A favorite in the American South, tomato pie is a thrifty and delicious casserole style dish wrapped up in a buttery pie crust. My Southern American style tomato pie recipe is creamy and cheesy without the dreaded soggy bottom. Make the most of your harvest and make this yummy dish that tastes like an Italian pizza dressed up as a pie.
Why This Recipe Works
If you’ve ever had a simple Margherita Pizza, you know how delicious softened chunky tomatoes are when combined with cheese and carbs. Here I offer an enthusiastic shout-out to the Americans who opted to use pie crust over pizza dough to make this tasty creation.
I don’t know about you, but any excuse to use a batch of my Homemade Pie Crust is a reason for celebration. While pies are often seen as a vehicle for dessert fillings, this delicious tomato pie recipe will challenge your pre-existing assumptions. The flaky, buttery crust offers a wonderful textural contrast with the cheesy tomato filling.
My recipe is not the conventional Southern method for making classic tomato pie. I sauté the tomatoes and add them as a filling rather than using fresh, uncooked tomatoes. If you’re more inclined to use your oven rather than the stovetop, you can also opt to roast the tomatoes instead.
Not only will either option help to evaporate away some of the excess moisture from the fruit, it will also enhance the sweetness and umami quality of tomatoes. While it takes a small bit of extra effort, this added step ensures a beautifully cooked, golden brown crust that is far from soggy.
The rest of the pie is made in the traditional American manner. Cheese and mayonnaise combine with the succulent tomatoes, fresh basil and punchy scallions for a delectable dinner that is both bright and unctuous, celebrating everything I love most about summer’s favorite bounty.
How to make Tomato Pie
Making Tomato Filling
1. Rinse and chop 6 medium-large tomatoes (500 grams) in 1 to 1.5 inch cubes. Set aside.
2. In a skillet or frying pan, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil. Keep the heat to low or medium-low and add ½ teaspoon finely chopped garlic and ¼ cup sliced scallion whites. Sauté for a minute.
3. Add the chopped tomatoes, ½ teaspoon sugar, ¼ teaspoon crushed black pepper and ½ teaspoon salt, adjusting the seasonings to your taste.
4. Mix very well.
5. Increase the heat to high or medium-high and begin to sauté the tomatoes. Initially, the tomatoes will release a lot of juice, but continue to sauté and the liquid will slowly evaporate.
6. Sauté until the juices are mostly evaporated. You’ll know the sauce is ready when you move a spoon from the center of the pan and can see a clear bottom without any juices.
7. For some added flavor, I like to add ½ teaspoon red chili flakes, ½ teaspoon dried oregano and 1 teaspoon red wine. Both red chili flakes and red wine are optional, but they offer a ton of flavor. In place of red chili flakes you can sub ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper.
TIP: Are you worried about alcohol? Don’t be! The heat will evaporate all of the alcohol from the wine as you cook the filling, leaving you with nothing but flavor.
8. Stir and deglaze, scraping up any bits that have stuck to the bottom of the pan.
TIP: If you opt not to use wine, you can deglaze with just a teaspoon of water instead. It will not offer the same flavor or acidity as the wine, but will do the trick of removing any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
9. Lastly, add ¼ cup chopped scallion greens and 3 tablespoons chopped basil. Mix well and switch off the heat. Let this tomato filling cool. If you do not have fresh basil, then substitute 2 to 3 teaspoons of dried basil instead.
Making Mayo Filling
10. In a mixing bowl, add ½ cup Mayonnaise (Eggless), ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese, ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese.
11. Mix thoroughly and set aside.
Par Baking Pie Crust
12. Take 450 grams pie dough or one 9 inch unbaked pastry shell. Here I have used my homemade All Butter Pie Crust. Roll the pie crust to an even 0.5 to 1 mm thickness. Place the rolled crust on a 9 or 10 inch pie pan.
13. Trim the edges, then shape and flute to your liking. Puncture the crust with a fork on the sides and the top – this will allow steam to escape during the baking and result in a smooth even baked crust. Cover with a kitchen towel or cling film and refrigerate for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 190 degrees (375 degrees Fahrenheit) for 15 minutes.
14. Par bake the pie for 10 to 15 minutes. You do not need to bake it completely. This is sometimes referred to as “blind baking,” and ensures that the crust will cook completely once the filling is added and later baked.
Assembling the Tomato Pie
15. Remove and let the crust cool to room temperature. Then top the par baked crust with ⅓ cup shredded cheddar cheese.
16. Add the prepared tomato filling and spread it evenly.
17. Next top with ⅓ cup shredded mozzarella cheese.
18. Using a spoon, dollop the mayo filling all over. Gently spread the filling out to the edges using a small silicone spatula, an offset spatula, or even the back of a spoon.
19. Lastly, sprinkle ¼ cup grated vegetarian parmesan and 2 to 3 pinches of white or black pepper.
Baking Southern Tomato Pie
20. Bake at 190 degrees Celsius (375 degrees Fahrenheit) for 30 to 35 minutes until the edges and sides of the crust are golden.
TIP: For a crisp bottom, keep the pan close to the bottom heating element. I’d recommend moving your oven rack to the bottom third of the oven.
21. Remove and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Don’t rush this step! Like Lasagna, this tomato pie needs time to rest so the filling can reabsorb any juices and you can get nice, clean and even pieces.
22. Serve hot and garnish with something green. I personally love chopped parsley, basil, scallion greens, cilantro or chives. Enjoy!
