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A fully baked Cheesy Tomato Pie, with fresh tomatoes and basil strewn around the pie plate.

Cheesy Tomato Pie

A traditional Southern USA dish, this pie celebrates fresh tomatoes and herbs, and with all that cheesy goodness, becomes a dish that you will love as dinner or brunch.
Course Appetizer, brunch, Main Course
Cuisine North American
Keyword baby spinach, basil, cheddar cheese, fresh tomatoes, pie crust
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Servings 8

Ingredients

Pie Crust

  • 1 pie crust homemade or purchased, see Notes for the link to my pastry recipe (you'll also need pie weights, or dried beans, or uncooked rice with parchment paper to blind bake the crust)

Cheesy Tomato Pie

  • 3 lbs fresh tomatoes sliced (about 1/4 inch thick) heirloom or Roma, or Beefsteak will work
  • Kosher salt
  • 4 slices bacon, roughly chopped
  • 1 small yellow onion, finely diced
  • 1/2 cup good quality mayonnaise
  • 1/2 cup cottage cheese, not low or non-fat, whipped, see Notes
  • 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 1/4 tsp dried chili flakes
  • 1 egg
  • 3/4 cup medium Cheddar cheese, shredded
  • 3/4 cup Mozzarella or Fontina cheese, shredded
  • 1/2 cup fresh basil, finely chopped, plus more for garnish
  • 1/2 cup fresh baby spinach, finely chopped
  • 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Par-Bake the Pie Crust

  1. Pre-heat the oven to 425° F. and set a rack in the lower third of the oven.

  2. Roll out the pastry on a well floured surface. Place the pie pastry in the pie dish and crimp as desired. Dock the bottom with a fork. Line the pie with parchment paper and fill with weights, or dried beans. Bake for 20 minutes, or until golden and mostly dried out.

Prepare Tomatoes

  1. While the shell is baking, layer one (or two, if needed) baking sheets with paper towels. Place the sliced tomatoes on the paper towels and sprinkle salt over the slices.
  2. Remove the pie shell from the oven, and remove the parchment paper and weights. Let cool completely on a wire rack.
  3. Reduce the oven to 350° F.

  4. On one or two baking sheets set with a wire rack on top, lay out all but 3 of the tomatoes (set these aside on a plate) and roast in the centre of the oven for 40 to 45 minutes. They should be drying out nicely and the aroma will be getting intense. Set the baking sheets with the racks and tomatoes out on top of the stove until ready to assemble, you should let them cool for at least 20 minutes while you prepare the filling below.

    This step is crucial for reducing the amount of liquid that will be released into the filling as the final pie bakes up.

Prepare the Filling

  1. Heat a medium-sized skillet over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook until just starting to crisp and grease is being rendered. Once browned and just crispy (but not dried out) add the chopped onion and cook until translucent, about 4 to 5 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer everything to a paper towel lined plate.
  2. In a large bowl combine the mayonnaise, cottage cheese, slightly cooled bacon and onion mixture, Dijon mustard, chili flakes, egg, and both cheeses. Stir until completely combined.
  3. Add a thin layer of the filling to the par-baked pie crust. Use a small offset spatula to spread the filling to the edges.

  4. Next, using a small offset spatula to gently lift the tomatoes off the cooling racks, carefully add one layer of the roasted tomatoes over the cheesy filling. Sprinkle freshly ground black pepper over the tomatoes. See photos in the blog post for how it should look.

  5. Now, scatter half the fresh basil and fresh spinach on top of the tomatoes.

  6. Repeat this layering of filling, tomatoes, pepper, and basil and spinach. Add one more layer of the cheesy filling on top and spread it out carefully. You may want to scatter more shredded cheese to cover any gaps or exposed tomatoes.

  7. Add the three reserved tomato slices on top and sprinkle on a little more of the pepper.

  8. Bake at 350F in the lower third of the oven for 30 minutes. Then move the pie to a centre rack and continue baking another 15 or so minutes, until bubbly and lightly browned on top.
  9. Let rest for 1 hour (if served sooner, the filling will still be somewhat fluid). Serve warm or at room temperature with a final scattering of basil.

Recipe Notes

My Perfect Pie Pastry link. Use the savoury version of my pastry recipe. This can be prepared in advance, even frozen, just thaw in the fridge overnight before preparing it for the pie plate.

To whip cottage cheese, take a full container and add it to a blender. Whip till smooth. I often add a splash of lemon juice.  This will keep in the fridge. Add it to sauces, scrambled eggs, etc.
Feel free to play with the cheeses (Monterey Jack, Swiss, Gouda would all work) Fresh thyme, parsley or tarragon or marjoram will also work.
You can replace the mayonnaise with sour cream or full fat plain Greek yogurt.
If you have a 9 x 12 inch baking pan you can use this instead, and create a great dish to cut into smaller bites to serve as an appetizer.
And yes, you can make this without a crust, it just won't be a pie then!

While I was inspired by a few Tomato Pie recipes, the one here was the most helpful and thorough.