What is tomato pie?
What is tomato pie? Tomato Pie is one of the simplest summer main dishes you can make, and with ripe, juicy tomatoes at their annual best, this is the time to get one on your table.
It’s a baked piecrust layered with a generous array of thickly-sliced and lightly salted and drained tomatoes.
Next come saltine cracker crumbs (or panko or bread crumbs), mayonnaise, cheddar cheese, and a bouquet of fresh herbs. It’s s snap to stir up and back in 30 minutes’ time, with irresistibly delicious results.
Tomato tips:
Here are tomatoes sprinkled lightly with salt and left to drain off a little of their juice. This keeps the pie from being soggy on the bottom crust.
Don’t despair — lots of juice remains along with incredible flavor. If you’d rather not drain them like this simply skip this step. Your pie will still be wonderful.
Crust Options for Tomato Pie:
Piecrust options abound! Make your own from flour, salt, butter and cold water; use a frozen crust; or fit a sheet of ready-to-use piecrsut from the refrigerator case. Prebake according to package or recipe directions. Any of these works fine here.
Ingredients for scratch-made crust; frozen ready-to-bake piecrust; and two types of ready to bake pie-dough rounds. Prebake each completely following recipe/box instructions.
What herbs work best?
What’s a good traveler and keeper? Tomato Pie!
Make it ahead, if you can, since it slices best after it’s cooled completely — 2 or 3 hours out of the oven.
Variations
VIDEO TIME!!!
Watch me make this scrumptious and simple-to-prepare main-dish wonder. And check out my YouTube channel while you’re over there 🙂 and consider subscribing!
Luscious Tomato Pie
Simple, juicy, and delicious warm or cold, this people-pleasing summer main course is well worth adding to your repertoire. Vary the fresh herbs and the cheeses to your liking.
Ingredients
- 1 deep-dish 9-inch piecrust, baked and cooled
- 1 ½ - 2 pounds ripe tomatoes
- About 2 teaspoons teaspoons salt, divided
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 1 loosely-packed cup fresh basil leaves
- 2 green onions, finely chopped
- 3 tablespoons fruity and delicious olive oil
- ¾ cup mayonnaise
- 1 ¼ cup grated sharp cheddar cheese, divided
- ½ cup saltine cracker crumbs, or Ritz crackers or panko bread crumbs
- ¼ cup grated cheese, such as Asiago, Grueyre cheese, parmigiano reggiano cheese, or romano cheese
- 1/3 cup finely chopped Italian parsley
Instructions
- Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with paper towels. Core the tomatoes, and slice them crosswise into ¼-inch thick slices. (You will have around 3 cups of sliced tomatoes). Halve each slice and arrange them on paper towels. Sprinkle with about 1 teaspoon of salt and set aside for 10 minutes or longer, to release a little of their juice. Set aside remaining salt with the pepper.
- Coarsely chop basil leaves, and then set aside with the green onions and the olive oil.
- Combine the mayonnaise with 1 cup of the grated cheddar cheese in a medium bowl. Add about half the chopped basil and about ¼ of the chopped green onions. Stir to mix them evenly and well, and then set aside.
- Combine the saltine cracker crumbs with the remaining ¼ cup cheddar cheese, the Asiago cheese, and the Italian parsley. Stir to mix well and set aside.
- Make the pie. Carefully arrange a layer of tomato slices in the bottom of the piecrust, fitting them in nice and snug. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper, and scatter on half the basil and green onion. Sprinkle on half the olive oil. Add another good layer of tomatoes, mounding them up a little in the center. Scatter on the remaining basil and green onions, Season with remaining olive oil, and with salt and pepper as well.
- Spread the mayonnaise-cheese goodness over the tomatoes, covering completely. Crown it with the saltine cracker-cheese-parsley mixture, covering the pie completely.
- Set on a baking sheet and place in the 375 degree F oven. Reduce heat to 350 degrees F, and cook 30 to 40 minutes. Check to make sure the pie is hot, bubbly, cheesey, fairly firm, and nicely browned on top.
- Transfer to a wire rack or a folded kitchen towel and cool. Serve warm or at room temperature.
- Serves 6 to 8
Nutrition Information
Yield 6 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 681Total Fat 53gSaturated Fat 19gTrans Fat 1gUnsaturated Fat 30gCholesterol 76mgSodium 1606mgCarbohydrates 30gFiber 3gSugar 6gProtein 22g
I am having a few friends for lunch this weekend. I want the main dish to be a tomato pie. What should I serve along with it?
I am so sorry to leave your question unanswered! Please forgive me for neglecting your request for menu ideas for your weekend lunch. I hope it was lovely and fun for all. My very late answer is 1) A big green salad, with a bright citrusy dressing: I add toasted chopped pecans and chunks of nectarine or plum or peach this time of year. 2) A cool soup, such as standard gazpacho, or this lovely version made with cantaloupe, cucumbers, and tomatoes in Woman’s Day magazine: https://www.womansday.com/food-recipes/food-drinks/a28797959/end-of-summer-gazpacho-recipe/ . I’ve made it 3 times and it’s lovely to have in the fridge, and perfect for using up the rest of a late summer/early fall cantaloupe. That’s a three part menu which is entirely do-ahead. You could make the tomato pie in the morning or the day before, just being sure to let it come to room temperature before serving time. You can make the soup the same way, make it the day before or the morning of the party. Unlike the pie, it could use a chill, so make it first thing, put in fridge; then the pie and let it cool all morning. Set up the salaD and then toss it in a huge bowl right before serving time. On the side you could have tiny herb biscuits, with sliced ham or with cream cheese and pepper jelly, a little sweet-sour extra. This menu works all summer long and all the way to 9/21, which is first day of fall. And if you can still get melons and tomatoes into October, keep going because it’s a do-ahead, easy on the cook party plan and that’s what we want, right? Thank you for reading and I am so sorry I was slow to reply. Let me know how your lunch went, Emily!
OK Miss N.,
Does this recipe really call for 3 cups of parsley? Or is that a typo? tablespoons perhaps? Hope you are well.
Lots of love,
Scott
Oh my goodness! Of all the comments to miss completely, this is NOT the one! First, I left you, wonderful you, hanging, ignored! And second, I left my recipe with a ridiculous error all the way through tomato season. I am as red as a German Johnson prize winning tomato at the state fair. No, not 3 cups (or even 3 cup). It is 3/4 cup, a hefty amount but NOT an avalanche. Thank you Scott. Now, finally, corrected, in time for next summer! Hope nobody turned green from too much parsley. All the best from NC and hope you are enjoying a gorgeous fall up there.
Nancie, I just picked a bunch of beautiful Indiana tomatoes out if my garden. I have to make this with summers bounty!!!
Judy, this is a day maker, even though I got distracted and did not see it for more than a week! Do you still have tomatoes? Is it time for Green Tomato recipes? I don’t grow them but I still see them in farmers’ markets so maybe you are still in luck. Do you free them or can them or just EAT and Share??? Thank you for reading and for this great comment!
Can’t wait to have this tomato pie! Sounds so good. Thank you!