Tomato Pie
I recently offered my grandfather a slice of tomato pie, and he said, “HUH? Tomatoes in a pie?” Turns out, tomato pie is a super Southern thing, and if you were previously unaware, now’s the perfect time to learn all about it. Today’s post is a quick one with a few summer favorites to share with you today, and then we will get to this yummy savory pie!
A New Activity to Consider:
I’m thinking of composting. Do you guys do this already? Now seems like the perfect time to get started, and while researching, I loved this article from GOOP! Send your favorite resources my way if you’re already doing this at home, and check out the article here!
Recipes I’m Dying to Make:
I love a classic PB&J, and this salted PB&J Ice Cream Pie from Bon Appetit looks incredible. A Ritz Cracker crust? Yes, please. I’m also intrigued by this list from FOOD 52 of 11 easy recipes for new home bakers! Tell me all about what you guys are baking at home!
Products I’m Loving:
I love everything from Supergoop, but this sunless tanner with SPF is perfect for these summer days. I usually apply a coat before I head outside and wind up with a nice little glow even after just a few minutes in the sun! I’m also loving my new Chacos. Since I barely get dressed to go anywhere at this point, I basically live in my new sandals, but I’m also super intrigued by their new customizable slides! Check them out here!
Tomato Pie
Here’s what you need to know about tomato pie: It’s cheesy. It’s savory. It’s filling yet refreshing, herbaceous yet creamy, and the whole thing is packed into a delightful buttery crust. I love to serve tomato pie as a lunch or supper option- anywhere you might ordinarily offer a savory tart or quiche. I opted to use a blend of mozzarella (for meltability) and cheddar cheese (for flavor), but a small addition of feta, parmesan, or even asiago would be yummy here too! If you need a shortcut, you can consider doing a refrigerated or frozen store-bought pie crust, but I really love my basic pie dough too much to encourage that. You decide! Give this summer tomato pie a try and let me know what you think! I’ll have another simple recipe for you in less than a week, so stay tuned! Happy Monday, y’all!
If you like this tomato pie you should try:
Tomato Galette
Sausage Kale Pinwheels
Tomato Olive Rolls
Roasted Summer Vegetable Quiche
Tomato Pie
This tomato pie is a butter crust filled with farm-fresh tomatoes, a creamy cheese topping, and loads of flavor!
- Prep Time: 30
- Cook Time: 60
- Total Time: 120
- Yield: 9 Servings
- Category: Main
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 1–3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 5 tablespons chilled solid vegetable shortening, cut into pieces
- 6 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces
- 5 tablespoons (approximately) ice water
- 1 large egg whisked with 1 teaspoon water
For the filling:
- 3 medium tomatoes, sliced 1/8-1/4” thick
- Salt and pepper
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- ½ cup sour cream
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 2 dashes hot sauce
- 1/3 cup chopped onion
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
Instructions
To prepare the crust:
- Whiz the flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor to combine (Note: you can also do this by hand with a pastry cutter!) Pulse in the shortening and butter, just until evenly dispersed in pea-sized clumps. Begin adding ice water 2 tablespoons at a time until moist clumps begin to form. Remove dough from food processor, form it into a flat round disk, and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill in the fridge for at least an hour prior to use.
- When you’re ready to bake the pie, roll the dough out on a well-floured surface into a 1/8-1/4” circle about an inch larger than your pie plate on all sides. Roll the dough loosely back onto the rolling pin and lift it into the pie dish. Gently fit the dough into the pie plate and trim off any excess dough leaving a 1” border around the edge of the dish. Fold the lip of the dough under so that it extends just over the edge of the pie plate and crimp the edges as you prefer. Prick a few holes in the bottom of the dough with a fork and place the whole pan into the freezer to chill briefly, about 15 minutes, or longer if your dough has gotten soft. In the meantime, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- When the oven is preheated, remove the pie plate from the freezer and line the insides of it with a piece of parchment paper. Use either pie weights or dry beans/rice to weigh down the dough and bake for about 15 minutes. After this initial bake, remove the pie weights, brush the entire crust with a thin layer of egg wash (the egg whisked with water), and bake for an additional 5 minutes or until set. In the meantime, prepare your filling.
To prepare the filling:
- First, prepare the tomatoes. To remove excess liquid, sprinkle the sliced tomatoes with 1-1/2 teaspoons salt and layer them in a colander with sheets of paper towel. You can gently press down on the towels every so often to squeeze out excess juices. Do this for about 10 minutes.
- In a separate bowl, combine the cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, and hot sauce. Stir and set aside.
- Once your pie crust is par-baked, sprinkle the onions on the bottom of the crust, and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle on a bit of salt and pepper. Begin to add the drained tomatoes in layers covering the bottom of the crust, sprinkling in salt, pepper, and the Italian seasoning as you go. I used about 1 teaspoon of salt and ½ teaspoon pepper total. Your tomatoes should fill up to about 1” below the lip of the pie crust. Spread the cheese mixture on top and place in the preheated oven to continue baking until the crust is golden and the insides are bubbling throughout about 30 minutes. Remove the pan and allow it to cool completely prior to cutting and serving warmed.
