The Better Baker: Fresh Tomato Pie

I have wanted to make a tomato pie for a very long time, so I was thrilled when I had gathered all my ingredients and then invited friends over to dinner, so I was happy to be able to share this luscious dish.

There's nothing like fresh tomatoes! We've been given so many lately, but I think adding cheese to them makes them even better.

So when I recently saw that Stacey from Southern Bite shared his recipe, it gave me the motivation to finally getter done!

If you take a peek at Stacey's pie, his tomato layer looks thicker than mine...I wish I would have added another tomato...will do that next time. I think there should be at least 2 full layers inside your pie crust.

I used white whole wheat to make an oil pastry crust for our pie.

I also added a little Frank's hot sauce (my hubby loves the stuff!) to give it a little kick, and also added fresh chopped onions. So all those things are optional.

(hover over image to pin)

FRESH TOMATO PIE

4 medium tomatoes

salt

1 prebaked pie crust, cooled

chopped onions to taste, optional

1 tsp. dried basil

(or 8 - 10 fresh leaves, chopped)

3/4 c. mayonnaise

2 c. mozzarella cheese, shredded

1/4 c. parmesan cheese

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 - 1 tsp. Frank's hot sauce, optional

fresh ground pepper

Thinly slice tomatoes then salt them. Place in a strainer or on a cooling rack (I put mine over my sink) to draw out moisture.

Preheat oven to 350.

In large bowl, combine mayo, mozzarella, parmesan, minced garlic & hot sauce. Stir until well combined.

Use paper towels to blot tomatoes to remove the excess moisture. Layer the tomatoes, onions and basil in the pie crust. Spoon the cheese mixture over the top. Top with fresh ground pepper before baking. Bake for about 40 minutes or until the topping is golden brown.

Stacey recommends placing the pie on a rimmed baking pan (jelly roll pan) in case the pie spills over.