Tomato Pie

A summertime favorite, savory TOMATO PIE with juicy layers of fresh tomatoes, a cheese-mayo mixture topped with bacon, and mozzarella cheese. Serve this flaky, filling, and wonderfully delicious homemade pie either warm or cold as an irresistible brunch or dinner side dish.

For some of you here, you probably remember how long I have wanted a garden of my own to take care of. Coz honestly, there’s nothing quite like the taste of freshly-picked juicy tomatoes from your backyard. It’s LITERALLY the fruit of your hard labor and patience. 

Well, I may have not one YET, but luckily, I have a neighbor that not only is a fan of gardening but is also incredibly generous. You should have seen the joy on my face when she brought these fresh heirloom tomatoes to my doorsteps. ❤️ And the first thing that I made was a chunky tomato salsa and now this savory delicious homemade Southern Tomato Pie.

What is Tomato Pie?

If you’ve never made a tomato pie before, you have to schedule a baking session for it. Grown-ups and as well as kids love this. Just think of pizza served in a light flaky pie crust. Same usual pizza ingredients like cheeses, tomatoes, and cheeses (wait, did I just say that?) and a whole lot of other simple ingredients all stuffed in a golden-brown flaky crust. Pretty crazy, huh?

What Kind of Tomatoes Should I Use for Tomato Pie?

Although access to cooking ingredients are quite limited during these times, whenever you can, I highly suggest that you choose heirloom tomatoes for this recipe. It has the most tomato-like taste of all the tomato varieties and they look visually appealing. But if you can’t have easy access to them, Roma tomatoes are also fine

(P.S. Just don’t skip salting the tomato part as it helps draw out the moisture to avoid a soggy crust.)

Recipe Variations

Considering our situation right now, you can tweak this recipe a bit to suit your preference. Here are just a few suggestions that you can make for this homemade pie.

• Any tomatoes will actually work as long as they’re fresh and juicy, but you may need fewer or more tomatoes depending on the size.
• Don’t have creole seasoning? Try making your own mix at home using my recipe HERE.
• Feel free to sprinkle the top of the pie with crushed crackers for that nice crusty top.
• Or if you want that bubbly cheesy top, add more mozzarella cheese.
• Throw in some spinach or kale into the mix, if you want to.
• Adding some corn kernels is a great idea, too.

Make-Ahead and Storage

For those who want to save time by meal prepping, you can absolutely make this tomato pie ahead of time. You can assemble it in the morning, place in the fridge, and pop it in the oven in the evening to avoid heating up the house during the day.

Can You Freeze Tomato Pie?

While some have tried freezing this pie here, I highly discouraged you from doing that as the tomatoes make the crust soggy over time. And it also contains mayonnaise which isn’t that freezer-friendly.

What to Serve with Tomato Pie?

You can serve this pie for Meatless Mondays, or prepare it for brunch. But I do love to pair this with a salad (like this Panzanella Salad ) or go Southern-style all the way with this Southern Fried Chicken, corn on the cobb, Cucumber Tomato Salad, and a pitcher of ice-cold Southern Sweet Tea.

Other Tomato Recipes To Try

• Tomato Basil Soup
• Bruschetta
• Easy Homemade Pizza Sauce

 

How To Make Tomato Pie

 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Core tomatoes, and then slice about 1/8 inch off of tops and bottoms of each tomato. Slice tomatoes into about ¼-inch-thick slices. Line a baking sheet with a few layers of paper towels, then place sliced tomatoes on the paper towel. Salt tomatoes and set aside. Line the bottom of the pie crust with parchment paper and add dried beans on top. The beans will ensure that the bottom of the crust does not rise. Bake for about 8-10 minutes in the preheated oven, remove from the oven and let it cool. You do not want the pie crust to be too brown. Remove and set aside.

In a large heavy sauté pan, sauté chopped bacon until brown and crispy about 5-6 minutes. Remove from pan and transfer to a paper towel to drain. In a small mixing bowl, mix parmesan cheese, mayonnaise, lemon juice, thyme, and creole seasoning. salt and pepper. 

Layer half of the tomatoes on the bottom of the crust, using an offset spatula or rubber spatula, spread the cheese mixture evenly across the tomatoes, then add bacon and mozzarella cheese. Place reserved tomato slices on top of the cheese mixture. Sprinkle the top of the pie with crushed crackers, if desired. Reduce heat to 350 degrees F and bake for about 35-40 minutes longer or until edges are golden brown and tomatoes are softened. If the pie crust starts over-browning, cover edges with aluminum foil. Allow pie to cool 20 minutes before serving. Garnish with basil, if desired. Use a very sharp knife to ensure nice clean slices.