Southern Tomato Pie [+Video]

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.

How to Make Tomato Pie

1. Make the Homemade Pie Crust: Use a pastry blender to blend all the ingredients together and then roll it out and place it in a pie dish. It gets blind baked with a light sprinkling of cheese on the bottom. Let it cool and start making the filling.
   • PRO TIP: The cheese is not only good, but it actually helps to create an additional layer between the mayo and tomatoes so the crust does not get soggy.
2. Prep the Filling: You’ll start by removing as much moisture as you can from the tomatoes and then make three different bowls of cheese – 1) filling cheese, 2) topping cheese, and 3) cheese/mayo mixture. Next, you’ll season the tomatoes with the herbs and spices.
3. Assemble the Pie: Add a layer of tomatoes to the pie crust. Sprinkle 1/3 of the filling cheese and 1/3 of the basil. Repeat these layers 2 more times ending with a layer of tomatoes. After the last layer of tomatoes, spread the cheese/mayo mixture over the top and finally, sprinkle with the cheese you reserved for the topping.
   • NOTE: The mayonnaise and cheese mixture becomes one and tastes like a delicious cheese sauce in the pie. It does NOT taste like mayonnaise.
4. Bake the Pie: Reduce the temperature of the oven and bake uncovered. Cool before serving.

All of these instructions in full detail can be found in the recipe card at the end of the post. Keep scrolling down for all the information you need! You can also print or save the recipe there.

Can You Make Tomato Pie Ahead of Time?

Tomato pie is one of my favorite recipes to make up to 1 whole day ahead of time. Just be sure that you save the pie in the refrigerator and then you can serve it cold, or reheat it.

You can also prep the pie to be made by baking the pie crust, cooling it, and then setting it aside with plastic wrap until you’re ready to bake it.

The tomatoes should not be sliced until you’re ready. The cheese can be grated and stored in a sealable bag, but we prefer to chop the basil right before using as it will wilt.

Tomato Pie: Served Warm or Cold?

Tomato pie can be served a few different ways. I like my tomato pie to be served at room temperature. Because there is mayonnaise and cheese in it you don’t want to leave it out for hours, but you can certainly leave it to cool a bit or stick it in the fridge until the temperature is more like barely warm.

Many people like to eat their tomato pie warm, so just waiting a few minutes after baking it is best for them. However, tomato pie, especially when served as an appetizer or brunch, can be served cold.

What to Serve with Southern Tomato Pie

I love to serve up this simple tomato basil pie as the main dish with a fresh green salad with a vinaigrette like the one we use on our grilled vegetables as a side dish. Use all the veggies you can from the garden!

You could also serve tomato pie as a side dish with our Carolina pulled pork or our smoked beef brisket for a hearty Southern meal.

Of course you’ll want to follow up this dinner with some Southern peach cobbler a la mode! It doesn’t get more summer than that!

Tips for the Best Tomato Pie

There are a few things that you can do to ensure that your tomato pie doesn’t become soggy:

1. Slice the tomatoes and place them on a paper towel with a sprinkling of salt. Salt draws liquid out of veggies, and then the liquid is absorbed by the paper towels.
2. Blind bake your pie crust to crisp everything before wet ingredients are piled into it. When you blind bake for a tomato pie make sure that you are docking, or in other words, pricking the entire bottom of the pie crust.
3. If your tomatoes look especially juicy, brush the pie crust with an egg white before baking. This will seal the pie crust.

Storing and Reheating

Storing: Tomato pie is to be stored with plastic wrap or foil wrapped over the pie. It creates quite the mess to attempt to remove slices and store them in containers. Note that tomato pie is great at room temperature. If the entire pie isn’t consumed the day you make it, you should store the leftovers in the fridge. It will keep for up to 2 days.

Freezing: You actually can freeze tomato pie. There will be some more liquid once you’re reheating, but because it’s mayonnaise and not a cream base it holds up pretty darn well. Once the pie is cooked and cooled, just place it on a cookie sheet. Next, flash freeze for 20 minutes. Once that is done, wrap in plastic wrap. Keep in a container in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Reheating: When you want to eat one of the pie slices that was frozen, unwrap and microwave on high for one minute. If it is just a pie from the refrigerator, do 30 seconds.

It’s time for a journey down South with this easy Southern tomato pie! It’s pure comfort food and tastes just like pizza! The most delicious way to use up all your fresh garden tomatoes!

More Southern Recipes:

• Southern Macaroni and Cheese
• Southern English Pea Salad 
• Crispy Southern Fried Chicken
• Southern Sausage Breakfast Cake

READ: Southern Tomato Pie [+Video]