Fresh Tomato Summer Pie

When summer tomatoes are so prolific you no longer can imagine them in another salad; try this Fresh Tomato Summer Pie. Warm tomato slices are combined with eggs, milk, and cheese before baking in a pie crust. Summer Heaven!

I’ll be honest, I made something very similar to this Fresh Tomato Summer Pie a couple of years ago and my thoughts were to revise it a bit, change the post date and have another go with it but then I had second thoughts. It was so good, why not just reinvent the wheel a bit and keep both wheels?

The original Savory Tomato Pie is barely more than a crust filled with tomatoes and covered with some bread crumbs. As a matter of fact because of that very simplicity it’s not a particularly great pie to serve in any way other than a bowl; it really falls apart.

Don’t let that stop you from making it if you want something super easy though; it still tastes fantastic with warm tomatoes and a crisp crust.

Still, I wanted a bit more. Even though my tomato harvest is pathetic so far (hail, hail and more hail!), I decided to dedicate what little I had to this pie and there are no regrets.

My intent to change it up a bit was twofold; I wanted something a bit more filling and richer yes, but I also thought I had an old recipe in one of my binders that I sort of remembered having back in the ‘olden days’ that was exactly what I was looking for.

Coming to the rescue as it often does, the recipe I was looking for was in my very old, ugly, yellow, cross-stitch designed recipe card binder from the same dear woman who had helped me make my first quiche.

As it turns out, this recipe is now all over the internet but I made a couple of my own changes and though I can’t actually remember that first one so many, many years ago I can say this one is sure good.

I made my favorite crust. Since discovering the amazing texture that results in using lard and butter; it’s hard to have anything else suffice. Good quality rendered lard is not always easy to find but I’ve discovered an online resource and it’s worth having it shipped to you. Seriously this crust is crust nirvana.

Alma’s filling called for a combination of cheddar cheese, mozzarella cheese and mayonnaise. I didn’t have any cheddar but did have some ricotta. Now I can’t imagine it any other way. Instead of layering the cheeses and topping the pie with mayonnaise I decided to mix all three of them together instead and dollop the mixture into two layers with the tomatoes and basil. SO good.

Last but not least, I brought one component of the savory tomato pie mentioned above to this recipe; it’s topped with a cheesy bread crumb mixture and I opted for doing something similar with Panko and Parmesan. Similar yes but absolutely not the same!

If you’ve still got some fresh tomatoes or can acquire some soon; you must do this. I had it for breakfast, lunch and dinner one day and then breakfast the next morning. I mean in lieu of that I do think I could have just sat down and eaten the entire thing…so I really tried hard to pace myself.

While I am already seeing people talk about pumpkin, I’m a stalwart about some things and for me one of them is summer fruits and vegetables. If it’s summer I’m making what’s best about summer…tomatoes, watermelon, corn and peaches. Pumpkin can wait until October, today you should make this amazing Fresh Tomato Summer Pie!

If you love tomatoes like I do you’ll want to make each and every one of these dishes from my friends participating in The Food Network’s #SummerSoiree!

• Feed Me Phoebe: Steamed Clams with Chorizo, Tomatoes and Kale
• The Mediterranean Dish: 10 Fresh Tomato Recipes with a Mediterranean Twist
• The Mom 100: Pasta with Fresh Tomato Sauce
• Homemade Delish: Roasted Tomato and Poblano Salsa
• The Wimpy Vegetarian: Easy Summer Tomato Tart with Artichoke Spread
• The Heritage Cook: Tomato and Cucumber Summer Salad (Gluten-Free)
• Devour: Praise Caprese with 6 Twists on Tomato Salad
• Healthy Eats: How to Use Up Your Last Batch of Fresh Tomatoes
• Creative Culinary: Fresh Tomato Summer Pie (You’re Here!)
• In Jennie’s Kitchen: Classic Caprese Salad
• Napa Farmhouse 1885: Tomato, Peach & Melon Salad
• Taste with the Eyes: For Tomato Lovers Only
• FN Dish: The Best Fresh Tomato Recipes You to Make, Like, Right Now

PIN IT! ‘Fresh Tomato Summer Pie’

Yield: 6-8

Fresh Tomato Summer Pie

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Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Ingredients

• 1 recipe pastry for a single 9-inch pie crust, homemade or store-bought
• 3 tomatoes, thinly sliced
• 2 tsp salt
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
• 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise

For Crumb Topping:

• 1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
• 1 Tbsp butter, melted

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees
2. Press your pie crust into a 9-inch pie pan; prick bottom and sides with fork. Bake the crust in the preheated oven until lightly browned, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from oven and cool completely.
3. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees
4. While the crust is baking, place tomatoes in single layers of a colander; sprinkle each layer with salt. Let sit for about 10 minutes to release moisture. Blot tomatoes gently with paper towels to remove most of the remaining moisture.
5. Arrange 1 layer of tomato slices around the bottom of the cooled pie crust, overlapping the slices. Sprinkle half the garlic and half the basil onto the first layer of tomatoes.
6. Combine the ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese and mayonnaise in a bowl and mix well. Dollop half of the mixture on top of the tomatoes, garlic and basil and gently spread to cover.
7. Repeat layering with remaining tomatoes, garlic, basil and cheese mixture.
8. Combine the Panko crumbs, Parmesan and melted butter and mix well. Sprinkle over the top of the pie.
9. Bake in the 350 degree oven until the cheese mixture is melted and bubbling and the pie crust and topping is a golden brown, about 30 minutes.
10. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Notes

I used my favorite crust with lard and butter but use whatever works for you.

I always keep a supply of Pillsbury crusts in the freezer; sometimes a last minute urge can't be met with a homemade crust and I think the crusts that are rolled and that fit into your own pie pan are the best option for a pre-made crust..

Nutrition Information:

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 249Total Fat: 14gCarbohydrates: 20gProtein: 12g