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
You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST for more great recipes!
Recipe
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
Create a FREE Account to save your favorite recipes and create meal plans
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.
This post contains affiliate links.
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!!!
It sounds like an easy one to bake, and maybe delicious, I want to bake it Saturday
tomato pie is wonderful!
My husband loved this, it was delicious
We love this recipe my granddaughter was helping me out today and she made this for us. We had to cook it a little longer until it was sort of brown on top and came out delicious. We might play with the recipe just for fun by adding a more sharp cheese or more basil. We asked her not to peel the tomatoes, and that was not at all a problem and we used a store-bought roll out piecrust. It was fabulous.
This is my favorite summer recipe. I use different tomatoes but judge to use the same amount.
Hello, did you peel your tomatoes first? I want to try making this but don’t understand the peeling part. And did you do one layer of the tomato, basil, and then cheese? Or multiple
Thanks!
I made this today and it was wonderful! I used a refrigerated pie crust (not ideal), roma tomatoes (I didn’t peel them), and red onion. The fresh basil added great flavor and the cheese topping browned nicely.
We will make it again, but I will probably make the crust.
I made the pie without the basil, simply because I don’t like basil. Otherwise, I loved the pie. Delicious!
I made the pie without the basil, simply because I don’t like basil. Otherwise, I loved the pie. Delicious!
If you want to prevent sogginess..put a small layer of corn flakes, rice krispies, even corn meal..helps absorb the moisture and blends into the rest.
Not a fan. Turned out soggy. Flavor was good though.
I put a towel on my counter and layer about 4 layers of paper towels, slice my tomatoes up and place them on the towels, salt light
Y and cover with three more layers of paper towels. Let set 30-40 minutes. The. I roll up the towel and tomatoes as if I were making a (pumpkin) roll cake. Unroll, take off top layer of paper towels and put a layer of two on top of the tomatoes again! I gently press again with my hands and roll up again and unroll. Then your tomatoes won’t be soggy! Tomatoes are all water and water makes a pie soggy. It seems like a lot of work, but it comes out perfect! If you have water, next time gently roll and gently squeeze more!
The first one I made was soggy too but I had tried again with success. The trick is to drain the tomatoes a long time like 30 minutes or so and salt them because it will draw out the moisture. Also I sprinkle a thin layer of shredded cheese on the baked crust before adding the tomatoes to give a barrier to prevent sogginess. 🙂
Loved this! I used garden tomatoes instead of romas (not a fan of romas) and it was delicious.
Can you freeze the pie?
This recipe was so easy to make. Mine turned out amazing and I’m happy that you shared your recipe.
Shoukd I peel Roma Tom for tomato pie?
I did not peel the Roma tomatoes and it turned out great.