Southern Tomato Pie [+Video]

This Southern Tomato Pie is what you make when dinner feels impossible but you still want something special—something that says “home.” Juicy summer tomatoes, 3 kinds of cheese, and fresh basil all tucked into a homemade flaky crust that tastes like comfort on a plate.

Watch How to Make This Southern Tomato Pie Recipe

If there was one recipe that totally caught me by surprise it would be this one! Even kids love, love, love this tomato pie! Think margherita pizza meets pie and that’s what you get here! All the flavors of homemade pizza but in the form of a savory pie. I find that it’s best made with farm fresh tomatoes as they pack in so much more flavor and remind me of the rows and rows of beautiful, shiny red globes of tomatoes planted along the perimeter of Mom and Dad’s garden. It’s fresh and tasty with a flaky crust, what more could you want?!

Southern Tomato Pie Ingredients

This easy tomato pie recipe features a homemade crust and a cheesy tomato filling. Here’s what you’ll need to make this recipe:

For the Crust

• Flour: Just regular all-purpose flour is all you need.
• Sugar: Helps balance out the flavor of the crust.
• Salt: Adds flavor to the crust.
• Butter: Use unsalted butter so that the crust doesn’t become too salty. Butter gives the crust its rich flavor and flaky texture.
• Ice Water: Helps bind all the ingredients together while keeping the butter and shortening cold so the crust is extra flaky.

For the Filling

• Fresh Tomatoes: Vine ripe tomatoes are my favorite for this recipe. Roma tomatoes also work great!
• Cheeses: Mozzarella, Parmesan, and Cheddar
• Herbs and Spices: Salt, Garlic Powder, Oregano, Black Pepper and Fresh Basil Leaves (store-bought or fresh from the garden)
• Mayonnaise: Duke’s is our preferred brand but you can use any mayo you want!

The measurements needed for each ingredient can be found in the recipe card at the end of the post.

Stuffed pork tenderloin is filled with sauteed broccoli, red peppers, and generous amounts of melted mozzarella for an irresistible main dish. It’s gorgeous enough for company, but easy enough for a family dinner.

Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

Our nod to Italy has Italian seasonings and vegetables in the colors of the Italian flag. Crisp tender broccoli and vibrant, slightly sweet red bell pepper combine to play off the sweet mildness of the pork.

Add a gorgeous, tomato and balsamic glaze, and I challenge you to eat just one piece. I certainly can’t stop at one! This impressive-looking and tasting dish goes great with Parmesan Pepper Pasta or a Creamy Pasta Salad. Or if you want to keep it simple, add a Spinach Pasta Salad on the side.

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Cottage cheese dip is a great tasting savory snack that just happens to be high protein and good for you, too! Scoop it up with cracker, crudités, bread, or chicken bites, but do make it!

Cottage Cheese Dip

Cottage cheese is just having a great big moment of fame lately, isn’t it? And I am so very much here for it. I love cottage cheese. I eat it pretty much every day, so whenever I learn of a new way to enjoy it, I’m likely to try that immediately.

When my friend Rebecca was visiting a few months back, she shared this cottage cheese dip with me and I was hooked. It became an instant favorite not just with me, but with my family, too.

We’ve been making ours mostly with these ranch seasonings or with a packet of onion dip, but you can make this with just about any seasoning or spice mix you like. It’s awesome to have a high-protein snack food that’s so easy to put together and so tasty, too! Not only is it delicious, but it’s also much more budget friendly than protein bars and protein shakes.

Whipped Cottage Cheese

You can use whichever cottage cheese is your preference: small curd, large curd, lowfat, or full fat. Small curd has a tangier flavor and less moisture while large curd usually has a milder, sweeter taste and more moisture. That will affect the thickness and tanginess of your dip, so choose accordingly.

If you’re a cottage cheese vegetable dip fan, you may want to give our Cottage Cheese Eggs and Cottage Cheese Pancakes a whirl. And don’t forget the sweets! Believe it or not, those fabulous little curds are great in Cottage Cheese Ice Cream, too.

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Antipasto Pasta Salad – The Easy Recipe [+Video]

Add some Italian flair to your next gathering with this delicious antipasto pasta salad! Packed with savory meats, cheeses, and vegetables, this easy recipe will be a crowd pleaser. Watch the video tutorial for step-by-step instructions.

When you’re looking for a spring or summer salad recipe this antipasto pasta salad needs to be at the top of your list. Our meaty pasta salad is full of olives, veggies and charcuterie meats like sausage and pepperoni!

We made a few charcuterie boards over the holidays for various gatherings, so I had so many different leftovers. I wasn’t quite sure how to use them up, and then it clicked…a pasta salad! And this pasta salad recipe was born!

What is Antipasto?

Antipasto means “before the meal” in Italian and it is a traditional Italian appetizer consisting of cured meats, cheese, olives and vegetables. It’s basically what you would find on a charcuterie board! All delicious things!

Ingredients for Antipasto Pasta Salad

I could probably call this kitchen sink pasta salad because it a little bit of just about everything. Ha! The ingredient list might look long at first glance, but if you’ve had a party with a charcuterie board and have some leftovers, then this is the pasta salad for you! Here is everything you need for this Italian antipasto pasta salad:

Pasta Salad

• Rotini Pasta: You want a pasta with a lot of surface area and lots of nooks and crannies to grab onto the delicious dressing!
• Hard Salami Stick: The pre-sliced salami will work, but I really prefer to buy a stick of salami and cut it into chunks myself.
• Pepperoni Stick: Same story as the salami, buy a stick of pepperoni and cut it into small cubes yourself.
• Artichoke Hearts: Grab a can of artichoke hearts, drain them and quarter them.
• Cherry Tomatoes: Grape tomatoes will work well too. Halve them and toss them in!
• Sun Dried Tomatoes: These add so much delicious flavor and a little acidity.
• Fire Roasted Red Peppers: You can grab a jar at the grocery store (be sure to drain it) or roast your own,.
• Pickled Pepperoncini Peppers: It can’t be antipasto without pepperoncini peppers!
• Olives: A mixture of black and green olives for color (and flavor!) is best.
• Mozzarella Pearls: Marinated mozzarella pearls will add the best flavor, and you HAVE to have cheese in a pasta salad. Just my personal rule!
• Red Onion: Adds flavor and crunchy texture.
• Fresh Basil: Fresh is a must and slice it really thin.

Dressing

• Olive Oil: Acts as the base for the vinaigrette dres

Welcome to the weekend, my friends! It’s a muggy, warm Saturday here and I have a fairly blank day on the calendar. I enjoyed my yoga class this morning, then a church breakfast with friends. After I send this newsletter out, I plan to hit the couch with a book and turn myself into a vegetable for the rest of the day. Fortunately, the fridge is packed with leftovers and there will be no need to cook anything tonight. 

ON THE BLOGS THIS WEEK: Craving something quick, flavorful, and just a little spicy? This ground beef and cabbage stir fry comes together in minutes—with crisp vegetables, savory beef, and a subtle heat that keeps you coming back for more.

Frito pie casserole is the large scale, crowd-friendly version of walking tacos; seasoned taco meat with beans topped with melted cheese and crunchy corn chips. If you want to make it a meal in one, top as you would a taco with lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, onions, and cilantro.

This brown sugar salmon recipe uses the air fryer to cook a piece of salmon to seasoned and subtly sweet perfection in mere minutes. And while I stand firm that the air fryer rocks salmon, I understand not everyone has one handy, (or you might need to cook for a larger crowd!) so I’ve included the instructions for cooking it in a standard oven.

Creamy ham pasta with tender sweet peas comes together in less than 30 minutes for this pasta night favorite. Whether you start with leftover ham or grab ham specifically to make this, everyone will love it!

Give your tuna sandwich a high octane upgrade with this spicy tuna salad recipe. A little bit of hot sauce and some jarred jalapeños bring the heat to this anything-but-boring tuna salad. You’re going to look forward to lunch all morning long.

Homemade pie fillings taste infinitely better than store-bought! And to make things as easy as can be, you can make this cherry pie filling recipe with fresh or frozen cherries.

I have a well-established love of ice cream, with over 150 ice cream recipes here on the website, and yet I still make this simple ice cream recipe at least once a month. There’s a reason why we call this the easiest (and best!) ice cream you will ever make or taste.

What I’m CRAVING: My friend Rebeca’s crispy bang bang salmon bites are screaming my name. I’m borderline obsessed with salmon bites lately and that recipe and s