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A savory summertime Tomato Pie made by layering tomatoes slices, basil onion and a cheese spread into a pie crust and baking it until golden and bubbly. This is the perfect recipe for using up your excess fresh garden tomatoes!
I don't have my own garden to care for (it's still on my bucket list), but every summer I like to go to Farmer's markets and buy a big box of fresh tomatoes. I'll make a big batch of our favorite homemade salsa and I usually end up canning tomatoes and making this amazing tomato pie!
If you've never tried tomato pie, you absolutely have to! It's a southern dish that is one of my favorites–especially when it's made with fresh garden tomatoes.
How to make Tomato Pie:
Start by pre-baking your pie shell for a few minutes. I highly suggest using a homemade pie crust for this recipe, not just because it tastes better, but because it will not brown as quickly as a store-bought crust.
I make this recipe for perfect pie crust, and I follow the instructions at the bottom of the post for blind baking the crust by putting parchment paper and pie weights down on the pie crust and baking for just 15-20 minutes. (If using a store-bought crust, only bake for a few minutes, and probably even less than instructed on the package. Store-bought crusts are thinner and will brown faster.) Then I continue with this recipe.
I think roma tomatoes work best for this recipe, but you can use any tomatoes you have on hand.
While the crust is pre-baking, slice the tomatoes into thin slices and lay them in a single layer in the colander. Sprinkle salt over the tomatoes to help bring out their liquid, and let them rest for 10 minutes.
Use a paper towel to blot the excess juice out. This step is really important if you don't want to end up with a soggy tomato pie.
Make the cheese topping by combining the mayonnaise or plain Greek yogurt, cheddar cheese and mozzarella.
Layer the tomato slices into the bottom of your pre-baked pie shell. Chop your basil and green onions and sprinkle them over the tomatoes. Smooth the cheese mixture onto the top of the pie, and then it's ready to bake! Bake the tomato pie for 30 minutes or until it is lightly browned!
Be sure to allow the pie at least 15-20 minutes to cool off before you cut into it. The longer it rests, the most it well set up and it will be easier to serve.
I've found that tomato pie is best served fresh, but you can store the leftovers covered, in the fridge.
What kind of tomatoes should I use for tomato pie?
To make tomato pie, I recommend using Roma tomatoes. Roma tomatoes are a more firm tomato that are not as juicy and don't contain as much liquid as other tomatoes. This is important because if your tomatoes contain a lot of liquid, they can cause your crust to get soggy. That being said, you can be successful making this recipe with any type of garden tomato.
Can you freeze tomato pie?
While freezing tomato pie is possible, I would have to discourage you from doing this. The tomatoes make the crust soggy and the topping on this recipe contains mayonnaise, which doesn't freeze well. However, you can use a frozen pie crust to make tomato pie! See my perfect pie crust recipe for tips for freezing and blind-baking (pre-baking) your pie crust!
Looking for more tomato recipes? Consider trying these tomato based recipes:
- Tomato Basil Mozzarella Toasts
- Tomato Basil Chicken Pasta
- Creamy Tomato and Spinach Tortellini Soup
- How to Make Canned Tomatoes
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Tomato Pie
Equipment
Ingredients
- 5 roma tomatoes, , peeled and sliced
- 10 fresh basil leaves, , chopped
- 1/2 cup green onion, (or red onion), chopped
- 1 9-inch pre-baked pie crust
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 cup freshly shredded cheddar cheese
- 3/4 cup mayonnaise, (or half mayo, half Greek yogurt)
- 2 Tablespoons freshly grated parmesan cheese
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Place the tomatoes in a colander in the sink in a single layer. Sprinkle with salt and allow them to rest for 10 minutes.
- Use a paper towel to pat-dry the tomatoes and make sure most of the excess juice is out. (You don't want wet (juicy) tomatoes or your pie will turn out soggy).
- Layer the tomato slices, basil, and onion in pre-baked pie shell (see my note above in the post about how I prepare the pie crust.) Season with salt and pepper.
- Combine the grated cheeses and mayonnaise or Greek yogurt together.
- Spread mixture on top of the tomatoes and sprinkle parmesan cheese on top.
- Bake for 30 minutes or until lightly browned. Allow to rest for at least 15 minutes before cutting and serving.
- You might also like, Garden Vegetable Pie.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Have you tried this recipe?!
RATE and COMMENT below! I would love to hear your experience.
I originally shared this recipe in July 2014. Updated July 2018.
LOVE this recipe! The first bite took me back to baking tomato pies in the kitchen with my mama, grandmother, and great-grandmother.
I have made this tomato pie about 6 times this summer. OMG!!! It is absolutely delicious. I have shared them with family, friends and neighbors and everyone raved about how good they were. I have given out many copies of the recipe!!!
can you use a pizza type crust? If so, how?
Sure, but in that case I’d suggest just making it into a pizza with the spreadable cheesy layer as the base then tomatoes, basil, onion, and cheese sprinkled on top. Pre-bake the crust for 5 minutes before adding toppings. Bake at 425 until cheese is warm and bubbly. https://tastesbetterfromscratch.com/perfect-pizza-crust/
We loved this tomato pie! I made it exactly according to the recipe the first time. Delish. Second time, I added crumbled bacon on top of the tomato layer. Also delish! Last night, made it with leftover grilled chicken that I shredded and put under the tomato layer. Delish! My takeaway from this is: don’t be afraid to play with this recipe a bit (baby spinach leaves?) and draining the tomatoes is key! Enjoy!
Looks delicious will try this
This is the best tomato pie recipe I have ever made. Love using 1/2 Mayo & 1/2 plain Greek yogurt.
I made the garden vegetable pie and it was delicious ❤❤❤❤
I made this tomato pie and I thought it was pretty good, better than me driving 3 hrs each way to eat my favorite tomato pie in Portland Oregon. Thanks for sharing. Draining the tomatoes is KEY.
Made it with mayo might be better with 1/2 Greek yogurt
My family loved this tomato pie! I think the only thing I might do differently would be to add some bacon. Thanks for the recipe!
It wasn’t anything like my favorite tomato pie but it was ok. It’s hard when you’re competing against my mom’s
True. How is your mom’s better?? what is the secret ingredient (yes, love is one).
This is the first recipe I have made from this site. I was EXTREMELY nervous to use that much mayo and cheese even with the greek yogurt substitute. I used a store bought gluten free crust. The whole thing turned out AMAZING! The three of us ate loved it and ate ourselves silly. Each adult ate 1/4 of a pie plus we had potlikker greens on the side and it was a complete meal. I saved all the tomato juice thinking a bloody mary was in our future but my husband added it to his pie/greens and that was delicious too. One thing we did different: I put all the tomatoes on the grill. That got the peel off and concentrated them a bit. Slicing them was uneven and messy which scared me, but honestly it turned out super amazing. We will definitely made this dish again. Thank you!
I’m so happy you found me and enjoyed the pie. Thanks for useful your input!