Several years ago, we heard a recipe for tomato pie on the radio as the Mister and I were driving into the Blue Ridge Mountains to go camping. As soon as we got home, we started looking up recipes and testing them out. This is a savory pie that is a fantastic side for any summer meal. I like it hot, Mister likes it cold. It’s amazing either way.
You will need:
- 6 large tomatoes
- 1 can of flaky whomp biscuits*, a ready made pie shell, your own pie dough, zucchini pizza crust dough, or, really, anything you can think of to use as a pie shell
- 1 large sweet onion
- 1 generous handful of basil that’s been torn into small pieces
- 1 cup shredded cheddar
- 1 cup other shredded cheese blend, like colby-jack
- 2-4 heaping tblsp mayonnaise, just enough to hold the cheeses together**
Peel and remove pips from tomatoes.***
Slice or chop tomatoes, sprinkle lightly with sea salt, and lay on a strainer over the sink to drain for at least 30 minutes. I leave them the better part of the day, giving them a stir whenever I’m in the kitchen, and getting them really drained.
Slice onion very thin.
Line a casserole dish or deep pie pan with your shell, the deeper the better. If you’re using biscuits, peel apart the biscuit layers and pinch and pull them as you line the pan.
Layer tomato, onion, & basil, add black or white pepper if you like.
Keep layering until you run out of fixins or casserole dish.
Mix cheeses and mayo and spread the mixture over the top.****
Bake in 350F oven 30-45 minutes, until top is golden brown. Mangia.
- *Whomp biscuits are the ones that go “WHOMP!!!” when you peel off the label and twist the can.
- **You can’t skip the mayo altogether, it’s necessary for the crust to brown properly, but Vegenaise works just fine.
- ***Remove the stem and leaves, cutting into the tomato a little, prick the bottom, boil approximately 45 seconds or until you see skin begin peeling away, plunge into ice water, then peel. Cut the peeled tomatoes in half so you have a top and bottom half and the chambers are exposed. Use the handle end of spoon to remove the seeds and pulp. Labor intensive, and potentially very messy, but not difficult.
- ****Make a ball out of the mixture. Place the ball between two pieces of wax paper. Spread it out to the size you need. Remove the top piece of wax paper. Flip onto the top of the pie and peel off the wax paper.
