Savory Summertime Tomato Pie

Although many of us grew up eating tomato pie, this recipe is great news for those others who don’t know what they’ve been missing. Tomato pie bakes in a standard pastry crust, but it’s savory, not sweet. It’s easy because all we do is fill the pie shell with sliced fresh tomatoes and a few spoonfuls of creamy filling and crown it all with buttery cracker crumbs. It bakes only until warmed through, so that the tomatoes don’t cook. Needless to say, the tomatoes must be glorious and fully ripened in the sun, ideally homegrown or picked up at a local farmers market or produce stand. Not even mayonnaise and cheese can redeem a pie made with sad, out-of-season tomatoes. 

I usually keep this recipe vegetarian, but I also admit that sprinkling a handful of crisply cooked and chopped bacon over the mayonnaise mixture is delicious, reminiscent of what we love in a great BLT. 

Makes 6 to 8 servings

Ingredients

• 9-inch pie shell, blind-baked and cooled (see note)
• 2 1/2 pounds fully ripe, glorious tomatoes (preferably colorful heirlooms)
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped scallions
• Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
• 3/4 cup shredded Gruyère cheese
• 3 tablespoons lightly packed basil leaves, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup coarsely crushed saltine cracker crumbs
• 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons melted butter

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350°F. 

Use a serrated knife to cut the tomatoes into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Cover a wire rack with a double layer of paper towels. Set the rack over the sink or inside a rimmed baking sheet to catch any drips. Arrange the tomato slices in a single layer on the paper towels. Sprinkle them with the salt and let them drain for at least 15 minutes. Blot the tomatoes dry with more paper towels. 

Meanwhile, stir together the mayonnaise, scallions, zest, juice, celery seed, pepper and Gruyère cheese in a medium bowl. Season with salt. 

Arrange half of the tomatoes in the bottom of the pie shell. Spread the mayonnaise mixture over the tomatoes and sprinkle with basil. Arrange the rest of the tomatoes over the basil. 

Toss together the crumbs, Parmesan and butter in a small bowl and then sprinkle over the top of the pie. 

Bake until the top is browned, about 30 minutes. Place on a wire rack to cool to room temperature before serving. (Tomato pie is best eaten the day it’s made. Leftovers tend to turn soggy. If that’s not a deal breaker, refrigerate any leftovers.)

Sheri Castle, award-winning food writer and cooking teacher, is known for melding culinary expertise, storytelling and humor, so she can tell a tale while making a memorable meal. Her creative, well-crafted recipes and practical advice inspire people to cook with confidence and enthusiasm. She's written a tall stack of cookbooks and her work appears in dozens of magazines. In 2019, the Southern Foodways Alliance named Sheri among Twenty Living Legends of Southern Food, calling her The Storyteller.

Sheri says that she's fueled by great ingredients and the endless pursuit of intriguing stories, usually about the role that food plays in our lives, families, communities and culture.

When she steps away from the kitchen or a local farm, Sheri enjoys spending quiet time at her home near Chapel Hill. She hails from the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina.