Would you believe there was a time in my life when I wouldn’t touch a tomato? Crazy, I know. I’ve come to my senses, though, and now tomatoes are right up there with peaches and watermelon as my favorite summer foods.
A couple of summers ago, I was introduced to the wonderfulness that is known in these parts as Tomato Pie. It’s pretty much just what it sounds like. Tomatoes. In pie. Duh. With lots of cheese. And mayo. Southern goodness, my friends. That’s what it is.
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For the last couple of summers, we have purchased a tomato pie or two from this lady at the beach. Alas, this summer, her little shop is closed, so I had to resort to my own devices.
Thank goodness for The Google. Tomato Pie recipes were no problem to find.
My first question, though, was whether to use store-bought crust or try to make one from scratch. Then I remembered that I have two small kids and lots of other things I like to do, so pie crust from scratch was out of the question. I also remembered complimenting the Pie Lady’s crust, and being told that it was Wal-Mart brand. That should have been the point at which I stopped paying $15 for her pies.
I actually went with Harris Teeter brand. I’ve now made 2 of these in the last week. Last night we had it with fresh, local corn on the cob and a nice salad.
Here’s my slightly-lightened recipe. The best tip I can give is to use tomatoes that are pretty ripe. Other than that, I don’t think you can mess this up:
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Tomato Pie
1 deep-dish pie crust
4 ripe tomatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
½ medium onion
10 basil leaves, chopped
1 cup mayo (I used light)
1 cup sharp cheddar (I used light)
1 cup mozzarella (I used part-skim)
-Thaw and pre-bake the pie crust according to package directions.
-After you slice the tomatoes, set them in a colander and allow them to drain for about 10-20 minutes.
-Layer the tomato slices in the pie crust, then top with onion and basil.
-Mix together the mayo and cheese. Spread the mixture over the top of the tomatoes, onion, and basil.
-Bake at 350 about 30 minutes, or until cheese is golden brown on top.
They are so good. I have several recipes, and I think they are all similar to yours. Yum, Yum!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds delicious. I used to not eat tomatoes either. What was wrong with me? Now I love a BLT. I'm gonna put this on my menu for next week. I will probably substitute zucchini or yellow squash for the onion though. I still can't manage to be come an onion fan.
ReplyDeleteI know the lady you are talking about. Her name was Ginny. We were at Pawley's 2 years ago and I also bought her pie. I loved it so much that when I got back home I called her and asked her for the recipe. The only thing different from yours is that she said to mix the mayo with Parmesan cheese, not mozzarella. (1 cup mayo, 1/2 cup parmesan). I also cut that in half. You don't need that much mayo mix. I also saute the onions first. Sad to see her place closed. (Krazy Crab)_
ReplyDeleteHi there,
ReplyDeleteI noticed that you are using my photo of tomato pie. I'm delighted that you like it enough to post it here on your site. I ask that if you would like to continue to use it that you provide attribution (Photo by SimplyRecipes.com) next to the photo with a working link to the source recipe on my site, which is:
http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/tomato_pie/
Thank you so much for your consideration!
Best,
Elise