s baked it wouldn’t turn into soup…what else would you get when you’re melting mayonnaise and cheese but soup?
Oh no, sorry. That happens when the tomatoes are not prepared correctly, i.e. drying them.
This was absolutely wonderful.
Don’t skip removing the liquid from the tomatoes. Did it for 45 minutes. Covered top with paper towels to absorb more and patted each dry before put into pie crust.
Only used 2- 1/2 large tomatoes.
Use a pie ring or aluminium foil to cover edge of crust, so doesn’t get too brown!
My mother’s recipe calls for mixing all ingredients together and bake for 2 hrs. Tomatoes diced. Has anyone ever tried it this way?
Nice flavours, was nicer cold with salad.
Made this today, but I guess I didn’t get enough water out of tomatoes. It was soggy and runny, but the taste was very good. I’ll know next time!
I pre bake the pie shell for 10 min and cook.
Sounds delicious